Charles Bressey

Charles Bressey
Sir Charles Bressey CB, CBE
Born 3 January 1874(1874-01-03)
Wanstead, Essex
Died 14 April 1951(1951-04-14) (aged 77)
Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire
Nationality British
Occupation Civil Engineer, Surveyor
Title

Chief Engineer for Roads, Ministry of Transport, 1921-1938

President of the Institution of Chartered Surveyors, 1938-9

Sir Charles Herbert Bressey CB, CBE (3 January 1874 – 14 April 1951) was a civil engineer and surveyor who specialised in road design. Bressey was Chief Engineer for Roads at the Ministry of Transport from 1921 to 1938. Between 1935 and 1938 he carried out research on road planning and motorway design in preparation for his Highway Development Survey, 1937 for Greater London published in 1938. He served as President of the Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 1938-9.[1]

Early life

Bressey was born in Wanstead, Essex (now in the London Borough of Redbridge), the son of architect John Thomas Bressey and Elizabeth Bressey (née Farrow). He was educated at Forest School, Walthamstow and in France and Germany before starting work in his father's practice in the City of London, becoming a partner in 1896. When his father retired, he succeeded him as surveyor to the Wanstead Urban District and continued the practice.[1]

Bressey married Margeret Francis Hill in 1902 and the couple had two sons.[1]

Later career

At the start of World War I, Bressey was commissioned into the Royal Engineers and spent time in France and Flanders constructing military roads. In 1916 he became a staff officer in the army's roads directorate, eventually holding the position of Assistant Director of Roads and attaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel before he left the army in November 1919.[2][3] For his war service, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE),[1] and received the Croix de Chevalier of the French Légion d'honneur.[4]

When the Ministry of Transport was created in 1919, Sir Henry Maybury, Director-General of Roads, appointed Bressey as the Divisional Road Engineer for the London area. Bressey became Chief Engineer for Roads in 1921 and succeeded Maybury in 1928 (although Maybury's post was abolished and Bressey retained his existing title of Chief Engineer).[1] In June 1924, Bressey was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).[5] He was appointed a Companion of the Bath (CB) in June 1930.[6]

In January 1935, Bressey was given a knighthood,[7] and, Minister of Transport Leslie Hore-Belisha, appointed him to prepare a report on London's future road transport requirements up to the mid-1960s. Bressey spent three years consulting with experts and interested parties and investigating European plans. He was assisted by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. The final report, The Highway Development Survey, 1937 for Greater London, was published on 16 May 1938 and proposed a series of high capacity motorways radiating outwards from the city and made recommendations for a series of circular routes around the capital.[1] Although World War II delayed the implementation of any of Bressey's and Lutyens' recommendations, they subsequently featured in a number of post war reports such as Sir Patrick Abercrombie's County of London Plan and the Greater London Council's 1960s London Ringways scheme.

Bressey retired from the Ministry of Transport following the publication of the report. In 1938, he received an honorary doctorate from London University and acted as President of the Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1938–1939).[1] He was a member of several industry bodies including the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Royal Sanitary Institute and Chartered Institute of Transport.

Bressey died at a nursing home in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire on 14 April 1951 from a cerebral haemorrhage and arteriosclerosis.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Samuels, Alex; Chrimes, Mike (2008). "Bressey, Sir Charles Herbert (1874-1951)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32053. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32053. Retrieved 2009-02-14. 
  2. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 32210. p. 838. 28 January 1921. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
  3. ^ Through most of the war Bressey held the rank of Temporary Lieutenant or Temporary Captain with a higher acting rank reflecting the seniority of the position he held.
  4. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30945. p. 11944. 8 October 1918. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
  5. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 32941. p. 4414. 3 June 1924. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
  6. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 33611. p. 3475. 3 June 1930. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
  7. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34119. pp. 1–2. 1 January 1935. Retrieved 2009-02-14.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Edwin Lutyens — Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA, LLD (29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was a leading 20th century British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He… …   Wikipedia

  • Edwin Lutyens — Información personal Nacimiento 29 de marzo de 1869 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Wanstead — Coordinates: 51°34′40″N 0°01′43″E / 51.577792°N 0.028589°E / 51.577792; 0.028589 …   Wikipedia

  • County of London Plan —   …   Wikipedia

  • Transport in London — London s transport forms the hub of the road, rail and air networks in the United Kingdom. It has its own dense and extensive internal private and public transport networks, as well as providing a focal point for the national road and railway… …   Wikipedia

  • London Ringways — The London Ringways were a series of four ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre. They were part of a comprehensive scheme developed by the Greater London Council to alleviate traffic congestion …   Wikipedia

  • Genlis —  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Félicité de Genlis.  47° 14′ 30″ N 5° 13′ 26″ E …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste Des Députés Des États Généraux De 1789, Par Ordre, Bailliage Et Sénéchaussée — Sommaire 1 I. Généralités dites d élections, ayant fait l objet du Règlement général du 24 janvier 1789 1.1 I. Généralité de Paris 1.1.1 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste des deputes des Etats generaux de 1789, par ordre, bailliage et senechaussee — Liste des députés des États généraux de 1789, par ordre, bailliage et sénéchaussée Sommaire 1 I. Généralités dites d élections, ayant fait l objet du Règlement général du 24 janvier 1789 1.1 I. Généralité de Paris 1.1.1 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste des députés aux États généraux de 1789 — Liste des députés des États généraux de 1789, par ordre, bailliage et sénéchaussée Sommaire 1 I. Généralités dites d élections, ayant fait l objet du Règlement général du 24 janvier 1789 1.1 I. Généralité de Paris 1.1.1 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”