William Patterson

Who was William Patterson?

William Patterson was a 19th-century engineer and boatbuilder.

Born in Arbroath, he moved to London where he learned his craft at the yard of William Evans. He then moved to Bristol where he worked for William Scott as his assistant. When Scott became bankrupt, he took over his yard in various guises as William Patterson Shipbuilders. He won the contract to design and build the SS Great Westerm with Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

He was also one of the designers of the SS Great Britain, the world's first ocean-going ship to have an iron hull and a screw propeller.