Lecture on Sir Goldsworthy Gurney

Lecture on Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875)
In the week of the 150th anniversary of his death.
Given by Matt Thomas (Outreach Officer, The Castle Heritage Centre, Bude, Cornwall)

Venue: Palace Lecture Room, The Old Palace, Ely
Tickets: Free, but please reserve a place.

Sir Goldsworthy Gurney
A surgeon, scientist, engineer, inventor, agriculturalist and musician - Sir Goldsworthy Gurney's achievements were remarkable, yet they remain largely unknown.

He invented the world's first mechanised vehicle to travel over distance at sustained speed. He discovered limelight, used in theatres and music halls. He designed this building and within it developed the Bude Light, which illuminated Trafalgar Square and the House of Commons.

One of the great Cornish minds of the nineteenth century, he also pioneered new forms of heating (including the Gurney Stoves found in Ely Cathedral!), ventilation, signalling, fire-fighting, agriculture, music and architecture. He even sought to develop an aircraft engine.