William armstrong biography

illiam Armstrong was one of those Victorians whose great talents were matched by great energy. He was a Northumbrian inventor, arms manufacturer, and shipping magnate, who also designed and built swing-bridges such as the one over the River Tyne at Newcastle.

Amongst his other very active interests were politics, education, archaeology and landscaping. He was important too as a benefactor, since he made large donations and bequests to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, natural history museum, and so on.

Born in the Newcastle area to a Tyneside corn-merchant and politician, Armstrong was locally educated before continuing his legal training in London.

William armstrong death

Although he duly qualified as a solicitor and became a partner in a Newcastle firm in 1835, he had already developed a fascination with engineering, and now became particularly interested in hydraulics, although he first made his name in the field of electrostatic generation.

In 1846 he became a fellow of the Royal Society. He the