- 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.
Click on image for book reviews
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 ...... moreBrunel'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; Teignmouth - Quayside Bookshop; 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 available from leading High Street 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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