Brunel (British Postage Stamps)
Encyclopedia
This set of six stamps was issued by the Royal Mail
on 23 February 2006. It was the third set of British
commemorative stamps issued in 2006. A major issue, a variety of formats were launched- as well as the usual products of mint stamp
s, presentation packs
, stamps cards and first day cover
, the stamps were available as a miniature sheet
, prestige stamp book and limited edition
coin cover.
of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
. Widely recognised as one of the greats of the Industrial age
, the stamps celebrate Brunel's achievements in the spheres of bridge building, tunnels, Paddington Station
and ship building.
format. This format was first issued with the 2002 Commonwealth Games
issue, and there has been one set of stamps issued in this format every year since.
The scenes the stamps depict:
The face value of the set was £2.87.
wrought iron
motif.
The presentation pack features an in-depth look at three of Brunel's bridges, as well as Paddington Station and SS Great Eastern. It was written by design and architectural historian
Jeremy Myerson. The first day cover was designed by hat-trick design and written by Jeremy Myerson.
The cover of the 20-page prestige stamp book is in silver-grey to emulate cast iron
. Words were by journalist
and writer
Eugene Byrne
. There are four stamp panes, the first features the Royal Albert Bridge, Paddington Station and the Maidenhead Bridge stamps, on a backgrounf of the Thames Tunnel
. The second contains the Box Tunnel, Clifton Suspension Bridge and PSS Great Eastern stamps, on a background of the Treviddo Viaduct. The third pane features the PSS Great Eastern from the Brunel issue and two of the PSS Great Western from the 2004 Ocean Liners
issue (issued to commemorate the launch of the Queen Mary 2), on a background of the construction of the SS Great Eastern. The fourth pane consists of eight mixed Machins
which surround a commemorative label featuring a relief bust
of Brunel, on a background of the Royal Albert bridge. The machin values are 4 x 1st class NVI
, 2 x 35p and 2 x 40p.
The coin cover was produced in conjunction with the Royal Mint
, and features a full set of stamps together with two brilliant, uncirculated £2 coins
.
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
on 23 February 2006. It was the third set of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
commemorative stamps issued in 2006. A major issue, a variety of formats were launched- as well as the usual products of mint stamp
Mint stamp
In philately, a mint stamp is a stamp which is in its original state of issue, is unused, has never been mounted and has full gum, if issued with gum. The term applies equally to postage stamps and revenue stamps.- Variations :...
s, presentation packs
Presentation Pack
A Presentation Pack is a folder, produced for philatelists and stamp collectors, that contains a full set of a new stamp issue.- Format :A Presentation Pack normally consists of a cardboard folder with notes about the stamps, a holder for the stamps and a clear sleeve on the outside...
, stamps cards and first day cover
First day of issue
A First Day of Issue Cover or First Day Cover is a postage stamp on a cover, postal card or stamped envelope franked on the first day the issue is authorized for use within the country or territory of the stamp-issuing authority. Sometimes the issue is made from a temporary or permanent foreign or...
, the stamps were available as a miniature sheet
Miniature sheet
A souvenir sheet or miniature sheet is a small group of postage stamps still attached to the sheet on which they were printed. They may be either regular issues that just happen to be printed in small groups , or special issues often commemorating some event, such as a national anniversary,...
, prestige stamp book and limited edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
coin cover.
Reason for issue
The Brunel stamps were issued to commemorate the bicentenaryAnniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
. Widely recognised as one of the greats of the Industrial age
Industrial Age
Industrial Age may refer to:*Industrialisation*The Industrial Revolution...
, the stamps celebrate Brunel's achievements in the spheres of bridge building, tunnels, Paddington Station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
and ship building.
Stamp Details
These stamps were issued in a special 'long' landscapePage orientation
Page orientation is the way in which a rectangular page is oriented for normal viewing. The two most common types of orientation are portrait and landscape...
format. This format was first issued with the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
issue, and there has been one set of stamps issued in this format every year since.
The scenes the stamps depict:
- 1st class - Royal Albert BridgeRoyal Albert BridgeThe Royal Albert Bridge is a railway bridge that spans the River Tamar in the United Kingdom between Plymouth, on the Devon bank, and Saltash on the Cornish bank. Its unique design consists of two lenticular iron trusses above the water, with conventional plate-girder approach spans. This gives...
over the River TamarRiver TamarThe Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
at SaltashSaltashSaltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by... - 40p - Box TunnelBox TunnelBox Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through Box Hill, and is one of the most significant structures on the Great Western Main Line...
, almost two miles long and still in use today - 42p - Paddington StationPaddington stationPaddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
terminusTerminal StationTerminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
of the Great Western RailwayGreat Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838... - 47p - PSS Great EasternSS Great EasternSS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
, at the time the largest shipShipSince the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
in history - 60p - Clifton Suspension BridgeClifton Suspension BridgeBrunel died in 1859, without seeing the completion of the bridge. Brunel's colleagues in the Institution of Civil Engineers felt that completion of the Bridge would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds...
, Brunel's first major commission at the age of 24 - 68p - Maidenhead Railway BridgeMaidenhead Railway BridgeMaidenhead Railway Bridge is a railway bridge carrying the main line of the Great Western Railway over the River Thames between Maidenhead, Berkshire and Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England...
, still carries the main line over the River ThamesRiver ThamesThe River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in MaidenheadMaidenheadMaidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
, BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
The face value of the set was £2.87.
- Designed by hat-trick design
- Stamp Size 60mm x 21mm (Long landscape)
- Printed by Jon Enschedé Security PrintJoh. EnschedéRoyal Joh. Enschedé is a printer of security documents, stamps and banknotes based in Haarlem, Netherlands. Joh. Enschedé specialises in print, media & security. The company hosts the Museum Enschedé and has branches in Amsterdam, Brussels and Haarlem....
- Print Process LithographyLithographyLithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
- Number per sheet 24/48
- Perforations 14.5 x 14.5
- GumPostage stamp gumIn philately, gum is the substance applied to the back of a stamp to enable it to adhere to a letter or other mailed item. The term is generic, and applies both to traditional types such as gum arabic and to synthetic modern formulations...
PVAPolyvinyl acetatePolyvinyl acetate, PVA, PVAc, poly, is a rubbery synthetic polymer with the formula n. It belongs to the polyvinyl esters family with the general formula -[RCOOCHCH2]-...
Other items
The miniature sheet measures 190mm x 67mm and featured a metallic grey border with a VictorianVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
motif.
The presentation pack features an in-depth look at three of Brunel's bridges, as well as Paddington Station and SS Great Eastern. It was written by design and architectural historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Jeremy Myerson. The first day cover was designed by hat-trick design and written by Jeremy Myerson.
The cover of the 20-page prestige stamp book is in silver-grey to emulate cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
. Words were by journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Eugene Byrne
Eugene Byrne
Eugene Byrne is an English freelance journalist and fiction writer.His novel ThigMOO, and the story it was based on, were nominated for the BSFA award. His story "HMS Habakkuk" was nominated for a Sidewise Award for Alternate History.He was born in Waterford in the Republic of Ireland, but was...
. There are four stamp panes, the first features the Royal Albert Bridge, Paddington Station and the Maidenhead Bridge stamps, on a backgrounf of the Thames Tunnel
Thames Tunnel
The Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet high and is 1,300 feet long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river's surface...
. The second contains the Box Tunnel, Clifton Suspension Bridge and PSS Great Eastern stamps, on a background of the Treviddo Viaduct. The third pane features the PSS Great Eastern from the Brunel issue and two of the PSS Great Western from the 2004 Ocean Liners
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
issue (issued to commemorate the launch of the Queen Mary 2), on a background of the construction of the SS Great Eastern. The fourth pane consists of eight mixed Machins
Machin series
The Machin series of postage stamps is the main definitive stamp series in the United Kingdom, used since 5 June 1967. It is the second series to figure the image of Elizabeth II, replacing the Wilding series....
which surround a commemorative label featuring a relief bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Brunel, on a background of the Royal Albert bridge. The machin values are 4 x 1st class NVI
Non-denominated postage
Non-denominated postage is postage intended to meet a certain postage rate that retains full validity for that intended postage rate even after the rate is increased. It does not show a monetary value, or denomination, on the face. In many English speaking countries, it is called non-value...
, 2 x 35p and 2 x 40p.
The coin cover was produced in conjunction with the Royal Mint
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...
, and features a full set of stamps together with two brilliant, uncirculated £2 coins
British Two Pound coin
The British two pound coin was first issued as a commemorative coin in 1986 to celebrate the Commonwealth Games in Scotland. Six further commemorative issues followed between 1989 and 1996...
.