Hamilton Owen Rendel
Hamilton Owen Rendel (1843–1902) designed and installed the original raising mechanism of the Tower Bridge while working for Sir W. G. Armstrong Mitchell & Company of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Tower Bridge hydraulics
The mechanism was powered by pressurised water stored in several hydraulic accumulators.[1][2] Water, at a pressure of 750 psi (5.2 MPa), was pumped into the accumulators by two 360 hp (270 kW) stationary steam engines, each driving a force pump from its piston tail rod. The accumulators each comprise a 20 inches (51 cm) ram on which sits a very heavy weight to maintain the desired pressure.
Family
Rendel was a member of a notable family of engineers. His father, James Meadows Rendel, was a civil engineer who married his mother, Catherine Jane Harris. His siblings were:
- Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel (1829–1918) – civil engineer
- George Wightwick Rendel (1833–1902) – naval architect and civil engineer
- Emily Frances Rendel (1836–1897) married Charles Bowen, 1st Baron Bowen in 1862.
- Emily Catherine Rendel (1840–1921) married Clement Francis Wedgwood in 1866
- Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel
A cousin, James Murray Dobson, became resident engineer of the Buenos Aires harbour works in the 1880s and 1890s.
References
- ↑ "Bridge History". Towerbridge.org.uk. 2003-02-01. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- ↑ Lane, MR (1989). The Rendel Connection: a dynasty of engineers. Quiller press, London. ISBN 1-870948-01-7.