William Thorold
Encyclopedia
William Thorold
was an eminent 19th-century millwright
, architect
and civil engineer
in Norwich, Norfolk.
He was born in 1798 in Methwold
, Norfolk
, the son of a farmer. Apprenticed to George Shafto and later to John Fisher Gurling in St Martin's Lane, Norwich, he was in business as a millwright from 1828 until his death at Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich in 1878.
at Felthorpe
in 1830 and a tower drainage windmill
at Limpenhoe in 1831. He was involved with refitting watermill
s at Bawburgh
in 1829, Taverham
in 1842 and Oxnead in 1849. He was also involved with the steam-powered St James' Yarn Mill, Norwich in 1836 but it is not known whether he was the architect, millwright or both.
, Pulham Market
, Rockland All Saints, Kenninghall
, Hindringham
and Great Snoring
all in Norfolk between 1836 and 1837. He also designed a workhouse built at Rochford
, Essex
in 1837. As mentioned above, he may have also designed the St James' Yarn Mill, Norwich in 1836.
Thorold was the contractor who built the Acle Straight between Acle
and Great Yarmouth
in 1830-31. He also cut the New Cut of the River Yare
at Thorpe St Andrew
in 1843 which enabled the Norwich and Yarmouth Railway to avoid the expense and inconvenience of building and operating two swing bridge
s. William Thorold was elected as a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
sometime before 1845, being member number 321. He was also involved in drainage schemes at Ten Mile Bank, Hilgay
and Middle Level, Kings Lynn in the early 1860s.
In 1868, he presented a paper titled "Railways on Turnpike Roads" to the British Association, proposing a monorail
system that could be laid at ground level, and able to negotiate curves of 20 feet radius and gradients of 1 in 12. The proposed motive power was either animal or steam One of the countries he thought would be suitable was India
and there were two systems built in that country, in Kharagpur
and Patiala. The Kharagpur system used mules as motive power. The Patiala system
used steam locomotives with an almost unique 0-3-0
wheel arrangement, having double-flanged driving wheels and the locomotives having a single outrigger wheel which ran on the road. Four such locomotives were built by Orenstein & Koppel of Berlin
. One locomotive is preserved in working order at the Indian National Railway Museum in New Delhi
, where a section of the monorail has been reconstructed.
was an eminent 19th-century millwright
Millwright
A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...
, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and 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...
in Norwich, Norfolk.
He was born in 1798 in Methwold
Methwold
' is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, on the edge of the Norfolk Fens and BrecklandsIt covers an area of and had a population of 1,476 in 591 households as of the 2001 census...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, the son of a farmer. Apprenticed to George Shafto and later to John Fisher Gurling in St Martin's Lane, Norwich, he was in business as a millwright from 1828 until his death at Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich in 1878.
As a Millwright
William Thorold built a post millPost mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. The defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. The earliest post mills in England are thought to have...
at Felthorpe
Felthorpe
Felthorpe is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 710 in 287 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Broadland....
in 1830 and a tower drainage windmill
Tower mill
A tower mill is a type of windmill which consists of a brick or stone tower, on top of which sits a roof or cap which can be turned to bring the sails into the wind....
at Limpenhoe in 1831. He was involved with refitting watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s at Bawburgh
Bawburgh
Bawburgh is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, lying in the valley of the River Yare about west of Norwich city centre. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 466...
in 1829, Taverham
Taverham
Taverham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, in the UK. It is approximately 5 miles north-west of the City of Norwich. Taverham sits on the River Wensum.In 2001, Taverham had a population of 10,233...
in 1842 and Oxnead in 1849. He was also involved with the steam-powered St James' Yarn Mill, Norwich in 1836 but it is not known whether he was the architect, millwright or both.
As an Architect
William Thorold designed workhouses built at ThetfordThetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
, Pulham Market
Pulham Market
Pulham Market and its sister village Pulham St Mary are situated approximately 9 miles north of Diss in Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 999 in 443 households as of the 2001 census....
, Rockland All Saints, Kenninghall
Kenninghall
Kenninghall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 878 in 369 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
, Hindringham
Hindringham
Hindringham is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is north east of the town of Fakenham, west of Cromer and north of London. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern Line which runs between Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich...
and Great Snoring
Great Snoring
Great Snoring is a rural village in North Norfolk by the River Stiffkey, in the east of England. Its population in the 2001 census was 168, a dramatic decrease since 1841 when it was 556 .At the centre of the village is the 13th century St. Mary's Church and the Old Rectory...
all in Norfolk between 1836 and 1837. He also designed a workhouse built at Rochford
Rochford
Rochford is a small town in the Rochford district of Essex in the East of England. It is sited about 43 miles from Central London and approximately 21 miles from the Essex county town, Chelmsford...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
in 1837. As mentioned above, he may have also designed the St James' Yarn Mill, Norwich in 1836.
As a Civil Engineer
Acle
Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth. There is a high school Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk...
and Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
in 1830-31. He also cut the New Cut of the River Yare
River Yare
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches the river connects with the navigable waterways of The Broads....
at Thorpe St Andrew
Thorpe St Andrew
Thorpe St Andrew is a small town and suburb of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk.It is situated about two miles east of the city centre, outside the city boundary in the district of Broadland...
in 1843 which enabled the Norwich and Yarmouth Railway to avoid the expense and inconvenience of building and operating two swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
s. William Thorold was elected as a Member of 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...
sometime before 1845, being member number 321. He was also involved in drainage schemes at Ten Mile Bank, Hilgay
Hilgay
Hilgay is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, outside of Downham Market.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,174 in 500 households as of the 2001 census....
and Middle Level, Kings Lynn in the early 1860s.
In 1868, he presented a paper titled "Railways on Turnpike Roads" to the British Association, proposing a monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
system that could be laid at ground level, and able to negotiate curves of 20 feet radius and gradients of 1 in 12. The proposed motive power was either animal or steam One of the countries he thought would be suitable was 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...
and there were two systems built in that country, in Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
and Patiala. The Kharagpur system used mules as motive power. The Patiala system
Patiala State Monorail Trainways
Patiala State Monorail Trainways was a unique rail guided, partially road-borne railways system running in Patiala in the State of Punjab from 1907 to 1927.Unusual railways by Mr. J. R. Day and Mr. B. G...
used steam locomotives with an almost unique 0-3-0
0-3-0
-History:This most unusual wheel arrangement was only used for specialised monorails.-Listowel and Ballybunion Railway:The Lartigue Monorail locomotives used on the Listowel and Ballybunion Railway were of 0-3-0 wheel arrangement, although they also required non-load-bearing guide wheels...
wheel arrangement, having double-flanged driving wheels and the locomotives having a single outrigger wheel which ran on the road. Four such locomotives were built by Orenstein & Koppel of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. One locomotive is preserved in working order at the Indian National Railway Museum in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, where a section of the monorail has been reconstructed.