Nowadays engineers are the largely unknown professionals assisting architects in their grand visions.

As technology has developed, the engineer has become more specialised but lost their position in the public eye.  In the 19th century engineers such as Brunel and Stephenson achieved recognition for their magnificent structures.  However there are some structures which are iconic, and yet little is known about the engineers who designed them.

There was an engineer, who almost a hundred and fifty years ago, built the Aswan Dam, the Forth Bridge, designed a system to build the London Underground and designed and built twelve miles of viaduct for New York’s elevated railroad, which still stand today.

His name was Benjamin Baker and he came from Frome, Somerset.
Welcome to a six week celebration of his life and achievements.

Bridging the world will be shown across two Frome venues; Rook Lane Chapel and Frome Museum, and will culminate alongside Frome Festival 2009. The supporting education programme and forthcoming web-site, developed with the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institute of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and Mad Science, will be reach out to all Frome area First and Middle Schools, and Frome College.

Click here to visit the special Bridging the World site, which showcases all the upcoming events, and much more.

Events in the Bridging the World programme:

13th June - 24th July	Building the Forth Bridge (Exhibition)
16th June - 24th July	The Reading Room (Exhibition)
Fri 26th June	The Forth Bridge: Birth of Structural Expressionism (Engineering Debate)
Tues 7th July	Bridging Distances with Rosie Jackson (Writer’s Workshop)
Tues 7th July	Baker Lecture and The 39 Steps (Movie)
Fri 10th July	Music and the Engineers (Performance)
Sat 11th July	Bridges and Domes (Family workshop)