Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Modern print from an original photograph by Robert Howlett, 1857
Brunel (1806–1859) stands before the massive launching chains of the SS Great Eastern - the largest ship ever built when launched in 1858.
Brunel transformed Britain’s infrastructure. His ambitious engineering projects - ranging from railways and tunnels to bridges, piers, and docks - laid the groundwork for modern transportation. Many are still in use today, a testament to their scale, ingenuity, and lasting relevance.
For more on Brunel's innovative SS Great Eastern click here
The Iron Forge
Engraving after Joseph Wright of Derby
Wright’s 1772 painting captures the spirit of early industrial transformation. In a Derbyshire iron forge, a family gathers around glowing metal. Water-powered machinery modernises production, marking the shift from manual labour to mechanised work. Wright’s dramatic lighting gives the scene a near-religious intensity. His work celebrates how engineering has long shaped everyday life - and continues to do so through innovation and problem-solving across today’s diverse fields of practice.
Donated by Professor Sir Frederick (Ned) Warner FREng, FRS
For more on the original painting click here
Sir Frank Whittle OM KBE CB FREng FRS 1907-1996
Founder Fellow, Royal Academy of Engineering and the father of jet propulsion.
Sir Frank Whittle was one of the most creative engineers of all time. As the pioneer of the jet engine, he transformed travel and transport in the modern age.
Frank Whittle, the son of a mechanic, was born on 1 June 1907 in Coventry. From an early age, he was fascinated by developments in the then fledgling aviation industry and experimented with making things in his father's factory.
Joining the Royal Air Force as an apprentice at the age of 16, he qualified as a pilot officer at the RAF College, Cranwell. While there, he developed his thesis on jet propulsion and, in 1930, patented his design. He then went on to gain a degree in Mechanical Sciences at Cambridge University.
After many setbacks, he secured financial backing and formed a company to construct a test engine. Finally, in 1941, he saw his E 28 test-bed aeroplane successfully take to the skies. Friend and supporter Flying Officer Pat Johnson patted him on the back and said, 'Frank, it flies'. Whittle replied, 'Well, that was what it was bloody well designed to do, wasn't it?'
The USA soon took an interest in the project and began to build the engine under licence, with the result that the jet-propelled Bell Aircraft experimental Aircomet was in the air in the autumn of 1942. By 1944, the engine was in active service with the RAF.
Whittle retired from the RAF in 1948 with the rank of air commodore. He was knighted in the same year and shortly afterwards went to work in the USA as a research professor at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis.
Sir Frank was a Founder Fellow of the Fellowship of Engineering, created in 1976, which later became the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Sir Denis Rooke OM CBE FREng FRS (1924-2008)
Sir Denis Rooke's great technical achievement and legacy was to build the UK's gas distribution network and unite the gas industry. This helped make domestic gas a cheap and convenient fuel source for millions of people. Born in south-east London, his early schooling was interrupted by illness, which meant that he could not read or write until he was seven. Undaunted, he rapidly caught up and went on to study engineering at University College London. After war service, he became an assistant mechanical engineer at the newly nationalised Southeastern Gas Board.
Denis Rooke's considerable abilities soon became apparent and his rise was rapid; by the late 1950s he was leading efforts to wean the UK off coal gas - then produced by dirty and inefficient local gas works. In 1957, he was charged with investigating how the industry could be modernised through imported gas. In 1959, he sailed from Louisiana to the UK on an experimental ship, which helped prove the technical feasibility of seaborne transportation of liquefied natural gas (now a multi-billion-pound business).
With the discovery of large gas deposits under the North Sea, Denis Rooke led efforts to bring North Sea gas to the UK's national grid and organised the conversion of all gas appliances in the UK to use the new fuel. He was appointed deputy chairman of the British Gas Corporation in 1972 and was its chairman from 1976 to 1989. Under his leadership, British Gas, unlike most nationalised industries, became a highly profitable enterprise and thus a prime target for governments seeking additional sources of revenue. Denis Rooke passionately resisted Labour government attempts to place additional taxes on gas and Conservative plans to introduce competition and break up the industry altogether. Famously he said, "Whilst I have to deal with politicians, that does not mean that I have to like them". Throughout his career at British Gas, Denis Rooke held an unwavering belief that the network he had created constituted the industry's best and most efficient form. Even those in Whitehall who vehemently disagreed with him admired his managerial skills and commitment to engineering excellence.
Along with gas, Denis Rooke's great passions were education and standards in engineering. He served as President of the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers, President of the Association for Science Education, chairman of the trustees of the Science Museum and chancellor of Loughborough University. Elected a Fellow in 1977, Sir Denis served as the Academy's President from 1986 to 1991. During this pivotal period, he led the establishment of the Academy's research programmes and initiated the process that led to the Academy being granted its Royal Charter.
Denis Rooke was appointed CBE in 1970 and knighted in 1977. In 1997, the Queen appointed him to the Order of Merit. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1978. In 1992, he was awarded the Academy's Prince Philip Medal. While interviewing Sir Denis in 1981 a journalist made the mistake of telling him that gas was "ugly!" Sir Denis roared. "Gas is the most exciting, vibrant stuff you can deal in!"
Professor Sir Frederick Edward “Ned” Warner FREng FRS (1910–2010)
A pioneering British chemical engineer and founding Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Professor Sir Frederick Warner dedicated his century‑long life to advancing industrial safety, environmental protection and nuclear risk management. Following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, he led the first international team of scientific experts into the exclusion zone, helping to transform global understanding of radiological hazards.
Warner championed rigorous approaches to chemical plant design and process safety, influencing standards still used today. His leadership across major international studies on nuclear fallout and environmental risk has left a lasting global legacy.
The Iron Forge, displayed in the Michael Bishop Room, was generously donated by Sir Frederick. The work reflects themes central to his career: the evolution of industry, the power of engineering innovation, and the human responsibility that accompanies technological progress. His gift sits here as a tribute to the engineering profession he helped shape - and to the Academy he supported throughout his life.