1. Charles Frederick Beyer was a celebrated German-British locomotive designer and builder, and co-founder of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
46 Facts About Charles Beyer
1. 2.
Charles Beyer was the co-founder and head engineer of Beyer, Peacock and Company in Gorton, Manchester.
3.
Charles Beyer is buried in the graveyard of Llantysilio Church, Llantysilio, Llangollen, Denbighshire North Wales.
4.
Charles Beyer was taught to draw by a student architect convalescing in the district.
5.
Charles Beyer's mother dreamt of him being an architect and she paid him to teach mathematics and drawing.
6.
Charles Beyer returned to Dresden to file his report on the latest developments in cotton mill technology, and was rewarded by the Saxon government.
7.
However, Sharp risked alienating his workers by employing a German immigrant with a poor command of English; Sharp explained the situation to Charles Beyer and offered him a sovereign to cover his travelling costs.
8.
Charles Beyer refused the money exclaiming: "It is work I want", and insisting he was prepared to work for very little money.
9.
Charles Beyer's proposer was Richard Roberts, and he was seconded by Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
10.
The 1861 census states that Charles Beyer lived at 9, Hyde Road, Manchester age 47, engineer employing of 800 men birth Saxony, Eliza Seddon, 55, widow, born Wales, housekeeper, born Manchester, Catherine Ellis, 50, widow, cook, Mary Jones, 23, house servant, born Wales, Ann Hughes, 23, house servant, born Wales.
11.
Charles Beyer was Professor of Physics when Owens College became the Victoria University of Manchester.
12.
Charles Beyer had just become the head engineer at Atlas Works at the time.
13.
Charles Beyer manufactured cotton mill machinery and had just started building locomotives for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
14.
Charles Beyer's genius was constrained by his inability to clearly state his ideas on paper; he said of his draughtsman:.
15.
The latter's skills in designing cotton mill machinery did not translate into success in locomotive design, but he put his faith in Charles Beyer and let him take over design and production of the company's new locomotives.
16.
Roberts retired from the firm in 1843, and Charles Beyer became chief engineer.
17.
In 1842 Charles Beyer designed a tender which became the standard for British railways.
18.
In 1844 the King of Saxony visited the Atlas; Charles Beyer showed him the works, and soon the Saxony government was ordering locomotives from the company.
19.
Charles Beyer was the first to give the boiler freedom to expand.
20.
Charles Beyer was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and, from 24 January 1854, a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
21.
Confident in his ability to secure orders to build locomotives, Charles Beyer's resignation presented Peacock with a partnership opportunity.
22.
Charles Beyer was chief locomotive superintendent when Shrewsbury and Chester Railway ordered Beyer-designed Sharp, Stewart locomotives.
23.
Charles Beyer's godson Sir Henry Charles Beyer Robertson, born in 1864 would become a director of the Great Western Railway, continuing the "family's" connection with the GWR.
24.
Charles Beyer established a foundry, designed and manufactured the machine tools needed to build the locomotives, and stayed at Gorton Foundry and supervised the design and production of the locomotives.
25.
Charles Beyer took great pride in the look of his locomotives, often spending hours with his pencil drawing a dainty curve and taking pride in the aesthetic appearance of his work.
26.
Charles Beyer chose German-trained engineers rather than British because there were no engineering schools in UK at that time that were comparable to those in Germany.
27.
Charles Beyer became one of the most famous locomotive builders in the world noted for its precision engineering, quality of workmanship, beauty and longevity.
28.
Charles Beyer appointed and worked closely with Hermann Ludwig Lange, in 1861.
29.
Aged 50, on 13 June 1863 Charles Beyer wrote in his diary;.
30.
Charles Beyer was a major donor to the Church of England.
31.
In 1865 Charles Beyer provided most of the cost for the construction of St Mark's Parish Church, West Gorton, as well as bearing the full cost of building the associated day school.
32.
Charles Beyer was an original member of Gorton Conservative Association, now St James Conservative Club, Gorton Lane.
33.
Less than two weeks before his death, Charles Beyer added a codicil to his will to provide money to build a third parish church and its associated rectory and he specified that it should be called All Saints'.
34.
Charles Beyer did major improvements to Llantysilio parish church, and left money in his will to augment the stipend of the vicar.
35.
Charles Beyer suggested a public appeal to create a new college on a different site that would allow the Owens College to expand.
36.
Charles Beyer served on the Canvassing and Financial committee, and on the Buildings Committee, where he discussed proposals with architect Alfred Waterhouse.
37.
Charles Beyer had been the largest single donor when alive and the largest single benefactor in the history of the University of Manchester.
38.
The funds were eventually appropriated to build the Charles Beyer Building in 1888, and fund professorships in Engineering and Mathematics.
39.
Charles Beyer had been a member since 1847 and a life member from 1850; while focused mainly on Owens College, he had therefore been a supporter of both institutions.
40.
In parallel with the campaign to turn Owens College into a university, Charles Beyer was keen to establish a suitable engineering school such as those in Germany; he had attended such an institution, and knew there was no similar facility to train new engineers in Britain.
41.
Charles Beyer was a donor to the Sir Henry Roscoe's chemistry department.
42.
Charles Beyer became a British Subject in 1852 and was based in Manchester ever since emigrating there in 1834 at the age of 21.
43.
Charles Beyer shared a mutual homosexual affection with Swedish engineer Gustav Theodor Stieler.
44.
Charles Beyer purchased the 700-acre Llantysilio Hall estate, at the head of the Vale of Llangollen, Denbighshire, North Wales, in 1867, and built a new 25-bedroom mansion house on the property, then demolishing the old house of the Thomas Jones family.
45.
Charles Beyer died at Llantysilio Hall on 2 June 1876.
46.
Charles Beyer was buried at Llantysilio church, in the grounds of his Llantysilio Hall estate.