Ralph Dodd (c. 1756 – 11 April 1822) was a late 18th-century British civil engineer primarily known for his attempt to produce the first tunnel underneath the Thames in 1798.
[3] After receiving an education in mechanics, both Ralph and his brother Robert spent five and a half years at the Royal Academy schools practicing as a portrait painter.
In December 1821 he suffered severe burns when the boiler of the paddle steamer Sovereign (80 feet long, of the River Severn Steam Yacht Co, built by H. Turner, Stourport and registered on 30 Jan. 1822, British National Archives Registration No BT/107/168) exploded at Gloucester on her trial run.
His prospectus for the business played on the military advantages in having a tunnel as it had long been recognised that there was a need to be able to move troops rapidly between Kent and Essex in the event of war.
As a riposte, J. Whitfield wrote The Engineering Plagiarist, accusing Dodd of copying John Philips' General History of Inland Navigation, Newcastle 1792.
This created the Company of Proprietors of the Grand Surrey Canal, and gave them powers to raise £60,000 by issuing shares, and an additional £30,000 if required.
Dodd, assisted by his sons Barrodall and George, began engineering works but resigned from the project to be replaced by Rennie, a position that was to be repeated.
Originally presented as The Prospectus for the Intended Prince's Bridge Ralph Dodd's hand written observations can be found at Battersea Library, London.
[10] This proved to be an error and in 1808 criminal action was taken against Dodd for the promotion of a scheme for a company with transferable shares in violation of the Bubble Act.
Dodd decided to dispute this legal action but ultimately lost the case in 1808 resulting in the dispansion of The London Distillery Company.
[11][12] Britain led the world in the development of canals, bridges and tunnels which acted as a stimulus for the Industrial Revolution by facilitating the transport of raw materials and manufactured goods.
Ralph Dodd cannot claim to have been the greatest of technical engineers but his ideas and entrepreneurial flair led to the construction of many important British landmarks, including Vauxhall Bridge in London.
Dodd was farsighted in realising that the individual canals and waterways being built would eventually be joined together, and later forge the way for railways inspiring a new generation of civil engineers.