ONE of the most innovative engineers in history could be recognised in Dawlish.

Historian and retired estate agent David Force has suggested commissioning a life size statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel to mark the completion of years of work on the iconic coastal railway.

The idea has been mooted before over the years but now the end of Network Rail’s extensive resilience work could be in sight, David thinks a statue would be a fitting way to mark that and Brunel’s contribution to the history of Dawlish.

He told the Gazette: ‘We haven’t got any costings yet but it could cost about £20,000.

‘It’s a lot of money but Dawlish deserves it and Brunel deserves it.

‘Without him bringing the railway to Dawlish, it would be a little backwater.

‘Brunel is my hero and I love Dawlish so much, I think it would be fitting and be an attraction for tourists.

‘Dawlish seafront has been given a massive facelift by Network Rail, but there has been a lot of disruption over the last couple of years.

‘There could be a story board to explain how Brunel’s railway cemented the town’s place as a holiday resort in Victorian times, which continues to this day.’

His idea has prompted a raft of support with comments calling it ‘fabulous’, ‘fantastic’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘superb’.

One said it would be a ‘great tribute to a great man and town’ and another saying ‘Dawlish should absolutely have this’.

Statues of Brunel are already seen along other parts of the Great Western network including Bristol and Swindon.

David is working with Neil Salter from the Chamber of Trade to investigate the possibility of a statue.

Various locations could be considered, David said, but it should be somewhere prominent such as The Lawn, a ‘central focal point’.

It has been suggested Network Rail may be able to contribute financially but it has been pointed out the huge amount of money already spent on the line which includes extra facilities such as a lift for Dawlish station.

David and Neil are also looking into setting up a crowdfunding scheme to finance the project.

Civil engineer Brunel has been described as one of the ‘most ingenious and prolific’ figures in engineering history and the Industrial Revolution, building dockyards and the Great Western Railway.

His railway set standards for a well-built railway using surveys to minimise gradients and curves.

David has written extensively about the history of Dawlish including the importance of Brunel to the town.

The line from London to Bristol began in the 1830s and by 1840, Brunel was buying land to extend the line to Plymouth along a route through Dawlish.

Mr Force explained: ‘He had little in the way of mechanical means, but around 2,000 workers and plenty of dynamite.

‘As well as building the seawall from the Warren to Dawlish and from Holcombe to Teignmouth, he had to blast a gap in the Langstone Cliff and create five tunnels between Dawlish and Teignmouth.

‘On the Exe Estuary there were embankments below the high tide mark and land had to be drained. It was a massive undertaking, but the section as far as Dawlish was completed by May 1846 and extended to Teignmouth by Christmas.’