John Rennie enters Hall of Fame
Posted on 16 Oct 2014 and read 843 times
John Rennie, the Scotsman who designed the docks in Leith, Greenock, Hull and Liverpool, has been inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame almost 200 years after his death (he also designed Waterloo and Southwark bridges).
Mr Rennie was born at East Linton in East Lothian in 1761 and died in London in 1821; he is buried at St Paul’s Cathedral. As a schoolboy, he played truant to watch Andrew Meikle — the inventor of the threshing machine — at work, and he started working in the latter’s factory when he was 12, while continuing his education.
After studying at Edinburgh University, he worked for Matthew Boulton and James Watt, who manufactured steam engines. By the age of 29, he had set up his own engineering business.
The Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame was launched in 2011 by the Institution of Engineers & Shipbuilders in Scotland and is supported by engineering institutions, museums and trade bodies in Scotland, including the Institution of Civil Engineer (ICE).
Sara Thiam, director of ICE Scotland, said: “John Rennie’s prolific work marks him out as one of the greatest engineers of his age and a worthy addition to this elite group. Recognising the outstanding engineers of the past helps us to inspire the engineers of today and encourage generations to come.”