Sturges Meek
Sturges Meek (1816-1888)
Civil Engineer of Dunstall Lodge, Kensington. (1816-1888).
Younger son of Richard Meek.
Was a pupil of George Stephenson.
Engineer in chief of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.
1863 Sturges Meek, Resident Engineer, Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, Manchester.[1]
1888 February 23rd. Died aged 72. [2]
1888 Obituary [3]
STURGES MEEK, the youngest son of Mr. Richard Meek, of Dunstall Hall, Staffordshire, was born on 9th April 1816.
He commenced his engineering career in 1833 as a pupil of George Stephenson on the London and Birmingham Railway, and was afterwards assistant to Robert Stephenson on the same line, remaining with him until its completion.
His next work was in connection with a line from York to Newcastle, when he was stationed at Newton-on-Ouse.
In 1841 he was appointed by Mr. Locke as one of the resident engineers on the Paris and Rouen Railway, his section being at the Rouen end; and on the completion of the works he was engaged by Mr. Locke to by out the direct London and York Railway.
Towards the end of 1844, when Mr. Locke's connection with that railway ceased, the company desired to retain Mr. Meek as engineer; but be preferred to remain with Mr. Locke, by whom be was afterwards sent to Holland with reference to the Dutch Rhenish Railway.
On his return he was engaged with Mr. Locke in laying out several new lines for the London and South Western Railway in the neighbourhood of Goodwood, Andover, Guildford, Chichester, &c.
His next work was getting up the parliamentary plans for the Derby and Crewe line, which were passed in 1846, the line being taken over in the same year by what is now the North Staffordshire Railway.
He was then appointed by Mr. Locke resident engineer of the Liverpool and Preston line passing through Ormskirk, of which he carried out the entire work.
He then became connected with the East Lancashire Railway, and in 1853 was appointed engineer to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, which eventually absorbed the East Lancashire. He remained engineer for both lines, having the whole responsibility of the maintenance of the line, permanent way, new constructions, new lines, and parliamentary work. This position he held until 1885, when he was appointed consulting engineer in London to the railway.
From the time when at the age of seventeen he became a pupil of George Stephenson be was never out of work; he was connected with many of the great railway schemes in England, and had made the subject of permanent way a special study.
He died at Kensington on 23rd. February 1888, in the seventy-second year of his age.
He became a Member of this Institution in 1863.
1888 Obituary [4]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1863 Institution of Mechanical Engineers
- ↑ The Engineer 1888/03/02
- ↑ 1888 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries
- ↑ The Engineer 1888/03/02