Thomas Brassey was born near Chester in 1805, a farmer’s son. However, his career took him into railway construction where he is credited with building one-third of the railways in this country, three-quarters of those in France and no less than 1 in 20 miles of the total world’s railways.
Much nearer home as a civil engineering contractor he built the Chester Station, the Queen Hotel opposite and the Cefn Mawr Viaduct. At the peak of his career he employed upwards of 85,000 men spread over the world and is said to have had as much influence on the world’s development as Alexander the Great.
Further information on the Thomas Brassey Society's Website