Behind the name

George Stephenson

The Victorian era was filled with titans of industry, engineers, pioneers, and nation-builders, though few can claim to have had the same impact on the United Kingdom as George Stephenson, the railway pioneer whose name gives great pride to Stephenson College.

Born on 9 June 1781 near Newcastle, George spent his formative years working in all kinds of menial jobs – fireman, brakeman, collier – to keep food on the table and a roof over his head. It was in one of these jobs, working as a miner alongside his father, where he designed his first steam engines to be used in transporting coal within, from, and to the mine.

These early endeavours were followed by his first steam locomotive, the Blucher, designed in 1814. The locomotive’s unreliability and top speed of four miles per hour, instead of dejecting George, only pushed him to expand on his knowledge and improve the initial prototype. Five years later, in 1819, he begins work on the first of multiple railways, located in Sunderland.

Though he was well-known in Northern industrial circles, George’s entrance into the mainstream engineering field began in 1821, when he was appointed as an engineer for the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which opened a few years later as Britain’s first public railway. He was subsequently made engineer for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, which also sponsored a competition to design a new locomotive to haul long-distance cargo. Here, George’s Rocket locomotive won the competition, achieving a speed of 36 miles per hour and becoming a template for steam locomotives over the next century. Another one of George’s innovations was the creation and implementation of a standard rail gauge. At the time the Stockton and Liverpool railways were opened, no plans existed for railways to be interconnected, as their financing and purpose was derived mainly from private organisations looking to transport their own goods. George realised however that there is a likely chance of railways one day becoming a popular mode of transport, linking cities and areas across the country. With this in mind, he proposed for all railway projects to lay their tracks at a standardised distance apart of four feet and eight inches. His proposal was accepted, and to this day almost 150,000 miles of rail tracks around the world have been laid to Stephenson gauge, representing around 60% of the world’s rail tracks. The opening of these two railways, the success of the Rocket, and the acceptance of his gauge as standard, propelled George to national fame, and he became a leading figure in the railway industry of the early 19th century. George Stephenson’s life is nothing short of remarkable. Born in a deprived house, to a blind father and an illiterate mother, he was always determined to work hard, innovate, think outside of the box, and succeed. He truly inspires the Stephenson College motto: me quondam mirabitur orbis, one day I shall astonish the world. We will make sure to raise a toast to our namesake at our annual George Stephenson Birthday BBQ on 9 June 2022!

...Rocket locomotive won the competition, achieving a speed of 36 miles per hour and becoming a template for steam locomotives over the next century.

Pictured above: George Stephenson’s Birthplace, 18thcentury stone cottage. Located along the north bank of the River Tyne in the village of Wylam, Northumberland, the cottage is owned by the National Trust and until recently it was open to the public as a historic house museum.

...to this day almost 150,000 miles of rail tracks around the world have been laid to Stephenson gauge, representing around 60% of the world’s rail tracks.