News story

The Brunel Mile

Isambard Kingdom Brunel had a vision for an intergrated transport link between London and New York.  His Great Western Railway would steam out of Paddington to Bristol's harbourside where passengers would join one of his two great steam ships, SS Great Britain or SS Western.  However the city fathers of Bristol weren't happy with Brunel's vision and cut short the route by a mile, causing the railway to terminate at what is now called Temple Meads.  Disembarking here, passengers would stay at an hotel and then continue the journey in horse drawn coaches to the quayside. 

George Ferguson CBE, who still considers himself a visitor to Bristol, although he has been resident there for more than 40 years and has had a hand in many entrepreneurial projects in the city, dreamt up the concept of the Brunel Mile.  With the assistance of the City Council, and the determination of Richard Holden, it's senior urban designer, the Brunel Mile is almost complete.

George and Richard join Andrew Stuck of Rethinking Cities, to walk the length of the Brunel Mile and talk about how it has come in to fruition, and you can hear this interview as an episode of Talking Walking.  Talking Walking are interviews with people from the world of walking: artists, activists, professionals and people who just like taking a walk.  Over 25 free podcasts are now available to download or listen to on-line.

Find out more about the Brunel Mile - http://www.talkingwalking.net

Date added: 11 July 2010

Go to the list of news stories

Please feel free to recommend this news story to a friend or colleague.

© Copyright | Terms and conditions | Subscriptions | Accessibility