John Benjamin Macneill
Encyclopedia
Sir John Benjamin MacNeill FRS (1793 – 2 March 1880) was an eminent Irish
civil engineer
of the 19th century, closely associated with Thomas Telford
. His most notable projects were railway schemes in Ireland
. He was born in Mountpleasant near the town of Dundalk
, County Louth
, Ireland.
MacNeill started initially as a surveyor and was employed practically in laying out roads and other engineering works since 1816. During a trip to England
in the 1820s he met engineer
Thomas Telford who inspired him to become a civil engineer. Indeed, he became Telford’s chief assistant for 10 years, eventually succeeding Telford as chief engineer on the massive London
-Holyhead
road project. He developed Macneill's road indicator in the late 1820s, an instrument for ascertaining the force necessary to draw a carriage over different kinds of roads and pavements, and consequently, the actual condition of the road.
After Telford’s death in 1834, MacNeill established his own consultancy, based in London and Glasgow
, and turned his attention towards railways – his first projects were freight schemes in the Scottish coal
and ironfields near Wishaw
and Motherwell. He was also consulting engineer at Grangemouth Docks and for various Scottish canal
projects.
During the late 1830s and early 1840s, MacNeill focused on his native Ireland. He worked on various railway projects, including the Dublin and Drogheda Railway
, including plans to extend the railway beyond Drogheda towards Portadown
. Much of Ireland’s modern railway network still follows routes he proposed. For example, the Dublin-Belfast railway line follows the line of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway along the coast (MacNeill was knighted in 1844 following its completion) and many of its impressive original structures remain (e.g.: the 98 ft high Boyne Viaduct
built between 1851 and 1855 near Drogheda, the 18-arch, 126 ft high Craigmore Viaduct
near Bessbrook
and the nearby MacNeill's Egyptian Arch
).
MacNeill was also a noted teacher of civil engineering (his pupils included Sir Joseph Bazalgette
), and in 1842 he was appointed the first Professor of the Practice of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, a post he held for 10 years.
He was involved with harbour improvements in his birthplace town of Dundalk in the early 1850s, but was not averse to the occasional overseas commission. In 1855, he helped survey part of a route for a railway line linking Europe to India
, participating in an expedition to the valley of the River Euphrates
.
Closer to home, however, as chief engineer of the Belfast and County Down Railway
(founded in 1846), he was responsible for crossing the marshy estuary of the River Quoile (the first bridge was constructed of timber piles driven into the riverbed) to bring the line to Downpatrick
in March 1859 (part of the line is still operational from the town’s railway museum).
Soon after, in April 1860, MacNeill was appointed engineer of the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway
, intended to link Lough Foyle
and Lough Swilly
across the Inishowen
peninsula in north Donegal
. It was around this period that the Victorian’s enthusiasm for railways began to wane, and the Lough Swilly company was one of many that rarely made a profit. This was disastrous for MacNeill as many of his commissions were to be rewarded through share dividends on any profits.
With his income dwindling, MacNeill became impoverished and – after a fire destroyed his home - he moved to London. He later became blind, dying at his son's house in Cromwell Road
, south-west London on 2 March 1880.
A commemorative plaque was unveiled on 20 July 2001 at his (previously) unmarked grave in Brompton Cemetery
in London.http://www.brompton.org/Residents.htm
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
of the 19th century, closely associated with Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
. His most notable projects were railway schemes in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was born in Mountpleasant near the town of Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the 1820s he met engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Thomas Telford who inspired him to become a civil engineer. Indeed, he became Telford’s chief assistant for 10 years, eventually succeeding Telford as chief engineer on the massive London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
road project. He developed Macneill's road indicator in the late 1820s, an instrument for ascertaining the force necessary to draw a carriage over different kinds of roads and pavements, and consequently, the actual condition of the road.
After Telford’s death in 1834, MacNeill established his own consultancy, based in London and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and turned his attention towards railways – his first projects were freight schemes in the Scottish coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and ironfields near Wishaw
Wishaw
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow....
and Motherwell. He was also consulting engineer at Grangemouth Docks and for various Scottish canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
projects.
During the late 1830s and early 1840s, MacNeill focused on his native Ireland. He worked on various railway projects, including the Dublin and Drogheda Railway
Dublin and Drogheda Railway
Dublin and Drogheda Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The D&D constructed the railway line between Dublin and Drogheda. The company presented the scheme to parliament in 1836 and received royal assent on 13 August 1836. John MacNeill was appointed as the line's engineer in...
, including plans to extend the railway beyond Drogheda towards Portadown
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
. Much of Ireland’s modern railway network still follows routes he proposed. For example, the Dublin-Belfast railway line follows the line of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway along the coast (MacNeill was knighted in 1844 following its completion) and many of its impressive original structures remain (e.g.: the 98 ft high Boyne Viaduct
Boyne Viaduct
The Boyne Viaduct , a 30m high railway bridge, or viaduct, that crosses the River Boyne in Drogheda, carrying the main Dublin–Belfast railway line. It was the seventh bridge of its kind in the world when built and considered one of the wonders of the age...
built between 1851 and 1855 near Drogheda, the 18-arch, 126 ft high Craigmore Viaduct
Craigmore Viaduct
The Craigmore Viaduct is a railway bridge near Bessbrook, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, locally known as the 18 Arches....
near Bessbrook
Bessbrook
Bessbrook is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies about three miles northwest of Newry and close to the main Dublin–Belfast road and rail line...
and the nearby MacNeill's Egyptian Arch
MacNeill's Egyptian Arch
MacNeill's Egyptian Arch is a railway bridge in Newry, Northern Ireland. Construction was completed in 1851 for the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway Company and was the result of collaboration between engineer Sir John Macneill and constructor William Dargan...
).
MacNeill was also a noted teacher of civil engineering (his pupils included Sir Joseph Bazalgette
Joseph Bazalgette
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, CB was an English civil engineer of the 19th century. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works his major achievement was the creation of a sewer network for central London which was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics, while...
), and in 1842 he was appointed the first Professor of the Practice of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, a post he held for 10 years.
He was involved with harbour improvements in his birthplace town of Dundalk in the early 1850s, but was not averse to the occasional overseas commission. In 1855, he helped survey part of a route for a railway line linking Europe to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, participating in an expedition to the valley of the River Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
.
Closer to home, however, as chief engineer of the Belfast and County Down Railway
Belfast and County Down Railway
The Belfast and County Down Railway was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland linking Belfast with County Down. It was built in the 19th century and absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948...
(founded in 1846), he was responsible for crossing the marshy estuary of the River Quoile (the first bridge was constructed of timber piles driven into the riverbed) to bring the line to Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
in March 1859 (part of the line is still operational from the town’s railway museum).
Soon after, in April 1860, MacNeill was appointed engineer of the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway
Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway
The Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company is an Irish public transport and freight company incorporated in June 1853. Despite its name it operates no railway services. It formerly operated 99 miles of railways but closed its last line in July 1953...
, intended to link Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle , is the estuary of the River Foyle in Ulster. It starts where the Foyle leaves Derry. It separates the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland from County Londonderry in Northern Ireland.-Transport:...
and Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three known glacial fjords in Ireland....
across the Inishowen
Inishowen
Inishowen is a peninsula in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in the north of Ireland. It is also the largest peninsula in all of Ireland. Inishowen is a picturesque location with a rich history...
peninsula in north Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
. It was around this period that the Victorian’s enthusiasm for railways began to wane, and the Lough Swilly company was one of many that rarely made a profit. This was disastrous for MacNeill as many of his commissions were to be rewarded through share dividends on any profits.
With his income dwindling, MacNeill became impoverished and – after a fire destroyed his home - he moved to London. He later became blind, dying at his son's house in Cromwell Road
Cromwell Road
Cromwell Road is a major road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, and is designated part of the A4. It was created in the 19th century and is named after Oliver Cromwell....
, south-west London on 2 March 1880.
A commemorative plaque was unveiled on 20 July 2001 at his (previously) unmarked grave in Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
in London.http://www.brompton.org/Residents.htm