Famous Civil Engineers from the United Kingdom

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Updated October 14, 2018111 items

List of notable or famous civil engineers from the United Kingdom, with bios and photos, including the top civil engineers born in the United Kingdom and even some popular civil engineers who immigrated to the United Kingdom. If you're trying to find out the names of famous British civil engineers then this list is the perfect resource for you. These civil engineers are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known civil engineer from the United Kingdom is included when available.

People include everything from Robert Stephenson to James Simpson.

This historic civil engineers from the United Kingdom list can help answer the questions "Who are some British civil engineers of note?" and "Who are the most famous civil engineers from the United Kingdom?" These prominent civil engineers of the United Kingdom may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected British civil engineers.

Use this list of renowned British civil engineers to discover some new civil engineers that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. {#nodes}
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  • Alan Muir Wood

    Alan Muir Wood

    Dec. at 87 (1921-2009)
    • Birthplace: Hampstead, London, United Kingdom
    Sir Alan Marshall Muir Wood (8 August 1921 – 1 February 2009) was a British civil engineer.
  • Alexander Gibb

    Alexander Gibb

    Dec. at 85 (1872-1958)
    • Birthplace: Dundee, United Kingdom
    Brigadier-General Sir Alexander Gibb (12 February 1872 – 21 January 1958) was a Scottish civil engineer. After serving as Civil Engineer-in-Chief to the Admiralty and Director-General of Civil Engineering at the Ministry of Transport, he established the engineering consultancy firm Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners.
  • Alexander Ross

    Alexander Ross

    Dec. at 77 (1845-1923)
    • Birthplace: Laggan, United Kingdom
    Alexander Ross (20 April 1845 – 3 February 1923) was a British civil engineer particularly noted for his work with the railway industry. Ross was born in Laggan, County of Inverness in Scotland on 20 April 1845. He was educated in Aberdeen and at Owen's College in Manchester, an institution now a part of the University of Manchester. Ross began his career in railway engineering with the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) before moving to the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1871. In 1873 he went to work for the North Eastern Railway (NER) before returning to LNWR in the next year. He changed employer again in 1884 when he went to work for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) before becoming the Chief Engineer of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) in 1890. During his time at MS&LR he was responsible for the design of many of the works involved with that company's London Extension. In 1896 Ross became the Chief Engineer of the Great Northern Railway (GNR), a post he held until 1911 when he became an engineering consultant. During his time at GNR his advice was sought by the company's board on the locomotive design to be chosen for their no.1300 series of engines. Several designs were rejected as they were judged to be too long or heavy for the rail infrastructure. Despite several attempts at redesign by Nigel Gresley the series was scrapped in 1924. His works as an engineering consultant included the Hertford Loop Line and Breydon Viaduct, with Ross serving as the Engineer-in-Chief of the latter. On 16 June 1897 he was appointed Major in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, an unpaid unit of the Volunteer Force which provided technical advice to the British Army. He was a Lieutenant-Colonel in that corps at the time it joined the Territorial Force on 1 April 1908. He had been a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers since before 16 June 1897 and from November 1915 to November 1916 he served as their president. Ross died in London on 3 February 1923.
  • Alfred Burges

    Alfred Burges

    Dec. at 90 (1796-1886)
    Alfred Burges (1796-1886) was a British civil engineer. He was apprenticed to the civil engineer James Walker, and in turn trained several other engineers such as Sir Joseph Bazalgette. Walker and Burges were responsible for railways, bridges and many marine works, including lighthouses, Surrey Commercial Docks, the Junction Dock at Hull, and the Bedford Levels. Their firm is noted in many documents as Messrs. Walker & Burgess, engineers of Limehouse, with his last name being almost always spelt in this way. He died at Worthing on 12 March 1886, and is buried at West Norwood Cemetery. He left a fortune of £113,000 (£12,091,000 in 2019 adjusted for inflation). His son William (1827-1881) was an influential architect.
  • Alfred Lamert Dickens

    Alfred Lamert Dickens

    Dec. at 37 (1822-1860)
    • Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
    Alfred Lamert Dickens (1822–1860) was an English railway engineer, and was the younger brother of the Victorian novelist Charles Dickens.
  • Alfred Giles

    Alfred Giles

    Dec. at 78 (1816-1895)
    • Birthplace: London, England
    Alfred Giles was a British civil engineer and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1878 and 1892. Giles was born in London, the second son of Francis Giles canal builder and railway engineer and his wife Mary Ann Wyer, daughter of Samuel Wyer of Birmingham. He was educated at Charterhouse School and became a civil engineer, constructing railways and dock works in Britain and overseas. He was consulting Engineer to Southampton Dock Co., chairman of Union Steamship Co. and a director of Commercial Union Fire and Life Assurance Co. Giles was also created a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog by King Christian IX of Denmark. He lived in Godalming in Surrey. Giles was elected Member of Parliament for Southampton, first winning his seat in a by-election in 1878, sitting as a Conservative. He lost his seat at the 1880 General Election but regained it in another by-election in 1883. He retained his seat at the 1885 and 1886 General Elections but was defeated in 1892 by the Conservative Tankerville Chamberlayne. Giles served as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers from May 1893 to May 1894.