Robert Stephenson, who was born two hundred years ago, is chiefly remembered for his role in the birth of the railways.

But his role in the history of structural engineering is no less important. In the course of building railway lines, he set new standards for experimentation with materials that are now seen as early steps in the science of structures.

The north end of the existing Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels is almost exactly where the house in which he was born stood. The family moved to Killingworth not long after Robert was born.