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Sidney Little, MICE (1885–1961) was a British civil engineer. He was born in Carlisle and after working in Ipswich as the Borough Engineer he was appointed in 1926 in Hastings, East Sussex as the Borough and Water Engineer, later including the role of Borough Planning Officer. He worked there for 24 years. During that time, he was responsible for implementing a number of major projects in the town.
Known on the South Coast of England as "The Concrete King", [1] Little had great knowledge of reinforced concrete. Many of his projects used this material. Improvements to the "Front Line" sea defences allowed the creation of the UK's first underground car parks. A covered 1,500 ft (455 metres) promenade between Hastings Pier and Warrior Square, completed in April 1934 as part of the town's sea defences, was created using concrete panels containing thousands of coloured glass fragments for decoration. This became known locally as "Bottle Alley". Other concrete projects included the construction of a large open air bathing pool at West St Leonard's [2] with a set of double decker seaside chalets in concrete. The White Rock Baths [3] were reconstructed along with several other municipal projects such as the conversion of Johns Place into a museum and plans for an aerodrome at Pebsham near St Leonards on Sea, UK.
Little was unpopular with some people because of his willingness to remove historic buildings for road creation schemes, but his most important work was with the water supply to the town of Hastings and St Leonard's with the construction of deep tunneled aqueducts up to 200 ft deep and the construction of Powdermill, Darwell and Baldslow reservoirs to supply water. Little also contributed to the improvement and provision of sewers throughout Hastings.
Between 1940 and 1944, Little's expertise was used by the Ministry of Defence when he worked with the Admiralty on the creation of huge concrete Mulberry Harbour floats that were used for the D Day landings. He designed aboveground sea front shelters constructed from reinforced concrete. The structures were towed to France and linked to form harbour walls. They helped the Allies to take ashore large numbers of vehicles, personnel, communications equipment and other supplies – vital to sustaining the frontline forces as they pushed deeper into German territory. [4]
Sidney Little M.I.C.E. was granted freedom of the Borough of Hastings in 1960, and died in 1961 at age 76.
Hastings is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, 24 mi (39 km) east to the county town of Lewes and 53 mi (85 km) south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place 8 mi (13 km) to the north-west at Senlac Hill in 1066. It later became one of the medieval Cinque Ports. In the 19th century, it was a popular seaside resort, as the railway allowed tourists and visitors to reach the town. Today, Hastings is a fishing port with the UK's largest beach-based fishing fleet. It has an estimated population of 92,855 as of 2018.
Mulberry harbours were temporary portable harbours developed by the United Kingdom during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. After the Allies successfully held beachheads following D-Day, two prefabricated harbours were taken in sections across the English Channel from the UK with the invading army and assembled off Omaha Beach and Gold Beach.
Sir William Halcrow was one of the most notable English civil engineers of the 20th century, particularly renowned for his expertise in the design of tunnels and for projects during the Second World War.
A breakwater is a permanent structure constructed at a coastal area to protect against tides, currents, waves, and storm surges. Part of a coastal management system, breakwaters are installed to minimize erosion, and to protect anchorages, helping isolate vessels within them from marine hazards such as prop washes and wind-driven waves. A breakwater, also known in some contexts as a jetty, may be connected to land or freestanding, and may contain a walkway or road for vehicle access.
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a watertight retaining structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. Caissons are constructed in such a way that the water can be pumped out, keeping the work environment dry. When piers are being built using an open caisson, and it is not practical to reach suitable soil, friction pilings may be driven to form a suitable sub-foundation. These piles are connected by a foundation pad upon which the column pier is erected.
Sir Ove Nyquist Arup, CBE, MICE, MIStructE, FCIOB was an English engineer who founded Arup Group Limited, a multinational corporation that offers engineering, design, planning, project management, and consulting services for building systems. Ove Arup is considered to be among the foremost architectural structural engineers of his time.
Hugh Iorys Hughes was a Welsh civil engineer and keen yachtsman who submitted ideas to the War Office for the design of the Mulberry harbours used in Operation Overlord.
MOSE is a project intended to protect the city of Venice, Italy, and the Venetian Lagoon from flooding.
Newton's Cove is a small cove, 0.5 kilometres (0.3 mi) south of Weymouth, Dorset, England. Overlooking Portland Harbour, the cove is close to Nothe Gardens and the Nothe Fort.
Ruislip Lido is a reservoir and artificial beach in Ruislip, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, situated between Ruislip Common, Ruislip Woods, and Poor's Field.
Battery Rocks are a rocky headland to the south of the harbour of Penzance, Cornwall, UK.
Holloway Brothers (London) Ltd was a leading English construction company specialising in building and heavy civil engineering work based in London.
The Labworth Restaurant & Café is a modernist International style reinforced concrete building overlooking the Thames estuary at Labworth beach on Canvey Island, Essex. Built in 1932–1933 by Ove Arup to resemble the bridge of the Queen Mary, it exists as the only building solely designed by the distinguished engineer.
John Holmes Jellett Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), DSc, MA was a British civil engineer. Jellett started his career as a bridge and canal engineer before joining the Admiralty, where he specialised in docks. He made improvements to the Royal Navy dockyards and depots at Chatham, Singapore, Devonport, Gibraltar and Milford Haven in the 1930s. During the Second World War Jellett was responsible for works in Egypt and Malta as superintendent civil engineer for the Eastern Mediterranean. After service in the Mediterranean, he was superintending engineer for Mulberry Harbour B that supplied the allied forces in France after the Normandy Landings. Jellett was appointed an OBE for this work in late 1944. After the war he worked for the Southern Railway and then the British Transport Commission in Southampton Docks. Jellett served as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1968–69.
Allan Harry Beckett MBE was a civil engineer whose design for the 'Whale' floating roadway was crucial to the success of the Mulberry harbour that was used in the Normandy Landings. Starting the war as a sapper digging trenches on the South Coast at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation, Allan Beckett came to play a significant role in the success of the Mulberry harbour used during and after the Normandy landings of June 1944.
Quaianalagen or Seeuferanlagen on Lake Zürich is a series of lakefronts in Zürich. Inaugurated in 1887, the quaysides are considered an important milestone in the development of Zürich. The construction of the lake fronts transformed the medieval small town on the rivers Limmat and Sihl to a modern city on the Lake Zürich shore. The project was managed by engineer Arnold Bürkli.
Wollongong Harbour Precinct is a heritage-listed shipping harbour at Cliff Road and Endeavour Drive, in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1837. The historic precinct includes Belmore Basin, Government Dam, Government Basin, Stockade Point, Flagstaff Hill, Signal Hill, Brighton Beach, Boat Harbour and Fortress Hill. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 May 2010.
Sir Alan James Harris CBE was a British civil and structural engineer.
St Leonards Pier, also known as the Palace Pier, was a public pleasure pier in St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the town and borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. Opened in 1891 the pier was a direct rival to nearby Hastings Pier, and during its heyday the pier was a leading tourist attraction, and was described in the 1894 Baedeker travel guide as handsome. The pier was damaged during WW2 and left derelict after the war until purchased by Hastings Corporation in 1951 who demolished the structure over the next two years.
Marine Court is a Grade II listed Streamline Moderne apartment block on the seafront of St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the town and borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. The block was built between 1936 and 1938 and was modelled on the recently launched Cunard ocean liner Queen Mary. The building is 14 stories high and the seafront elevation 416 ft (127 m) long. At the time of opening it was the tallest residential building in Britain.