Brunel’s Hidden Kingdom - the full
story of the estate he created and his planned
house at Watcombe Torquay.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was working on
this throughout the last twelve years of
his life, yet little has been written about
it until now. Here he spent his happiest
days with his family and became deeply involved
in the local community.
This colourful A4 size 160 page hard back
book contains over 130 images, many of which
have never been published before.
The Author, Geoffrey Tudor has lectured
in War Studies at both RMA Sandhurst and
Dartmouth Naval College, and has written
many articles on military and naval topics.
Over twenty years ago he moved to Torquay
and found himself living alongside Brunel’s
neglected and almost forgotten Watcombe
estate. He began to investigate the history
of Watcombe, and wrote the recommendation
for its Registration as a Historic Park.
 Twenty
years of research in national and local
records – together with intensive
study on the ground have culminated in the
writing of this book that fills a significant
gap in the story of Brunel’s life
and the exploration of his personality.
Here we find a very different Brunel from
the ‘driven’ engineer who once
confessed his life to have been that of
a slave. We find him sending his whole work-force
on a five day paid holiday to view the Great
Exhibition in 1851; designing model housing
for his workers, complete with school and
chapel; defeating a project to site a gas-works
on Babbacombe Beach. He helped finance the
local water-supply and rebuild the parish
church – then spent four years sorting
out the parish debt that the improvident
vicar had left behind him. Above all this
is the story of Brunel – aided by
wife Mary and gardener Forsyth – laying
out a garden and designing a landscape.
Geoffrey’s monograph “The
Brunels in Torbay”, was published
in 1989.
“Brunel’s Hidden Kingdom”
was compiled by Helen Hillard in association
with the Woodlands House of Prayer Trust
who own Brunel Manor today, running it as
a Christian Holiday and Conference Centre.
During her research for the Brunel 200 celebrations
in 2006 she found many detailed notes and
archives collected by Geoffrey Tudor. This
led to him being approached to write the
text for “Brunel’s Hidden Kingdom”.
Professor Angus Buchanan, Emeritus Professor
in the History of Technology, University
of Bath writes:
“This is an excellent and badly-needed
piece of research. The narrative illuminates
the character of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
and the nature of his career, catching a
genuine sense of excitement over the Watcombe
Project. This book is thus most welcome,
bringing together the fruit of Geoff Tudor’s
research over many years and presenting
it in a form that is colourful and attractive.
It will serve as an excellent Guide to the
Brunel Garden, but it is of course more
than that, as it is a unique contribution
to Brunel studies. An outstanding piece
of scholarship that also should have wide
popular appeal”.
Book Reviews: I must declare an interest
in this fascinating book, as my husband
is the great, great grandson of I K Brunel's
head gardener ...... more
Brunel's Hidden Kingdom, ISBN 978-0-9546071-2-8,
priced at £19.50, is available at
Ashburton - Book Shelf ; Brixham –
Brix Boox and The Tourist Information Centre;
Bristol - the SS Great Britain; Crediton
- The Bookshop; Exeter - Devon Record Office;
Glastonbury – Dicketts; Great Torrington
- RHS Rosemoor; Newton Abbot - Choice Words
and The Mitre Bookshop; London - Brunel
Museum at Rotherhithe; Paignton –
Choice Words, The Torbay Bookshop; Sidmouth
- Paragon Books; Tavistock - Book Stop;
Torquay - Brunel Manor, Torquay Museum,
The Agatha Christie Shop on Torquay harbour,
The Lavender Bookshop in Ilsham Road and
Fables the Bookshop at St Marychurch. Brunel's
Hidden Kingdom is also on sale in Waterstones
bookshops.
By Post: For UK mail orders, send a cheque
for £23.50 per copy made out to Mrs.
H Hillard, enclosing your name, address
and contact phone number, to Birchwood,
Cockhaven Road, Bishopsteignton, Teignmouth,
Devon, TQ14 9RQ. Alternatively you can download
an order form; this has details of overseas
postal rates.
Click
here to download an order form
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