Award-winning paper in 2011

The Telford Premium Prize was awarded to Vaci (2011).

Construction of the famous chain bridge over the River Danube in the fifth decade of the nineteenth century was a major engineering, architectural and logistical challenge. Full appreciation of this achievement is, however, only possible when viewed in the historical context of the convergence of British industrial revolution expertise with the ambitions of Hungary set on reform. The driving force behind the Hungarian reform movement, Count István Széchenyi, met bridge engineer par excellence William Tierney Clark in 1832, leading to completion of the bridge in 1849. A great deal happened during its construction and from its inauguration to the present day, and this paper touches briefly on this later history. Whilst Széchenyi has been canonised in his native Hungary, Clark is a somewhat overlooked figure in civil engineering history. An additional aim of this paper is thus to rekindle interest in his qualities and achievements.