Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940

Engineer. David Simms, who appears to have been English, was born in 1845, educated in London and served his apprenticeship there to James Abernethy. He came to Ireland in 1864 to work on the Banbridge Extension Railway. In July 1866 he became an assistant engineer on the Belfast Waterworks, remaining in the post until the project was completed in October 1868. The following year he went to Canada, where he worked as a railway engineer for nine years. He returned to Ireland in 1878 and became an assistant to JOHN LANYON JOHN LANYON . In this capacity he acted as resident engineer on the Limavady & Dungiven Railway, the Ballymena sewerage scheme and other works. From 1885 to 1891 he was employed by the Commissioners of Public Works. His duties included superintending the construction of the pier at Culdaff, Co. Donegal, the harbour at Arklow, Co. Wicklow, and the Shannon drainage works at Killaloe, Co. Clare, holding enquiries and making reports, and taking charge of a section of the Collooney & Claremorris Railway. He next worked for six months on the Westport and Mulrany Railway. In 1892 he opened his own engineering consultancy in Belfast. The venture was not successful, however, and in August 1894 he accepted John Lanyon's offer to act as resident engineer on the Lisburn waterworks. He had been in this position for less than two years when he died of a chill on 20 January 1896.

Inst.CE: elected member 29 May 1883.

See WORKS.



References

All information in this entry is from the obituary of Simms in Min.Proc. Inst.CE 125 (195-6, Pt. III), 413.


4 work entries listed in chronological order for SIMMS, DAVID


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Building: CO. DONEGAL, CULDAFF, PIER
Date: 1885p
Nature: DS superintends construction of same.
Refs: Obituary of Simms in Min.Proc. Inst.CE 125 (195-6, Pt. III), 413

Building: CO. CLARE, KILLALOE, SHANNON DRAINAGE SCHEME
Date: 1885p
Nature: DS superintends construction of same.
Refs: Obituary of Simms in Min.Proc. Inst.CE 125 (195-6, Pt. III), 413

Building: CO. WICKLOW, ARKLOW, HARBOUR
Date: 1887a
Nature: DS superintends construction of same for Board of Public Works (after old harbour was destroyed by sea, 1877).  Main pier completed 1888 at cost of $35,468.17s.
Refs: Wicklow Newsletter, 21 Jul 1888,20 Feb 1904;  obituary of Simms in Min.Proc. Inst.CE 125 (1895-6, Pt. III), 413

Building: CO. ANTRIM, LISBURN, WATERWORKS
Date: 1894-96
Nature: New waterworks. Estimated cost £15,921. Contractor: H. & J. Martin, Dublin & Belfast. Resident engineer David Simms.
Refs: IB 36, 1 Oct 1894, 229; obituary of Simms in Min.Proc. Inst.CE 125 (195-6, Pt. III), 413