Why anniversaries are good for the industry

Nov 20 2009 by Francesca Craggs, The Journal

Stephen Larkin, Regional Director of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East explains why marking significant anniversaries helps build relationships, stimulate interest in the engineering profession and highlight the importance of infrastructure to our daily existence.

MONDAY October 12 2009 marked the 150th anniversary of the death of civil engineering and locomotive pioneer, Robert Stephenson. Born near Newcastle, in 1803, the only son of the “father of the railways” George Stephenson, Robert became, and still remains, one of Britain’s most eminent engineers.

A former president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (1855-1857), Robert Stephenson is renowned for his involvement in the development of many rail lines across Great Britain and overseas and he constructed a number of well-known bridges to carry the new railway lines, following the experience of his father on the Stockton and Darlington line. His iconic designs of the High Level Bridge, at Newcastle upon Tyne, the world’s first two-deck road and rail bridge, and the majestic masonry viaduct, the Royal Border Bridge, over the Tweed completed the railway from London to Scotland via Newcastle.

ICE North East took a lead in commemorating this significant anniversary and, together with a host of other organisations, held an extensive programme of commemorative events based around Robert Stephenson and his achievements to engage with the public and promote civil engineering. To date, thousands of people have attended the series of lectures, exhibitions, guided walks and film nights that has run throughout the year.

ICE NE, in conjunction with the Robert Stephenson Trust also launched a Northumbria Trail Leaflet detailing sites and locations which people can visit to learn how Robert Stephenson helped to shape the world. A limited edition commemorative cover depicting the High Level Bridge is available from the ICE NE website.

Following a hugely successful Robert Stephenson-themed photographic competition, a number of venues in the region exhibited the shortlisted images of engineering icons. The number and quality of the entries far exceeded expectation and has enabled the production of desk and wall calendars for 2010.

Encouraging young people into the profession is hugely important. The delivery of the ICE ‘Bridges to Schools’ event, held at Longridge Towers School near Berwick upon Tweed, saw 300 pupils from north and south of the Border exposed to the potential benefits of a career in civil engineering.

In September, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne hosted a civic reception, which was followed by an evening lecture presented by Dr Michael Bailey, entitled Robert Stephenson, the Eminent Engineer.

To mark the anniversary itself a wreath was laid at the Stephenson Monument in Newcastle with a second being taken, on the East Coast Main Line, to a service at Westminster Abbey in London where Robert Stephenson is buried. These events were filmed by both the BBC and Channel 4 and evensong at St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle attracted a film crew from ITV Tyne Tees.

The Stephenson Anniversary has presented ICE NE with a great opportunity to raise the profile of civil engineering and highlight the importance of infrastructure across the Region. Robert Stephenson’s Central Station and High Level Bridge in Newcastle and Royal Border Bridge in Berwick upon Tweed are still in daily use more than 150 years after they were conceived; reinforcing the need to invest wisely in the construction of new projects and the maintenance of existing assets.

Civil engineering pioneers like Robert Stephenson didn’t just come up with revolutionary ideas which they were instrumental in designing and constructing. They also had to promote their projects, raise the finance and take responsibility for getting any relevant legislation through Parliament. These days, there are far too few civil engineers in prominent positions in government, business and industry and so the profession’s influence on the decision making process is far less than it could or should be.

High levels of investment in infrastructure are needed in the future if we are to meet growing transport and energy demands. Now more than ever we need continued and sustained skills investment to ensure we have the capacity to deliver nationally significant projects without delay.

The success of this commemorative initiative demonstrates both the importance of marking significant anniversaries and adopting a ‘partnership’ approach between organisations. Next year sees the 160th anniversary of the Royal Border Bridge in Berwick upon Tweed and 2011, the centenary of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge; both significant anniversaries that can be used as vehicles to strengthen these partnerships and raise the profile of civil engineers and their projects even further.

Hopefully, more modern icons of the North East such as the Gateshead Millennium Bridge on the Tyne and the Infinity Bridge on the Tees will continue to fire the imagination, lasting long enough to see their own significant anniversaries.

The success of this commemorative initiative demonstrates both the importance of marking significant anniversaries