30th Jul, 2024 10:00
Out of the Ordinary
251
A Certificate from the 'Institution of Civil Engineers'
for Robert Benson Dockray, dated 1843, with Thomas Telford wax seal,
39 x 29cm, framed
Robert Benson Dockray (1811-1871) was a pioneer railway engineer and architect, a colleague of Robert Stephenson, and the designer of the famous 'Roundhouse' at Chalk Farm, London in 1847. Earlier locomotive turntable houses had been polygonal, but Dockray's revolutionary circular design was acclaimed for its marriage of beauty and function. Robert Stephenson himself said that the design could not be bettered. The sole survivor today of the massive Chalk Farm Road railway complex, the building is a London icon - a masterpiece of early railway architecture.
Dockray was a Quaker, educated at Darlington, where he became Assistant Engineer to the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1835, later becoming Resident Engineer working with Robert Stephenson. Dockray was responsible for the Southern Division of the London and North Western Railway, and supervised construction of branches to Leamington, Peterborough, Banbury and Oxford. Overwork and the loss of an eye resulted in his resignation in 1852. He lived for a time in Haverstock Hill, overlooking his famous Roundhouse, and died in Lancaster aged 60.
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A selection of lots from our Planes, Trains & Automobiles category featured in our 30 July Out of the Ordinary Sale
Condition Report
Framed: 50 x 39.5cm
Light discolouration with some dirty marks, please refer to illustration. Horizontal and vertical fold marks to the centre. Cracks to the seal. Not viewed out of glazed frame.
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Auction: Out of the Ordinary, 30th Jul, 2024
Viewing
Stansted Viewing | Auction
Viewing will be held at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE, as follows:
Friday 26 July, 10am - 4pm
Sunday 28 July, 10am - 1pm
Monday 29 July, 10am - 4pm
The auction will take place at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE.
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