21/08/2026
FAMOUS RESIDENT: After receiving a request from the Thomas Brassey Society, we added this remarkable civil engineer's name to our Extract of Notable Names (https://royalvichotel.co.uk/visitors-book/).
Thomas Brassey, the "world's foremost builder of railways in the 19th century" and a local resident for many years, spent his final days at the hotel.
According to their website (https://thomasbrasseysociety.org/), during a 40 year railway building career he built -
- One third of the railways in the UK
- Three quarters of the railways in France
- 1 in 20 miles of the world railway network
- Bridges, Viaducts and Stations
- Dock systems around the world
- Sewer systems for Joseph Bazelgette
- Thames Embankment
- Water supply systems in cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Calcutta ..........and much more..."