Thames Tunnel: BBC Learning English London Life

BBC Learning English
London Life
Thames Tunnel
Anna:
Hello, I'm Anna Jones and this is London Life.

Two hundred years ago in 1806 Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born. He was
the son of a French civil engineer civil engineers plan, design and build roads,
bridges and public buildings. And Isambard Kingdom Brunel was destined to
follow the same career path as his father and become one of the worlds most
famous engineers. During his life Brunel designed and built docks enclosed
areas of water where ships are loaded, unloaded and repaired. He also designed
and built railways, steamships and much more. With his father, Brunel
designed and built the historic Thames Tunnel which is now used by the East
London line of the London Underground train system. The Thames Tunnel is
35 feet wide and 1,300 feet long, beneath the River Thames between
Rotherhithe and Wapping.
A BBC reporter recently met Robert Holse who is
the director of the Brunel Museum in East London. As you listen to Robert, try
to answer this question why did they need to build the tunnel?
ROBERT HOLSE:
They needed a way of moving stuff across the river as well as up and down it. You cant build
a bridge here because youve got 3,000 tall-masted ships. The only way to do it is to move
stuff under the river but no-one had ever done that before and were standing more or less
directly above the first tunnel under a river anywhere in the world
Anna:
Did you hear why they needed to build the tunnel? Well Robert said that they
needed to move stuff along
the river.
things and people - across the river as up and down or
It was not possible to build a bridge because at that time
there were as many as 3,000 ships with very tall masts using the river. Robert
explains that the only solution was to build a tunnel under the river but no-one
London Life

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had ever done that before. Heres Robert again this time try to listen out for
several prepositions that he uses. Ill give you the first one its across
across ,but there are four more. Good luck!.
ROBERT HOLSE:
They needed a way of moving stuff across the river as well as up and down it. You cant build
a bridge here because youve got 3,000 tall- masted ships. The only way to do it is to move
stuff under the river but no-one had ever done that before and were standing more or less
directly above the first tunnel under a river anywhere in the world
Anna:
Did you get the four other prepositions? They were: up, down, under and above.
Robert goes on to explain how Brunel and his father decided to go about
building the tunnel. What did they decide they had to do?
ROBERT HOLSE
For the first time anywhere in the world they understood the best way to build below the
ground is to build above the ground and sink it.
Anna:
Well they decided that the best way to build a tunnel was to start building it
above the ground and let it sink allow it to move downwards. Listen out for
the two prepositions that he uses.
ROBERT HOLSE
For the first time anywhere in the world they understood the best way to build below the
ground is to build above the ground and sink it.
Anna:
Well he uses the prepositions below and above.
Robert explains how they
start to build the tunnel. What is the first thing they build and why?
ROBERT HOLSE
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They build here on the river bank a 50-foot tall tower now thats taller than any of the
buildings here now. And as the weight of the bricks gets heavier and heavier it sinks under its
own weight into the soft earth. And then they lower people inside
So the shaft sinks itself under its own weight, the men go down 50foot, when they hit the
bottom, they start digging, hacking at the walls and theyre heading northwards across to the
other side of the river.
Thats right.
Anna:
Robert explains that they build a 50-foot tower a tall narrow building just
over 15 metres high. They build the tower in soft earth and it slowly sinks into
the soft earth under its own weight. They then put people inside the shaft
underground
tower
- or
which then sinks about 50 feet. Once they are at the
bottom the men inside the shaft start to mine they dig or hack away at the
walls and they start to move northwards they are heading towards the north
bank of the river and starting to build the tunnel. Listen again and try to listen
out for the prepositions.
ROBERT HOLSE
They build here on the river bank a 50-foot tall tower now thats taller than any of the
buildings here now. And as the weight of the bricks gets heavier and heavier it sinks under its
own weight into the soft earth. And then they lower people inside
So the shaft sinks itself under its own weight, the men go down 50foot, when they hit the
bottom, they start digging, hacking at the walls and theyre heading northwards across to the
other side of the river.
Thats right.
Anna:
Thats all from London Life join us next time.
London Life

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BBC Learning English

Hello, I'm Anna Jones and this is London Life.

A BBC reporter recently met Robert Holse who is

things and people - across the river as up and down or

It was not possible to build a bridge because at that time

BBC Learning English

Well he uses the prepositions below and above.

Robert explains how they

BBC Learning English

which then sinks about 50 feet. Once they are at the

Thats all from London Life join us next time.

BBC Learning English

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