Railway walk for Brunel descendant, Isambard Thomas

Brunel built the Great Western Railway, revolutionising engineering design

The legacy of Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel is being explored by one of his descendants.

Great-great-great grandson, Isambard Thomas will be mainly walking from Bristol to London, to discover how Brunel's Great Western Railway (GWR), shaped towns and cities.

Mr Thomas said: "Engineering is the thing that fascinates me and its relevance today."

The trip is part of history project by railway firm First Great Western (FGW).

'Best possible result'

Mr Thomas said: "I've never had the opportunity to visit every station to stop and to look at pieces of the line and the environment.

"It's also to find out about how the Great Western Railway changed local business and how towns grew into cities and the development of Bristol, Bath, Swindon and Reading."

Isambard Thomas will be covering the Bristol to London route mainly on foot

Brunel was born in Portsmouth and his most well-known work includes Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol and the near two-mile long Box Tunnel in Box, Wiltshire.

Brunel also designed the SS Great Britain, which served between Bristol and New York. It has now been restored as a museum ship.

Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol is one of Brunel's famous achievements

Mr Thomas will make a map of his route, covering various aspects of Brunel's life, starting with visiting the solicitor's firm which Brunel used in the 1830s when he was generating interest for the GWR.

Operations director at FGW, Ben Rule, said: "Great Western Railway started building nearly 200 years ago and we see our role as custodians of that railway as really, really important."