THE Western Arches in Chippenham have been illuminated to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of Britain's greatest engineers.

Newly installed floodlights were switched on at the weekend and the viaduct was bathed in light to celebrate the bicentenary of its creator Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Brunel was the man behind a host of groundbreaking engineering projects and is credited with helping build Britain into a great industrial power.

Celebrations have been taking place all over the country to pay tribute to his engineering feats and the legacy left by his work.

The viaduct he constructed carries the London-Bristol rail line across rooftops over Chippenham and the lighting has been designed to show up the stonework and underside of the arches.

The installation of the floodlights has been a partnership project between North Wiltshire District Council, Chippenham Town Council, Network Rail, Wiltshire County Council, the Railway Heritage Trust and HPH Commercial Property Ltd.

District and town councillor Ross Henning said: "I'm very proud of the project, and even the day after the lights went on I had people coming up to me and saying how wonderful it looks.

"It is a good example of what working together can achieve, and hopefully we can now move on and clean up the area around the Western Arches. It has made an area that was once dark, bright and cheerful."

The floodlights are on a timer that automatically illuminates them from 8pm-6am, but the plan is to eventually integrate with the street lighting so they go on and off at the same time as the street lights in the town.

Brunel fact file

  • Although Brunel was only 53 when he died in 1859, his legacy lives on
  • Brunel is probably best remembered for the construction of a network of tunnels, viaducts and bridges for the Great Western Railway.
  • In March 1833, he was appointed chief engineer and his work began on the line that linked London to Bristol.

The Chippenham arches and the Box tunnel are two of the most impressive achievements of that project.

  • Brunel was responsible for the design of several famous ships, including the Great Western, which was the first steamship to offer a transatlantic service when it was launched in 1837.
  • Brunel's engineering feats enabled the industrial revolution to speed up at a rapid rate and helped turn Britain into one of the richest countries in the world.