Lewis Cubitt

Portrait of Lewis Cubitt by William Boxall, 1845

Lewis Cubitt (29 September 1799 – 9 June 1883) was an English civil engineer.

Life

He was a younger brother of Thomas Cubitt,[1] the leading master builder in London in the second quarter of the 19th century, and he designed many of the housing developments constructed by his sibling. He also was a younger brother of William Cubitt, the Lord Mayor of London.

He built many bridges in his career, most of them being in South America, Australia and India. One example of his work is to be found in Peterborough, where his cast iron bridge, which today carries the East Coast Main Line railway over the River Nene, was built in 1847. Apart from some minor repairs and strengthening in 1910 (the steel bands and cross braces around the fluted legs to help carry increased train weights) it remains as built by Cubitt. It is now a unique "listed structure" - the only cast iron bridge in the UK carrying a high-speed train line.

East Coast Main Line bridge by Cubitt, in the background.

Lewis also designed London King's Cross railway station, which was built in 185152, and the associated Great Northern Hotel, in 1854. A granary by Cubitt behind King's Cross Station is being refurbished for the art college Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, in the re-development of the railway lands behind the terminal known as King's Cross Central, in the London Borough of Camden.

King's Cross station at its opening in 1852.

Family

He married Sophia Kendall (1811-1879) on 23 January 1830.

References

  1. Hobhouse, Hermione. "Cubitt, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/6859. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)