Frederick Thomas Granville Walton
Frederick Thomas Granville Walton (1840-1925) was a notable British railway engineer in India specialising in bridge construction. He was commonly known by his middle name Granville, and was often referred to as F. T. G. Walton.
1840 September. Born in Hampton, Middlesex, the son of William Walton (1795–1889) of Reading, Berkshire and his wife Elizabeth Louisa Plunkett (1801–1866) originally of Dalston, Cumberland.
Studied under Richard Johnson, chief civil engineer of the Great Northern Railways.
Worked at Cheshire Railways as an Assistant Engineer in railway construction in 1860 until 1868.
Moved to India and worked for the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway between 1868 and 1888. During this time he was initially in charge of the construction of the Ramganga River Bridge and Lines
Between 1881 and 1887, Walton was in charge of the construction of the Dufferin Bridge over the Ganges at Benares.
In 1886, Walton was elected as a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Between 1889 and 1896, Walton was engineer-in-chief of Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Company.
Between 1896 and 1900, Walton was the engineer-in-chief for the construction of the Havelock Bridge over the Godavari River, at Rajahmundry. This bridge of stone masonry piers and steel girders was one of the longest bridges in India at the time of construction, with the bridge consisting of 56 main spans of 150 feet each and a total length of 2950 metres. Since 1948, this bridge has become known as the Old Godavari Bridge.
Walton was also responsible for the construction of significant bridges at the following locations:— Wainganga, Bareilly, Moradabad, and Kosi Rampur.
In 1877, Walton married Charlotte Eliza Roney, second daughter of Sir Cusack Roney, well-known author and secretary of the Eastern Counties Railway, and a director of the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway.
They had two sons, Colonel Sir Cusack Walton DSO, RE(1878–1949) and Lieutenant Colonel Granville Walton O.B.E., JP, DL, RE (1888–1974), a leading member of The Boy Scouts Association.
Walton was the uncle of William Beckett, another prominent Indian bridge and railway engineer. Beckett was greatly influenced in his career choice by his highly acclaimed uncle, for whom he had great respect.
Walton was an inaugural member of the management committee of the British Empire Club in London alongside fellow members; The Earl of Derby (Chairman), Lord Ampthill, Lord Brassey, Lord Rothschild, Sir John Cockburn and Sir Felix Schuster.
1925 Died aged 85 years, leaving behind a legacy of many impressive railway bridges crossing some of the great rivers of India.
1915 Indian Biographical Dictionary
Walton, Frederick Thomas Granville, C.I.E. (1888), Chief Engineer; s. of late William Walton of Hampton, Middlesex; b. 1840; studied under Richard Johnson, the famous Engineer; Assistant Engineer in the construction of joining Cheshire Railways till 1860; Oudh and Rohilkand Railways, India, 1868-88; in charge of Ram Ganga River Bridge and Lines; in charge of Dufterin Bridge over the Ganges at Benares, 1881-87; elected M.I.C.E., 1886; Engineer-in-Chief, Oudh and Rohilkand Railways, 1889-96; Bridge construction over Godavari River, at Rajahmundry, 1896-1900; has also built the following other bridges:- Raingunga. Bareilly, Moradabad, and Kosi Rampur. m. Charlotte Eliza, 2nd d. of Sir Cusack Roney, 1877. Address: c/o Messrs. Grindlay and Co., 54, Parliament Street, S.W.