Sarah Guppy

Sarah Guppy's education and career

Education

Sarah Guppy was born in Birmingham in 1770 to a prosperous family.

Guppy was the middle child of the family, sister to two brothers, Richard and John.

She was in a fortunate position compared to many girls and women in the 18th century.

She received an excellent education and learned from the best around her.

Career

Born Sarah Maria Beach, Guppy was born during the Industrial Revolution.

Her career trajectory is complex since much of her reputation rests on the belief that she patented suspension bridges and was ultimately responsible for the design of Thomas Telford’s Menai Suspension Bridge and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Clifton Bridge.

Surprisingly, Guppy herself is likely to have encouraged these narratives.

Still, the truth of her patent is no less intriguing than the traditional narratives that laud Guppy as a pioneer of the suspension bridge.

Her first patent, titled ‘Bridge and Railroads’, was intended for Bristol’s River Avon.

She proposed a bridge with: ‘several strong metallick chains, parallel to and at suitable distances from each other’.

Above the chains, she suggested laying:

“Longitudinally and crosswise such fit pieces of timber, or iron, or other suitable material, as shall and may constitute a platform, which…shall afford a proper support for a road or pavement.”

Guppy’s proposal described a hanging bridge, which is made from rope or chain, with the deck resting on an underlying support system of chains.

This is opposed to the modern suspension bridge inaugurated by James Finley in 1801, which involves a deck hanging from an overhead suspension system.

The hanging bridge that Guppy describes in the patent had been used extensively in South America, China, and India, meaning that her patent did not suggest an innovative new design.

Building the UK’s first suspension bridge

In America, James Finley was responsible for building the first suspension bridge.

Its design, as described by engineering historian Julia Elton, was comprised of the following:

‘hanging a deck, via a series of stiff vertical hangers, below a suspending system using iron chains running over tall towers to their anchorages.’

The result was a bridge built with a robust enough structure to allow wheeled vehicles to travel across it.

Meanwhile, British engineers Captain Samuel Brown and Thomas Telford were developing similar designs in the United Kingdom.

In 1820, Brown completed the Union Bridge that spans the river Tweed.

It was the first bridge to be designed specially to carry traffic.

Telford followed Brown in 1826 with the completion of the Menai Bridge.

Guppy’s patent’s role in the Menai Bridge’s development became the subject of speculation due to a piece published in the Bristol Mercury in 1839.

The article referenced a letter written by Guppy in 1811, stating that the Menai Bridge was designed using Guppy’s patent:

“We understand that the Menai Bridge was constructed by permission (which was asked) on Mrs. G’s principle, and that she is one of the most liberal supporters of the bridge about to be erected across the Avon at Clifton”.″

As Guppy had been in partnership with William Henry Somerton, the proprietor of the Bristol Mercury, it seems plausible that the piece was written by someone in Guppy’s circle, perhaps even Guppy herself.

It’s been claimed that Guppy waived fees on Telford’s use of her patent for the public’s benefit.

But when we understand that Guppy never patented a suspension bridge, it becomes clear that she had no such claim on the Menai Bridge in the first place.

Patenting: from domestic to marine products

Guppy’s patents did not end with bridges, however.

In 1812, Guppy completed a second patent (No. 3549). The patent proposed a way of boiling eggs in a tea or coffee urn, with the ability to keep toast warm.

She also gained a contract with the Royal Navy worth £40,000 for creating a method to protect boat hulls from the growth of barnacles.

Perhaps most creative of all her inventions was a product she patented in 1831 – a bedstead that doubled up as an exercise machine.

The drawers beneath the bed could be used as steps for exercise, while bars suspended from the ceiling provided the opportunity for strength training.

In total, Guppy took out 10 patents in her career.

A Bristol icon

Given her out-of-the-box thinking and tenacity, Guppy is arguably an icon of Bristol, whose actual achievements, and contributions to the future of engineering have been sadly overlooked.

A campaign is currently underway in Bristol to commemorate Sarah Guppy’s lifelong achievements with a sculpture of her.

If the campaign is successful, the sculpture will be a great opportunity to finally shine a light on one of Bristol’s greatest forgotten female minds.

Her dedication to her patents and her desire to find engineering solutions to problems affecting everything from the domestic sphere to the world of commerce demonstrates the extent of Guppy’s will to leave her mark on the world.

For this alone, her accomplishments deserve to be celebrated and remembered.