Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Sir Ralph Freeman


Sir Ralph Freeman was an English structural engineer, responsible for the design of several of the world's most impressive bridges.

Born in London, England, he studied at the Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School and the City and Guilds of London Institute, and in 1901 joined Douglas Fox & Partners, a firm of consulting engineers specialising in the design of steel bridges. He rose to become senior partner and in 1938 the firm changed its name to Freeman Fox & Partners.

Sir Ralph is best remembered for his design work on the Victoria Falls Bridge (1905) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932). He also designed the lesser known Birchenough Bridge (1935), which is a smaller replica of the Sydney bridge in the Chipinge area of Zimbabwe. He died on 11 March 1950.