James Greathead English civil engineer originally from Africa Date of Birth: 06.08.1844 Country: Great Britain

Biography of James Greathead

James Henry Greathead was born on August 6, 1844, in Grahamstown, South Africa. He came from a family with English roots, as his grandfather had emigrated to Africa in 1820. Greathead received his education at St Andrew's College and a private diocesan college in Cape Town. In 1859, he moved to England and continued his studies until 1863. After a brief visit to Africa, Greathead settled in London in 1864 to learn from engineer and builder Peter W. Barlow. He worked as an assistant engineer for the 'Midland Railway' between Bedford and London, collaborating with Peter's brother, William Henry Barlow. In 1896, Greathead joined forces with Peter again to work on the construction of the 'Tower Subway,' the second tunnel under the Thames in central London. Greathead operated the tunneling shield while Barlow oversaw the engineering aspects of the project. Their innovative design, known as the 'Greathead Shield,' featured an iron cylinder with screw jacks and was used to excavate tunnels and line them with cast iron segments. Greathead patented many of his improvements, including the use of compressed air and hydraulic jacks for tunneling. He also served as a consultant on the construction of the 'Blackwall Tunnel.' In 1873, Greathead became a permanent engineer for the Hammersmith extension railway and the Richmond extension of the 'Metropolitan District Railway.' He worked in this role for four years before contributing to the construction of several other railway lines. Greathead also participated in the development of narrow-gauge railways in Ireland in 1884. Later, he was appointed as the engineer for the world's first underground electric railway, the City and South London Railway, which opened in 1890. Greathead collaborated with civil engineer Douglas Fox on the Liverpool Overhead Railway and with W.R. Galbraith on the Drain/Waterloo & City Railway. His final position was with the Central London Railway, where he worked alongside John Fowler and Benjamin Baker. Greathead passed away on October 21, 1896, in Streatham, London. In January 1994, a monument was erected in his honor near Bank-Monument station, close to the Royal Exchange. The monument, unveiled by the Mayor of London, is located on a podium that conceals a ventilation shaft for the underground railway system.