Thomas Matthews (engineer)

Sir Thomas Matthews (8 August 1849 – 13 January 1930) was a British civil engineer, who was a notable builder of lighthouses. He was the brother of Sir William Matthews, also a prominent civil engineer. During the late 19th and early 20th century Thomas Matthews was the Engineer-in-Chief of Trinity House.

Sir Thomas Matthews
Matthews was responsible for the engineering of Beachy Head Lighthouse. An aerial ropeway, pictured, was necessary to access the site
Born
Thomas Matthews

8 August 1849
Penzance, Cornwall
Died13 January 1930(1930-01-13) (aged 80)
Torquay
OccupationCivil engineering
EmployerTrinity House,
Known forBuilding lighthouses including Beachy Head Lighthouse
Pendeen Watch
Peninnis Lighthouse
Portland Bill Lighthouse
TitleEngineer-in-Chief
Term1892 – 1915
PredecessorSir James Douglass
Spouse(s)Frances Matthews (nee Blackwall)
Childrenthree sons and two daughters
Parent(s)John Matthews, Engineer and Borough Surveyor at Penzance
RelativesSir William Matthews brother

Biography

Thomas Matthews was born in Penzance, Cornwall, where he was the son of the Borough Surveyor, John Matthews. From 1868 to 1871 he assisted his father in providing drinking water for Penzance and the sea and harbour defences. For the following two years he practised as an architect and surveyor in Penzance and in 1874, he entered the employment of the United Kingdom's lighthouse service, Trinity House, as an assistant engineer. He succeeded Sir James Nicholas Douglass as Engineer-in-Chief when the latter retired in 1892.[1]

Matthews went on to design over a dozen lighthouses for Trinity House. He also worked on illumination systems, notably a lamp designed to burn oil vapour. Matthews' most significant achievement was the construction of Beachy Head Lighthouse. Completed in 1902, it was the last rock lighthouse built by Trinity House. The work took two years to finish; it involved building a coffer-dam and an aerial ropeway from the cliffs to transport materials.[2]

Lighthouses designed by Matthews

These included:[3][1]

References
  1. "Obituary. Sir Thomas Matthews, 1849-1930". Institution of Civil Engineers. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  2. Beachy Head Lighthouse, Trinity House, accessed 11-09-08
  3. Matthews, Thomas (October 1904). "Coast Lighting in Great Britain". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 54 (2): 30.
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