Henry Norris (engineer)
| Henry Norris | |
|---|---|
| Born |
3 March 1816 Poplar, London, England |
| Died |
11 May 1878 (aged 62) Stratford, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | Great Britain |
|
Engineering career | |
| Engineering discipline | civil engineering |
| Practice name | Messrs. Walker & Burges |
| Significant projects | Eddystone lighthouse Smeaton's Tower repairs, Trevose Head lighthouse, Whitby lighthouse, Souter lighthouse, Spurn Low lighthouse, East Bute docks Cardiff |
Souter lighthouse tower at Lizard Point, Marsden
Henry Norris (1816-1878) was a British civil engineer born in Poplar, London the son of several generations of house carpenters. He was the resident engineer for lighthouse construction projects under contract to Trinity House from civil engineers Messrs. Walker & Burges, the firm of James Walker and Alfred Burges, and later on oversaw the building of Souter Lighthouse, the world's first lighthouse specifically designed & built to be powered by electricity.
He died at Stratford, London and is buried at Tower Hamlets Cemetery. His grave was located during ground clearing work in 2013 a few metres from that of John Buckley (VC).
Projects
Henry Norris noted projects around the coast of England and Wales, included:
The newly built Trevose Head lighthouse, Cornwall, England from "The Illustrated London News" 1847
Whitby Lighthouse, Ling Hill, Whitby
North Foreland lighthouse at Broadstairs, Kent about 1880 with modernised light as it was after 1860
- Eddystone Lighthouse repairs to Smeaton's Tower in 1841 "The Eddystone Lighthouse has within the past few months undergone a complete renovation, under the direction of Mr. Henry Norris, engineer, from the establishment of Messrs. Walker and Burges, the contractors under the Trinity Board. The exterior of the building has been pointed with cement, a large cavity in the rock, close to the foundation of the light-house has been filled up and the water casks formerly in use have been removed, and commodious tanks erected in their stead."[1] Despite these repairs to the foundations, later failure of the rock itself upon which the tower was built led to Smeaton's Tower replacement.
- Trevose Head Lighthouse[2] (1844-47) built at Trevose Head, Cornwall
- East Bute Dock at Cardiff Docks, survey in 1852 for their designer James Walker of Messrs. Walker & Burges
- Spurn Low[3] lighthouse at Spurn on the point at the mouth of the Humber in 1852
- Whitby Lighthouse - the twin lights of Whitby North[4] and Whitby South,[5] near Ling Hill, High Whitby (1857-58) "Messrs. Walker, Burgess, and Cooper, of Great George Street, London, are the engineers, and Mr. Henry Norris, of London, is the superintendent of the works"[6]
- North Foreland lighthouse March 1860, conversion of the light to a dioptric[7] & experiments with alternating current arc lighting conducted by Professor Frederick Hale Holmes which were included in a lecture by Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution.[8]
- Souter Lighthouse (1869-71) "This new lighthouse has been completed so far that it is ready for the lantern, the top-stone of the tower having been fixed on Saturday. The remainder of the works are being pushed rapidly forward under the supervision of Mr H. Norris, the board and resident engineer. The new lighthouse is expected to be in working order for December and will be one of the best structures of its kind on the coast."[9][10]
References
- ↑ "Woolmer's Exeter and Plymouth Gazette". May 15, 1841. p. 3.
- ↑ "Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2". pp. 92, 93.
- ↑ "Lighthouse management,". p. 69.
- ↑ "Lighthouse management,". p. 67.
- ↑ "Lighthouse management,". p. 68.
- ↑ "The Whitby Gazette". May 22, 1858. p. 4.
- ↑ "Lighthouse management,". p. 79.
- ↑ "Newcastle Courant". March 30, 1860. p. 3.
MAGNETO-ELECTRIC LIGHT FOR LIGHTHOUSES - Professor Faraday, in a lecture delivered at the Royal Institution, says: "By means of a magnet, and of motion, we can get the some kind of electricity as from the battery; and, under the authority of the Trinity House, Professor Holmes has been occupied in introducing the magneto-electric light in the lighthouse at the North Foreland...For the last six months the North Foreland has been shining by means of this electric light beyond all comparison better than its former light. Never for once during six months has it failed in doing its duty
- ↑ "Shields Gazette and Daily Telegraph". September 9, 1870. p. 3.
- ↑ "Shields Gazette and Daily Telegraph". June 9, 1869. p. 9.
The foundation-stone of the lighthouse at Souter Point was laid yesterday afternoon by Mrs Blain (sister to Admiral Collinson) in the presence of the committee of the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, London, Admiral Collinson, Captain Nesbitt, Captain Webb, Mr G. N. Douglas[sic], engineer to the Corporation, and friends. Robert [sic] Norris is the superintendent of the works, and Mr James Todd is the contractor.