HS2 installs blue plaque 40 metres under Brunel family tomb in London

A blue plaque has been installed 40 metres underground to mark the location where the HS2 line passes directly beneath the Brunel family tomb.

HS2 Ltd stated that the marker celebrates “one of the world’s greatest engineering dynasties”.

It has been fitted to the wall of Euston Tunnel, which is being dug by two machines travelling from Old Oak Common in west London to Euston in the centre of the capital.

The tunnel runs beneath Kensal Green Cemetery, where members of the Brunel family are buried, including Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Sir Marc designed the Thames Tunnel beneath London’s River Thames, which opened in 1843 as the world’s first tunnel under a navigable river deep and wide enough for boats to pass through.

Sir Marc invented the tunnel shield method which remains in use today, including by the machines digging Euston Tunnel.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a renowned engineer, whose projects included building the Great Western Railway’s Box Tunnel in Wiltshire, which at the time was the world’s longest railway tunnel.

His many other works included Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge, and three ships which each became the world’s largest ship when completed.

HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Wild said the significance of the engineering achievements of Sir Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel “cannot be underplayed”.

He went on: “How we build our tunnels today is because of Sir Marc’s work, and how we build our railways is because of how Isambard Brunel built the Great Western Main Line.

“He built railways flat and straight, and future-proofed them for improvements in speed and capacity which is why we still use them today.

“Installing this plaque gives me the opportunity to reflect on the scale of what the 30,000-strong workforce on HS2 are building – a new railway for future generations that will stand the test of time, despite all the challenges we face.”

Katherine McAlpine, director of London’s Brunel Museum, said modern tunnelling of the scale of HS2 “would not have been possible” without Sir Marc.

She continued: “His tunnelling shield, which he patented in 1818, made way for the tunnel boring machines of today.

“Two hundred years ago, the father and son team embarked on an audacious project to dig the world’s first tunnel under a navigable river, laying the foundations for huge projects like this.

“I am delighted we are able to mark this milestone of HS2 travelling underneath the final resting place of Marc Brunel and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, as a testament to their ingenuity and perseverance.”

The high-speed railway is being built between Euston and the West Midlands.

HS2 Ltd said expert teams conduct “detailed assessments and specialist works” ahead of tunnelling under historical sites.