Hugh Ferguson

Hugh Ferguson and Mike Chrimes' fascinating series is now available as a three-volume set. The Civil Engineers, The Contractors and The Consulting Engineers follows the story of the engineering profession, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the people and companies who made the industry what it is today. All of the books show the evolution of the civil engineering profession from ancient times to the present day, revealing how British endeavour has impacted the infrastructure of the United Kingdom and wider world. Each book is illustrated throughout and presented in full colour and contains biographies of the biggest names and influential pioneers including Grundy, Smeaton, Telford, Stephenson, Brunel, Binnie, Gibb and Arup, and many more. These books will appeal to professional engineers, academics, students of engineering, historians and the wider public who are interested in the social and industrial history of Great Britain, and its influence throughout the world.

From the authors of the successful titles, The Civil Engineers and The Contractors, comes: The Consulting Engineers: The British consulting engineers who created the world’s infrastructure. This beautifully illustrated full colour book tells the fascinating story of British consulting engineers for the first time. From their early beginnings, through the establishment of the profession in the 18th century, the `Railway Age’ of the 1800s, their post-World War Two international boom and on to the recent commercialisation and consolidation of the industry. The authors, Hugh Ferguson and Mike Chrimes, bring their vast experience and expert subject knowledge to the book, tracking how an extraordinary group of engineers created the infrastructure of Britain, and of much of the rest of the world. The Consulting Engineers covers not just what consulting engineers do but also how their profession started and grew rapidly, and how the role has changed and continues to evolve. Take a look at Now published: The Consulting Engineers blog to learn what the authors have to say about their latest book. The co-authors also reveal what it takes to write a book, why they chose to work in civil engineering and more in their blog, A cup of tea with Hugh Ferguson and Mike Chrimes. Hear what Hugh Ferguson and Mike Chrimes have to say on: What led them to write the third book in the collection? What will practising engineers learn from this book? Who were the the most important consulting engineers? Why were consulting engineers so important to British infrastructure? What impact did consulting engineers have on the rest of the world? The Consulting Engineers is an ideal purchase for any engineer interested in the history of their industry. It will appeal to professional engineers, academics, students of engineering, historians and the wider public who are interested in the social and industrial history of Great Britain, and its influence throughout the world.

Fully illustrated in colour, The Contractors, is the first history of the challenges and adventures faced by British civil engineering contractors from their emergence with canal construction in the late-eighteenth century to the present day. Extraordinarily ambitious, largely unrecognised men who built the world's infrastructure - its roads and railways, canals and bridges, docks and harbours, lighthouses and breakwaters, sea works and flood defences, water supply and irrigation, urban drainage and sewerage, gas works and power stations, and buildings of all shapes and sizes - these contractors took considerable risks, many failed in the process but others thrived and developed into some of the most powerful and influential industrialists of their day. Including profiles of many of the key figures and organisations in the industry through the ages, The Contractors explains what the business is about and where it comes from, sharing with a wider audience the exploits of these adventurers, characterised by their inspiring leadership, sheer hard work, a strong constitution and perseverance in the face of adversity. Over time, the contractor has changed: from the great Victorian contractors, towering men whose business was their personal affair, through the twentieth century which has seen the rise of the corporate contractor, specialist contractors and the blurring of the distinction between consulting engineers and contractors, to the larger firms of recent years becoming larger through merger and acquisition but, as the examples in this book demonstrate, there is still room for the entrepreneur with vision, leadership and drive to become a highly successful contractor. The Contractors is a compulsory read for all those working in the industry, including civil engineers, those interested in the industry and its impact on the world, and the wider public. Readers will experience the boom of the canal and railway eras, working at home and abroad, the difficulties and opportunities brought by wars, the equipment used and the specialists and sub-contractors of today, fully illustrated with unique material from ICE and the firms themselves.

The first history of the Institution of Civil Engineers to be illustrated in colour looks at the development of the profession over nearly 200 years and includes biographies of some of the greatest engineers who made these changes possible, charting the successes of construction from the great engineering advances of Victorian times to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. A fascinating and informative read for all those interested in the history of ICE and how it has grown as well as the civil engineering industry and its impact on the world in which we live.