Overview

William Armstrong was a brilliant and charismatic figure of the 19th Century – a self-made man whose achievements are now being more widely recognised. Inventor, scientist, engineer, and an early advocator of renewable energy, he built a pioneering house in Northumberland in the North East of England called Cragside, the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity. Armstrong's industrial powerhouse Elswick Works on the Tyne employed over 25,000 people in its heyday manufacturing hydraulic cranes, warships and armaments. He was a visionary who was loved, and hated, and feared in equal measure. While he brought great fame and fortune to his native Newcastle upon Tyne, and to his country as a whole, he was condemned in some quarters as 'a merchant of death' for his manufacturing of weapons of war. AUTHOR: Henrietta Heald is an author and editor on British history. William Armstrong, her first book, was shortlisted for the Portico Prize and the H. W. Fisher First Biography Prize.

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9780857160423

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'Armstrong deserves to be recognised as one of the titans of the 19th century - this book should do much to readdress the balance.' Country Life '...a fascinating new book about him demonstrates that he is just as relevant now as he was in Victorian times.' BBC North 'A wonderful subject - ripe for rediscovery.' Melvyn Bragg

Author Information

Henrietta Heald is an author and editor on British history. William Armstrong, her first book, was shortlisted for the Portico Prize and the H. W. Fisher First Biography Prize.

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