Sarah Beach Guppy
Sarah Guppy and her husband, Samuel Guppy had six children, Samuel Guppy Junior, Thomas Richard, Sarah Maria Ann, Mary Elizabeth, Robert and Grace. Thomas Richard Guppy would become one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's assistants, working with him on the construction of the ships Great Britain and the Great Western. Sarah herself is said to have made models for Brunel of his inventions.
Brunel’s Mentor
Preparing for the story on Isambard Kingdom Brunel [click to read], I discovered a second attribution for the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Sarah Beach Guppy. Apparently she briefly was thought to have created the design for the bridge over the Avon Gorge because she had patented an iron chain bridge design in 1811. The problem is that her design is substantially different from that used by Brunel. Still, it is of note that a woman born in the Eighteenth Century had ten patents to her name. Born in 1770, Sarah married a merchant named Samuel Guppy and they had six children. Mr. Guppy’s business took him to London and the family was friends with the family of Marc Brunel. That Marc and Sarah were both inventors certainly created some sort of bond. Although it is commonly believed that Marc Brunel was Isambard’s primary teacher, it seems Sarah became a special mentor to the young man. He was 36 years younger than her.
When young Isambard arrived in Bristol he had never actually designed a bridge. His work to that point had been assisting his father Marc in the construction of the Thames Tunnel. Barely escaping death when the tunnel collapsed, young Brunel went to Bristol to convalesce. Some historians speculate that Guppy collaborated in the design for the Clifton Bridge. Other sources say that she built models of Brunel’s designs. This points to the distinct possibility that Sarah not only collaborated with Marc and Isambard, but served as a mentor to the younger Brunel. Her first invention was a method of making safe pilings for bridges. Thomas Telford asked her for permission to use her patented design and she gave it to him free of charge. She was generous with her genius.
As a friend of Isambard, she helped in the creation of the Great Western Railway, making many recommendations to the directors of the company. In 1841 she recommended planting willows and poplars to stabilize the railroad embankments. Her son Thomas would later become an assistant to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, working on the Great Britain and the Great Eastern. Young Isambard even painted a portrait of Sarah. The two families enjoyed a rich shared creativity. Isambard and his wife Mary were great patrons of the arts. I did not know Isambard was a painter himself, although his renderings and the detailing of his projects show his artistry.
As to the attribution of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the work would appear to be original with Brunel, still, great design does not happen in a vacuum and Sarah Beach Guppy deserves recognition for her contribution – even if it was simply her mentorship of the great designer.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge under construction. — Public Domain