Isambard Kingdom Brunel Brunel (1847–1876). Henry Marc followed his father and grandfather in becoming a successful civil engineer. A celebrated engineer in his era, Brunel remains revered today, as evidenced by numerous monuments to him. There are statues in London at Temple (pictured), Brunel University and Paddington station, and in Bristol, Plymouth, Swindon, Milford Haven and Saltash. A statue in Neyland in Pembrokeshire in Wales was stolen in August 2010. The topmast of the "Great Eastern" is used as a flagpole at the entrance to Anfield, Liverpool Football Club's ground. Contemporary locations bear Brunel's name, such as Brunel University in London, shopping centres
Isambard Kingdom Brunel first ship to cross the Atlantic under steam power alone. Even with a four-day head start, the competing arrived only one day earlier and its crew was forced to burn cabin furniture, spare yards and one mast for fuel. In contrast, the "Great Western" crossing of the Atlantic took 15 days and five hours, and the ship arrived at her destination with a third of its coal still remaining, demonstrating that Brunel's calculations were correct. The "Great Western" had proved the viability of commercial transatlantic steamship service, which led the Great Western Steamboat Company to use her in regular service