Terence Patrick O'Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Terence Patrick O'Sullivan BSc, PhD, FICE, MSocCE (France), was a civil engineer
. He specialised initially in steel
and reinforced concrete
structures. Later he founded a firm of consulting engineers, T. P. O’Sullivan & Partners, which grew to have offices on four continents and made a reputation in the field of infrastructure development, particularly in the developing world.
in London, to Patrick Joseph O'Sullivan, an Irish Catholic doctor formerly in the British army medical service in India, and his third wife, Emma Agnes Callingham.
Terence O'Sullivan was educated by the Jesuits at St Ignatius College in Stamford Hill
. He was the youngest child but had six sisters, and in the climate of the period was left with burdensome family responsibilities when his father died in 1923.
On leaving school he chose to go into engineering
. Though still supporting his widowed mother, he combined studying at the Regent Street Polytechnic
between 1929 and 1932, for a degree as an external student of the University of London, with working on the Shenington
to Gidea Park
railway line in Essex, the last new railway to be built in England before the Channel Tunnel
link at the end of the century.
In 1937, since Mouchel's paid only four pounds ten shillings per week and his first child was on the way, he joined the London Power Company and took part in the design of Battersea Power Station
. As with many professionals at the time, his career was thrown off course by the Second World War: in 1938 he began a five-year term working for the Air Ministry Works Division on a series of airfield construction projects throughout Great Britain. Next he was involved with the construction of the fourth and final chimney at Battersea, as well as with the design of Deptford Power Station. During this period he returned to university as an external student, all the while doing a demanding full time job and bringing up a family of three boys. He was awarded a PhD by the University of London
for a thesis on reinforced concrete design. This was later published by Pitmans as The Economic Design of Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Sections, a book notable for its clarity and concision of style.
He returned to consulting engineering and joined Brian Colquhoun & Partners. Colquhoun had been resident engineer on the Mersey Tunnel, and became an associate of Lord Beaverbrook, involved in the accelerated construction of aircraft factories. At the end of the war he had proved his engineering credentials and was well connected within the government of the time: his firm flourished. O’Sullivan was appointed its Chief Engineer, and in this capacity tackled a deep water dock scheme in India, a £10m tunnel scheme in Argentina, and major reconstruction work for the Gas Board at Beckton, as well as embarking on his chef d'œuvre, the design of the Assembly Hall at Bristol
in which was built the gigantic Bristol Brabazon
aircraft. This, a steel and glass edifice, was at the time the second largest building by volume in the world, and had the largest door. It could house three Brabazon aircraft of 230 ft wingspan, side by side, and its design and construction required O’Sullivan to extend current steel structure design theory.
His work on this led to a paper The Strengthening of Steel Structures Under Load, for which he was awarded a Telford Premium by the Institution of Civil Engineers
. He also published a paper on the testing of concrete piles in the 1948 inaugural volume of the Institution's flagship journal, Géotechnique. On 25 September 1951 he became a Fellow (in those days called a Member) of the Institution, in which capacity he contributed to discussions in its Works Construction Division and Structural and Building Engineering Division.
in Colombia
, and O’Sullivan went there to initiate the work. After his return to England, and while the project was under construction, it became evident that there were differences between him and Brown on the conduct of the business. Brown saw himself as the businessman who would run the firm, with O’Sullivan as the ‘boffin’ who would limit his activities entirely to technical work. Their views on this were irreconcilable, and the partnership was dissolved. O’Sullivan then needed a job, and took employment as Resident Engineer responsible for a new power station at Kaduna
in northern Nigeria. After that he returned to England and founded his own consultancy firm, T. P. O'Sullivan and Partners.
The firm’s first offices were at 1 Church Terrace in Richmond in outer London. From there it moved to Westminster, to an area near Parliament which had become favoured by Victorian engineers promoting canals and railways, and was still popular with the profession. O’Sullivan settled his firm at 14 Queen Anne’s Gate, a fine building, erected in 1772 by Charles Townley, with a view over St James’s Park and close to the Institution of Civil Engineers
in Great George Street.
The firm arrived at the right time to benefit from post-war economic expansion. Before too long it consisted effectively of two practices. One, based in an office in Leeds, specialised in UK transport design. This undertook a wide range of work, but in particular played a significant role in the bridge construction and alteration required under the Rail Modernisation Plan for the West Coast Main Line
railway electrification in England in the late 1950s to the mid 1960s, and extended to Scotland in the 1970s.
The other practice, based in the London office, focused on transport projects in the developing world. Work was done in over thirty countries, and offices were established in Bangkok
(1964), Nairobi
(1968), Kingston
(Jamaica) (1971), Jakarta
(1973) and, much later, Hanoi
(1995). The firm worked for many national governments as well as the major international funding agencies, including the UK Department for International Development, the Asian Development Bank
and the World Bank. It established a worldwide reputation in the field of transport development, and was given the Queen's Award for Export Achievement
in 1981.
O'Sullivan's later years were overshadowed by chronic illness, and he died on 26 February 1970 at the early age of 56. The work of the firm was carried on under the management of his wife, Eileen, and two of his sons, Kevin and Shaun. They brought forward key members of the staff as partners, and later as directors, of the company, and introduced an employee share-owning scheme whereby members of the staff at all levels were able to participate in the ownership of the firm. Between 1984 and 1987 a series of O'Sullivan Lectures was sponsored by the firm in its founder's memory, and published privately. In 1997 the business, whose headquarters had by then moved to Banbury
in Oxfordshire
, was acquired by the publicly quoted WSP Group
. It continues trading under the name of O'Sullivan Graham.
at Kneller Hall, and an uncle, Lt-Col Francis Wallington
, was a highly decorated officer in the Royal Horse Artillery
. She was born in Dublin, was in India
in early childhood, and was educated in convent schools at Wiesbaden
in Germany and Farnborough
in Hampshire.
O'Sullivan established a family home in Richmond in outer London, later moving to Long Ditton
across the Surrey
border. He had five sons, all educated at Beaumont
or Stonyhurst
. He was widely read, with a fine sense for language; and was an enthusiastic speaker and writer for the general public, publishing occasionally in the daily press and contributing a number of articles on science and engineering to the Children's Britannica. He was a devout Catholic and a prison visitor, and carried from his childhood an enthusiasm for Irish culture. He was a member of St Stephen's Club
, conveniently near to his office. He is buried at Long Ditton.
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...
. He specialised initially in steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
structures. Later he founded a firm of consulting engineers, T. P. O’Sullivan & Partners, which grew to have offices on four continents and made a reputation in the field of infrastructure development, particularly in the developing world.
Early life
O'Sullivan was born on 25 September 1913 in ShoreditchShoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
in London, to Patrick Joseph O'Sullivan, an Irish Catholic doctor formerly in the British army medical service in India, and his third wife, Emma Agnes Callingham.
Terence O'Sullivan was educated by the Jesuits at St Ignatius College in Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is a place in the north of the London Borough of Hackney, England, near the border with Haringey. It is home to Europe's largest Hasidic Jewish and Adeni Jewish community.Stamford Hill is NNE of Charing Cross.-History:...
. He was the youngest child but had six sisters, and in the climate of the period was left with burdensome family responsibilities when his father died in 1923.
On leaving school he chose to go into engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. Though still supporting his widowed mother, he combined studying at the Regent Street Polytechnic
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
between 1929 and 1932, for a degree as an external student of the University of London, with working on the Shenington
Shenington
Shenington is a village about west of Banbury. It was an exclave of Gloucestershire until the Counties Act 1844 transferred it to Oxfordshire. Shenington is on Oxfordshire's boundary with Warwickshire.-Manor:...
to Gidea Park
Gidea Park
Gidea Park is a place in the London Borough of Havering, east London, England. Gidea Park is a part of Romford post town.-History:Gidea Park is the location of the "Romford Garden Suburb" constructed in 1910 to 1911 on the Gidea Hall and Balgores Estates as an exhibition of town planning...
railway line in Essex, the last new railway to be built in England before the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
link at the end of the century.
Early career
His first job after graduation was with a newly founded consulting engineering firm, L. G. Mouchel and Partners. Mouchel was a French engineer noted for his work in reinforced concrete structures who set up his firm in England during the 1930s. There O’Sullivan came under the influence of an eminent French engineer and associate of Mouchel, Clément Gilbin, and for ever afterwards was an admirer of the creativity of French engineering.Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Battersea, South London. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the...
. As with many professionals at the time, his career was thrown off course by the Second World War: in 1938 he began a five-year term working for the Air Ministry Works Division on a series of airfield construction projects throughout Great Britain. Next he was involved with the construction of the fourth and final chimney at Battersea, as well as with the design of Deptford Power Station. During this period he returned to university as an external student, all the while doing a demanding full time job and bringing up a family of three boys. He was awarded a PhD by the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
for a thesis on reinforced concrete design. This was later published by Pitmans as The Economic Design of Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Sections, a book notable for its clarity and concision of style.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in which was built the gigantic Bristol Brabazon
Bristol Brabazon
The Bristol Type 167 Brabazon was a large propeller-driven airliner, designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company to fly transatlantic routes from the United Kingdom to the United States. The prototype was delivered in 1949, only to prove a commercial failure when airlines felt the airliner was too...
aircraft. This, a steel and glass edifice, was at the time the second largest building by volume in the world, and had the largest door. It could house three Brabazon aircraft of 230 ft wingspan, side by side, and its design and construction required O’Sullivan to extend current steel structure design theory.
His work on this led to a paper The Strengthening of Steel Structures Under Load, for which he was awarded a Telford Premium by the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
. He also published a paper on the testing of concrete piles in the 1948 inaugural volume of the Institution's flagship journal, Géotechnique. On 25 September 1951 he became a Fellow (in those days called a Member) of the Institution, in which capacity he contributed to discussions in its Works Construction Division and Structural and Building Engineering Division.
T. P. O'Sullivan and Partners
In 1952, O'Sullivan left employment and went into partnership with Charles Brown to found a consulting firm named Brown, O'Sullivan and Partners. The new firm was engaged to design a water supply scheme for MedellínMedellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and O’Sullivan went there to initiate the work. After his return to England, and while the project was under construction, it became evident that there were differences between him and Brown on the conduct of the business. Brown saw himself as the businessman who would run the firm, with O’Sullivan as the ‘boffin’ who would limit his activities entirely to technical work. Their views on this were irreconcilable, and the partnership was dissolved. O’Sullivan then needed a job, and took employment as Resident Engineer responsible for a new power station at Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
in northern Nigeria. After that he returned to England and founded his own consultancy firm, T. P. O'Sullivan and Partners.
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
in Great George Street.
The firm arrived at the right time to benefit from post-war economic expansion. Before too long it consisted effectively of two practices. One, based in an office in Leeds, specialised in UK transport design. This undertook a wide range of work, but in particular played a significant role in the bridge construction and alteration required under the Rail Modernisation Plan for the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
railway electrification in England in the late 1950s to the mid 1960s, and extended to Scotland in the 1970s.
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
(1964), Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
(1968), Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
(Jamaica) (1971), Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
(1973) and, much later, Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
(1995). The firm worked for many national governments as well as the major international funding agencies, including the UK Department for International Development, the Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
and the World Bank. It established a worldwide reputation in the field of transport development, and was given the Queen's Award for Export Achievement
Queen's Awards for Enterprise
The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation or sustainable development. They are the highest official UK awards for British businesses...
in 1981.
O'Sullivan's later years were overshadowed by chronic illness, and he died on 26 February 1970 at the early age of 56. The work of the firm was carried on under the management of his wife, Eileen, and two of his sons, Kevin and Shaun. They brought forward key members of the staff as partners, and later as directors, of the company, and introduced an employee share-owning scheme whereby members of the staff at all levels were able to participate in the ownership of the firm. Between 1984 and 1987 a series of O'Sullivan Lectures was sponsored by the firm in its founder's memory, and published privately. In 1997 the business, whose headquarters had by then moved to Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, was acquired by the publicly quoted WSP Group
WSP Group
WSP Group plc is a British-based business providing management and consultancy services to the built and natural environment. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
. It continues trading under the name of O'Sullivan Graham.
Private life
During his time at Mouchel's O’Sullivan lodged at 38 Lisbon Avenue in Twickenham and commuted each day to his office in Westminster. On the morning train one day he fell into conversation with a girl whom he had seen in church and who was working at a firm of estate agents in Piccadilly. In 1936 he married her: Eileen Burnell. She came from an Army family: her father was a clarinettist who became bandmaster of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry and taught at the Royal Military School of MusicRoyal Military School of Music
The Royal Military School of Music in Twickenham, west London, trains musicians for the British Army's twenty-nine bands. It is part of the Corps of Army Music...
at Kneller Hall, and an uncle, Lt-Col Francis Wallington
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, was a highly decorated officer in the Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
. She was born in Dublin, was in 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...
in early childhood, and was educated in convent schools at Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
in Germany and Farnborough
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
in Hampshire.
O'Sullivan established a family home in Richmond in outer London, later moving to Long Ditton
Long Ditton
Long Ditton is a village in Surrey, England lying on the boundary with Greater London. Neighbouring settlements include Thames Ditton, Surbiton, Tolworth and Chessington.-History:...
across the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
border. He had five sons, all educated at Beaumont
Beaumont College
Beaumont College was a Jesuit public school in Old Windsor, Berkshire, England. In 1967 the school closed. The property became a conference centre, and from 2008 an hotel.-History of the estate:...
or Stonyhurst
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
. He was widely read, with a fine sense for language; and was an enthusiastic speaker and writer for the general public, publishing occasionally in the daily press and contributing a number of articles on science and engineering to the Children's Britannica. He was a devout Catholic and a prison visitor, and carried from his childhood an enthusiasm for Irish culture. He was a member of St Stephen's Club
St Stephen's Club
St Stephen's Club is a private member's club in Westminster, founded in 1870.St Stephen's was originally on the corner of Bridge Street and the Embankment, in London SW1, which the government building Portcullis House now occupies....
, conveniently near to his office. He is buried at Long Ditton.