James Szlumper

Sir James Weeks Szlumper JP DL (29 January 1834 – 27 October 1926) was an English civil engineer. He was Chief Engineer on a number of key railway engineering projects in the Victorian era.

Biography Szlumper was born in Westminster to Albert Szlumper, a Polish tailor, and his first wife, Eliza. He began his career with a London firm of engineers, and in 1853 was appointed surveyor to the county of Cardiganshire, a position in which he held for 25 years. In this position, he was often in correspondence and conflict with the local landowners, particularly John Waddingham, the then owner of the Hafod Estate. His younger half-brother Alfred Weeks Szlumper (1858–1934) was also a railway engineer.

Railway engineer Szlumper had a dual career as a railway engineer, laying out some of key lines linking the major routes to the wider countryside of Wales and the West.

He started his railway career engineering parts of the London Underground in employment in London. When he took the job of Surveyor to the county of Cardiganshire, he also held the role of deputy engineer of the Manchester and Milford Railway, which never reached either of the locations in its title, being restricted to a line between Strata Florida and Pencader, Carmarthenshire. However, he became good friends with the line's manager James Cholmeley Russell, and resultantly later became civil engineer to the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways and in 1906 became a director. Russell and Szlumper were two of the proposers of the Vale of Rheidol Light Railway from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge (originally proposed by the Manchester & Milford Railway), although Russell resigned from the VofR project in its infancy in 1899.

Public life Szlumper was elected as a Liberal member of Cardiganshire County Council at a by-election in 1892 but did not seek re-election in 1895. Having served as a Justice of the Peace, in 1898 Szlumper became High Sheriff of Cardiganshire.

Personal life

Szlumper married Mary Culliford in 1867 and had one son and two daughters. The family lived at Sandmarsh, Aberystwyth. After Szlumper's retirement from the role of surveyor of Cardiganshire, the family moved to Holmesdale Road in Richmond, Surrey, where he became Mayor twice. He was also a major benefactor of Darell Road School in Kew and was, for many years, president and patron of the Victoria Working Men's Club in Kew.

A Master Freemason of the Jubilee Masters Lodge, No. 2712, and also a Past Master of Aberystwyth Lodge, No. 1072, his long-term friends included Mary of Teck, the Queen Consort of George V.

Szlumper died on 27 October 1926 and is buried in Richmond Cemetery (Section O, grave number 2414).

Projects engineered Barry Railway, 1884–1885 Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway London Underground Lynmouth and Minehead Light Railway, 1896–1898 Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Manchester and Milford Railway Pembroke and Tenby Railway Pethick and Vale of Glamorgan Railway, 1889–1901 Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway Pontypridd Caerphilly and Newport Railway North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Vale of Glamorgan Railway, 1894 Vale of Rheidol Light Railway Whitland & Taf Vale Railway

As Szlumper helped plan various lines running from or attaching to/joining with the South Wales Railway, he left in his collection of papers complete Ordnance Survey maps from 1896, in continuous length, showing the proposed routes of the railways from London to Swansea and its connections, and the proposed railway from London to Cardiff and its connections