Thomas Steers was thought to have been born in 1672 in Kent and died in 1750. He was England's first major civil engineer and built many canals, the world's first commercial wet dock, the Old Dock at Liverpool, and a Theatre. He designed Salthouse Dock in Liverpool howver completion was by Henry Berry after Steers' death
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He learned about hydraulics as a soldier for William of Orange in the Netherlands, and fought at the Battle of the Boyne. In 1717 he built several docks at Liverpool, as well as St George's Church on the site of the Liverpool Castle, the Old Ropery Theatre, a dry dock, pier, and several others.
He was mayor of Liverpool from 1739-1740. He was responsible for the fortification of Liverpool during the Jacobite rebellion in 1745.
There was also a Thomas Steers, lime burner of Greenwich (probably the owner and/or digger of "Jack Cade's Cavern" and of a nearby sand mine) who was born about this time and in the right area, but who was probably not the same person. Other Steers were involved in pottery. This hints at an extended Steers family with interests in kilns and building mortar.
Steers surveyed the rivers Irwell and Mersey from Bank Quay at Warrington to Manchester in 1712. An Act of Parliament authorizing an improvement was passed in 1721 and the work, which included eight locks in a distance of 15 miles to overcome a rise of 52 ft, completed about 1725. It is generally believed he was the engineer.[1]
His most significant navigation achievement was the Newry Canal, in Ireland, which is the first summit-level canal in the British Isles from Newry, Carlingford Lough to Lough Neagh, built to transport coal from the Tyrone collieries to Dublin. The 21 miles of canal had 21 locks. Steers surveyed the canal by 1736 and supervised construction until 1741, when his was replaced by Acheson Johnson who completed in 1745. Steers' assistant was Henry Berry who later was engineer on the Sankey Canal, the first English canal.
In 1742, Steers was responsible for the Douglas Navigation which connected the Ribble estuary to Wigan. The canal carried coal from Wigan to Liverpool and onto Ireland via ship.
| Preceded by ' |
Engineer
to Mersey Docks and Harbour Board 1710-1750 |
Succeeded by Henry Berry |
Thomas Steers was thought to have been born in 1672 in Kent and died in 1750. He was England's first major civil engineer and built many canals, the world's first commercial wet dock, the Old Dock at Liverpool, and a Theatre. He designed Salthouse Dock in Liverpool, however completion was by Henry Berry after Steers' death.
Contents |
He learned about hydraulics as a soldier for William of Orange in the Netherlands, and fought at the Battle of the Boyne. In 1717 he built several docks at Liverpool, as well as St George's Church on the site of the Liverpool Castle, the Old Ropery Theatre, a dry dock, pier, and several others.
He was mayor of Liverpool from 1739-1740. He was responsible for the fortification of Liverpool during the Jacobite rebellion in 1745.
There was also a Thomas Steers, lime burner of Greenwich (probably the owner and/or digger of "Jack Cade's Cavern" and of a nearby sand mine) who was born about this time and in the right area, but who was probably not the same person. Other Steers were involved in pottery. This hints at an extended Steers family with interests in kilns and building mortar.
Steers surveyed the rivers Irwell and Mersey from Bank Quay at Warrington to Manchester in 1712. An Act of Parliament authorizing an improvement was passed in 1721 and the work, which included eight locks in a distance of 15 miles to overcome a rise of 52 ft, completed about 1725. It is generally believed he was the engineer.[1]
His most significant navigation achievement was the Newry Canal, in Ireland, which is the first summit-level canal in the British Isles[citation needed] from Newry, Carlingford Lough to Lough Neagh, built to transport coal from the Tyrone collieries to Dublin. The 21 miles of canal had 21 locks. Steers surveyed the canal by 1736 and supervised construction until 1741, when his was replaced by Acheson Johnson who completed in 1745. Steers' assistant was Henry Berry who later was engineer on the Sankey Canal, the first English canal.
In 1742, Steers was responsible for the Douglas Navigation which connected the Ribble estuary to Wigan. The canal carried coal from Wigan to Liverpool and onto Ireland via ship.
| Preceded by | Engineer to Mersey Docks and Harbour Board 1710-1750 | Succeeded by Henry Berry |
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