William Handyside
Encyclopedia
William Handyside was a Scottish
engineer who was involved in several important construction projects in St. Petersburg.
on 25 July 1793, to merchant Hugh Handyside and his wife Margaret, he was the eldest brother of Andrew Handyside
and nephew of Charles Baird
. On a visit to Scotland in 1810 Baird invited William, then a trainee architect, to join his flourishing business in St. Petersburg and live in his household. Later, in 1829, Handyside married Sophia Gordon Busch and had four children.
His first projects included installing machinery at the imperial
arsenal
and glassworks and helping build the Elizaveta steamship, launched in 1815. He was a talented engineer and contributed to the development of Baird Works' steamship and steam engine manufacturing. He developed a gas lighting system for the factory and the sugar refining process conceived by Baird. When the company started working with Wilhelm von Traitteur and Pierre Bazaine on the first Russian suspension bridges in the 1820s, Handyside designed a machine to test the chains which is described in Traitteur's writings.
Most famously, Handyside worked with Auguste de Montferrand
on the Alexander Column
and St. Isaac's Cathedral. His experience was the basis for a paper presented to the Institution of Civil Engineers
describing "methods of hauling large monoliths". In 1835, a "communication" was read to the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh describing
" ...the cutting and erection of the great Pillar at St Peterburgh in memory of Alexander the I, Emperor of Russia, by Wm. Handyside, Esq. Engineer, St Petersburgh, who was engaged on that occasion, and more particularly in the casting of the Bronze work." (original spelling)
Handyside had a leading role in designing the large iron structure of the cathedral dome, gilding it and casting the bronze ornamentation, though Francis Baird
oversaw the later stages of this process. He worked on the ground level colonnade of pillars and the columns supporting the dome and devised special machinery to help with construction.
After Baird's death in 1843, William and Andrew Handyside both returned to the UK though other Handyside brothers remained in Russia. William retired, while taking some part in the proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers which he had belonged to since 1822. He died on 26 May 1850 at his mother's Edinburgh home, where she had died the previous month.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
engineer who was involved in several important construction projects in St. Petersburg.
Biography
Born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
on 25 July 1793, to merchant Hugh Handyside and his wife Margaret, he was the eldest brother of Andrew Handyside
Andrew Handyside
Andrew Handyside and Company was an iron founder in Derby, England in the nineteenth century.-Biography:Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1805, Handyside worked in his uncle Charles Baird's engineering business in St. Petersburg before taking over the Brittania Foundry in 1848...
and nephew of Charles Baird
Charles Baird (engineer)
Charles Baird was a Scottish engineer who played an important part in the industrial and business life of 19th century St. Petersburg...
. On a visit to Scotland in 1810 Baird invited William, then a trainee architect, to join his flourishing business in St. Petersburg and live in his household. Later, in 1829, Handyside married Sophia Gordon Busch and had four children.
His first projects included installing machinery at the imperial
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
and glassworks and helping build the Elizaveta steamship, launched in 1815. He was a talented engineer and contributed to the development of Baird Works' steamship and steam engine manufacturing. He developed a gas lighting system for the factory and the sugar refining process conceived by Baird. When the company started working with Wilhelm von Traitteur and Pierre Bazaine on the first Russian suspension bridges in the 1820s, Handyside designed a machine to test the chains which is described in Traitteur's writings.
Most famously, Handyside worked with Auguste de Montferrand
Auguste de Montferrand
Auguste de Montferrand was a French Neoclassical architect who worked primarily in Russia. His two best known works are the Saint Isaac's Cathedral and the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg.-Family:...
on the Alexander Column
Alexander Column
The Alexander Column also known as Alexandrian Column , is the focal point of Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The monument was erected after the Russian victory in the war with Napoleon's France...
and St. Isaac's Cathedral. His experience was the basis for a paper presented to 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...
describing "methods of hauling large monoliths". In 1835, a "communication" was read to the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh describing
" ...the cutting and erection of the great Pillar at St Peterburgh in memory of Alexander the I, Emperor of Russia, by Wm. Handyside, Esq. Engineer, St Petersburgh, who was engaged on that occasion, and more particularly in the casting of the Bronze work." (original spelling)
Handyside had a leading role in designing the large iron structure of the cathedral dome, gilding it and casting the bronze ornamentation, though Francis Baird
Francis Baird
Francis Baird was an engineer of Scottish ancestry in St. Petersburg, who took over his father's flourishing business manufacturing machinery, ships, and metalwork for some of the city's major structures....
oversaw the later stages of this process. He worked on the ground level colonnade of pillars and the columns supporting the dome and devised special machinery to help with construction.
After Baird's death in 1843, William and Andrew Handyside both returned to the UK though other Handyside brothers remained in Russia. William retired, while taking some part in the proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers which he had belonged to since 1822. He died on 26 May 1850 at his mother's Edinburgh home, where she had died the previous month.
See also
- Moika RiverMoika RiverThe Moyka River is a small river which encircles the central portion of Saint Petersburg, effectively making it an island. The river, originally known as Mya, derives its name from the Ingrian word for "slush, mire"...