The forgotten story of the resident engineer of Tower Bridge is being told 130 years after its construction.
Everyone knows Tower Bridge – one of the defining features of London. But not everyone knows how it was constructed – and much less who was behind it.
Up until now, most of the credit for the design of the landmark has gone to Victorian engineers, Sir John Wolfe Barry and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. They took over the design when the architect Horace Jones died one year into the building.
It was finished in July 1894.
However, Edward Cruttwell was the resident engineer, next in command underneath these two men. Sir Wolfe Barry was knighted for his efforts, whilst Cruttwell’s involvement flew under the radar.
That was before a descendant would uncover eighteen photos that not only highlight how involved Cruttwell was in the project, but offer a unique snapshot into Victorian London.
Patrick Molineux, Cruttwell’s great-grandson, found the photos and other family archives including his account books, whilst sorting through his mum’s things after she died.
He told the News, “When I was younger, my mum would say ‘your great-grandad built Tower Bridge’ and I never thought much of it.
“But when I found these pictures it all became real.
“I’m in awe of him.”
Dirk Bennett, Tower Bridge history expert, who heads up the exhibitions there, said he ‘nearly fell off his chair’ when he saw the photos.
“Patrick met with me and said he thought I would have already seen them,” he explained, “but we only ever had photos of the royal opening, not of when it opened to the public.”
Edward Cruttwell was originally from Frome, Somerset. He was educated at Clifton College and studied engineering at King’s College Cambridge. According to Patrick, he rose quickly in his profession, overseeing the building of Tower Bridge at just 28 years old.
As the resident engineer, it was his job to be on the ground doing the building, taking the designs and turning them into steel and stone.
Patrick, who is currently writing a biography on his great-grandfather as he wants to get his name known, said: “It was the largest opening bridge that had ever been built, designed to withstand hurricane winds when it opened.”
Back in its heyday, it used to open over 50 times a day. Today, the bridge opens just twice a day.
From 1894 to 1897 he was in charge of the working of the bridge, and remained consulting engineer for that structure until his death.
Following the Tower Bridge project, Cruttwell became Wolfe Barry’s protégé and a senior partner in his firm.
In 1900 he prepared a scheme for widening London Bridge without adding to the weight on the foundations, which was carried out under his supervision without any interference with the traffic.
At Sir John Wolfe Barry’s firm, he was involved in many feats across the UK including an ingenious hydraulic drawbridge which he designed and erected in 1912 over the river Hull.
Patrick commented: “He became very wealthy. At one point, my grandparents were led to believe they would never have to work again.”
He said Cruttwell had been disappointed at the end of his career that he never got his knighthood. “John Wolfe Barry got it because he was the engineer in charge. Although he became quite famous, Cruttwell never had one big project like Tower Bridge that was solely his.
“But if you stand in the shadow of greatness, it’s hard for the spotlight to find you.”
On top of this, his healthy accounts dipped after the Great Depression. “In 1927 he would have had the equivalent of around five million pounds and owned several properties inside and outside London.
“But a lot of his money was in railway shares and by 1933 he had lost it all.”
He said this grey cloud over his life is what ultimately led to his death later that year.
His story is being told 130 years after the bridge’s construction in a new exhibition.
‘Launching a Landmark – The Unseen Opening Weeks’ opened to the public on Saturday (22 June). The free, innovative display can be found on seven monoliths on the bridge. It features never-before-seen photos from its opening weeks in 1894 – which have been colourised and brought to life with AR.
Catch it before the end of September.