Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Pioneering civil engineer Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia receives English Heritage London blue plaque

Pioneering civil engineer Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia receives English Heritage London blue plaque

ENGLISH Heritage London blue plaque has awarded Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia, the ground-breaking 19th century civil engineer and shipbuilder.

The plaque marks 55 Sheen Road in Richmond, the impressive villa that Cursetjee and his British family moved to upon his retirement in 1868.


Born in 1808 into a renowned Parsi family of master shipbuilders, Cursetjee is known as the first modern engineer of India. Working for the East India Company, he devoted himself to the study, construction and application of steam to maritime use, which was at the very forefront of transport technology at the time.

His enthusiasm and skill led to patronage by the British, who lauded his pioneering contributions to civil and naval engineering, and welcomed him during his travels to England. He was the first Indian to be placed in charge of Europeans at the East India Company, and the first South Asian to be elected to the Royal Society, Britain’s oldest national scientific institution.

Rebecca Preston, English Heritage blue plaques historian, commented: “A pioneering civil and naval engineer from the renowned Wadia family of Bombay shipbuilders, Ardaseer Cursetjee was committed to the advancement of steam-powered navigation and to the progress of science in his country.”

Preston said, “He was at the forefront of introducing new inventions to Bombay (now Mumbai), including gaslight, photography, electro-plating and the sewing machine. He first visited London in 1839 and soon after was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society – the first south Asian to receive that distinction. We are delighted to honour him with a blue plaque, at the Richmond home where he settled in later life.”

ACW English Heritage 4 Blue plaque to Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia, 55 Sheen Road, Richmond, London.

Cursetjee was determined to travel to England in order to pursue his studies and perfect the art of marine engineering, and first arrived in London in 1839. He initially spent a year in the city, working with John and Samuel Seaward who were early advocates of auxiliary steam power on ships.

In this time, he was elected an associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers, gave evidence on the ‘opium question’ in the House of Commons, and was presented to Queen Victoria. Thereafter, Ardaseer travelled regularly between Bombay and London.

In 1868, he returned to England permanently, spending the last 10 years of his life with his British family at 55 Sheen Road in Richmond, which will bear his blue plaque. He sadly died suddenly at home on 16 November 1877, aged 69.

Cursetjee’s great great grandson, Blair Southerden said: “I am delighted that in this year, which is the 180th anniversary of him being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, English Heritage has installed a blue plaque on my great great grandfather’s home. Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia was an innovator. He was the first to install gas lighting in a house in India, built early steam-powered ships while still in his twenties and was a founder member of the Photographic Society of Bombay.”

“In his retirement he worked with other Parsis in this country to develop what has become the Zoroastrian Trust Fund Europe, of which he was the first senior trustee. As a fellow engineer I look up to him as an inspiring engineer of his era and I am delighted that English Heritage has honoured him with this plaque,” said Southerden.

More For You

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

Prince Harry criticised tech companies for citing privacy laws to deny access

Getty

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called for stronger protections for children online, warning that not enough is being done to shield young people from the dangers of social media

During a visit to New York, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unveiled a new memorial dedicated to the memory of children whose families believe harmful online content contributed to their deaths. The installation, named the Lost Screen Memorial, features 50 smartphones, each displaying an image of a child lost to what their families describe as the adverse effects of social media. The memorial was made available to the public for 24 hours.

Keep ReadingShow less
Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

Afghan refugees arrive at a camp near the Torkham border last Sunday (20)

Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

MORE than 100,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the past three weeks, the interior ministry said on Tuesday (22), after Islamabad announced the cancellation of residence permits.

Calling Afghans “terrorists and criminals”, the Pakistan government launched its mass eviction campaign on April 1. Analysts said the expulsions are designed to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, which Islamabad blames for fuelling a rise in border attacks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

Energy secretary Ed Miliband reads a letter from Britain's King Charles III during the Future of Energy Security Summit at Lancaster House on April 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

THE government has announced an initial £300 million investment to strengthen domestic offshore wind supply chains ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The funding will be distributed through Great British Energy, the country's publicly-owned clean energy company.

Prime minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (24) said the investment aims to support jobs and help the UK reach clean power by 2030.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-pahalgam-getty

'I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,' Modi said in his first speech since the incident.

Getty Images

Modi vows to hunt Kashmir attackers ‘to the ends of the Earth’

INDIA and Pakistan have exchanged a series of diplomatic measures after prime minister Narendra Modi blamed Pakistan for a deadly shooting in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.

Modi said India would identify and punish those behind the attack and accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Trump also announced an initiative on historically black colleges and universities and signed orders on AI education and workforce development.

Getty Images

Trump signs orders targeting university diversity policies and accreditation

DONALD TRUMP signed a set of executive orders on Wednesday aimed at US universities, focusing on foreign donations, college accreditation, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

One order directs the federal government to enforce existing laws requiring universities to disclose large foreign gifts. Another addresses accreditation, which Trump has described as a “secret weapon.”

Keep ReadingShow less