Marc Isambard Brunel (1769-1849), 1843. Brunel acknowledging the cheers of the crowd during the opening ceremony for the Thames Tunnel. The double arched masonry Thames Tunnel built 1825-1843. Originally a roadway, it is still used by electric trains between Whitechapel and New Cross, London. French-born English engineer and inventor, father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) who was resident engineer on the site, designed a tunnelling shield. He also invented block-cutting machines for producing pulley-blocks for ships' rigging. From The Illustrated London News. (London, 1 April 1843).