Charles Labelye
Illustration — The Building of Westminster Bridge by Samuel Scott, 1742 Charles Labelye (1705, Vevey, Switzerland – 1762) was a Swiss bridge engineer and mathematician. Moving to England in the 1720s and receiving patronage from the Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke, he is best known there for his work on the original Westminster Bridge (rebuilt in 1854–62) and his invention on that project of caissons as a method of bridge-building. This was praised on its completion, though during the period of construction he received heavy criticism from ill-informed observers, which worsened his health.
Also recorded as Charles Paul Labelye
Charles Labelye
Unspecified · This file has been provided by the British Library from its digital collections. Links to the British Library's website may be broken as the library recovers from a October 2023 cyber attack, and will · CC0
- Born
- 1705 · Vevey.
- Died
- 1761 · Paris.
- Nationality
- Switzerland
- Occupation
- engineer · architect
- Languages
- English
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Biography
Other British projects of his were Brentford Bridge (1740–42), London Bridge (his consultations were sought in 1746 but not acted upon by the corporation of London), designs for a harbour at Sandwich (engraved by Harris about 1740) and reports on the port and harbour facilities at Great Yarmouth (1747) and Sunderland (1748, also with suggested improvements to the River Wear).
Fleuron from book: A description of Westminster Bridge. To which are added, an account of the methods made use of in laying the foundations of its piers. And An Answer to the chief Objections, that have been made thereto. With an appendix, Containing Several Particulars, relating to the said Bridge, or to the History of the Building thereof. As also its geometrical plans, and the Elevation of one
Labelye, Charles · https: Record
Key facts
Key facts
• Short Title — Labelye's Naturalization Act 1745 • Type — Act • Parliament — Parliament of Great Britain • Long Title — An Act for naturalizing Charles Labelye. • Year — 1745 • Citation — 19 Geo. 2. c. 26 Pr. • Territorial Extent — Great Britain • Royal Assent — 4 June 1746 • Commencement — 17 October 1745 • Status — Current • Collapsed — yes A private act of parliament in 1746, Labelye's Naturalization Act 1745 (19 Geo. 2. c. 26 Pr.), naturalised him as a British citizen, but in April 1752 he decided to leave England for southern France. He is known to have been in Naples in 1753, and to have later lived in Paris. In Paris he met and became friends with the fellow bridge-builder Jean-Rodolph Perronnet, bequeathing him papers and a model of Westminster Bridge.
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Vevey.
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Paris.
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reference work
- “Charles Labelye”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5080011: Charles Labelye
General reference · Wikidata
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Charles Labelye, revision 1339994038 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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1- ParisPlace
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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