Gloucester Square

Whilst Jeremy Clarkson might have gone a long way to cementing the reputation of Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the greatest ever Briton, his contemporary, Robert Stephenson, was arguably the more highly regarded engineer of their time.

Born in North Tyneside in 1803, the son of George Stephenson (oft referred to as “the Father of Railways”): Robert would go on to become one of the most prolific, profitable and decorated engineers in history. He was the first “Railway Millionaire”, keeping a London home on Gloucester Square from 1848 (making him an early, if not initial resident) until his untimely death in 1858.

Despite declining a knighthood from Queen Victoria on more than one occasion, Robert Stephenson would still be granted the unprecedented honour of a Funeral Procession through Hyde Park (previously strictly reserved for Royalty), and was buried in the Nave at Westminster Abbey, joining Isaac Newton, to be shortly accompanied by Charles Dickens.

This section of our website outlines the life of Robert Stephenson, a son of the North East, with particular regard to his life in London and Gloucester Square. We would like to thank the Robert Stephenson Trust for their help reviewing and refining details on this page.