BRUNEL, Alfred Varnell (1818-1887) was a civil engineer and architect who was born in England. In 1841 he was residing in Kingston, Ont. and in that year submitted a design in the competition for Queen's College [now Queen's University], Kingston, but his proposal was not premiated and was later set aside in favour of a scheme by John G. Howard of Toronto (J. Stewart & I. Wilson, Heritage Kingston, 1973, 121-22). Undeterred by this loss, he entered the competition held the following year for the Kingston Town Hall and Market House, but again his designs were passed over and George Browne of Montreal was declared winner (Chronicle & Gazette [Kingston], 31 Aug. 1842, 2). That same year he prepared three designs in the competition for Brock's Monument, Queenston Heights, Ont. His detailed description of each proposal can be found in the Brock Monument Papers at the Ontario Archives (OA, MU 296, Designs 20, 21 and 22 marked 'T-Square', 'CV', and 'B'). Two of these schemes proposed an Egyptian obelisk as required by the competition rules, but a third suggested the use of a pyramidal form. None of these appealed to the Selection Committee, and the design by Thomas Young was chosen . He may be the same 'Mr. Brunell' [sic] who submitted an entry in 1844 in the competition for Bonsecours Market, Montreal (Montreal Transcript, 30 April 1844, 2, col. 4).
In 1843 Brunel designed St Mark's Anglican Church, BARRIEFIELD, ONT. (M. Angus, Old Stones of Kingston, 1966, 108-09, illus.; Paul Christianson, "St. Mark's Anglican Church Barriefield" in Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, xxxv, March 2010, 17-30, illus.; J. McKendry, Woodwork in Historic Buildings of the Kingston Region, 2018, 64-5, illus. & descrip.; dwgs. at the Anglican Diocese Office, Kingston), and prepared plans for a virtually identical scheme for St George's Anglican Church, Byron Street, TRENTON, ONT., 1845 (M. Macrae & A. Adamson, Hallowed Walls, 1975, 162-63, illus.). After 1845 he was employed on various public works projects for the Province of Canada and was assistant engineer and later superintendent for the Northern Railway Co. By 1856 he was advertising himself as 'Civil Engineer, Mechanical Engineer and Architect' (Globe [Toronto], 23 Dec. 1856), and was appointed as City Engineer of Toronto in 1859-60. Brunel was a skilled draftsman as can be seen in his drawings for a Shed, Fence and Lodge on College Avenue, Toronto (1860), and now held in the collections at the Baldwin Room, Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library. In 1864 he was credited with drawing the 'original plan' for the new Globe Newspaper Office, King Street East, TORONTO, ONT., but the final plan and design was developed by William Kauffmann (Globe [Toronto], 1 Dec. 1864, 1, descrip. & illus.). By 1867 Brunel had become a full time civil servant and had taken up residence in Ottawa where he was appointed Commissioner of Inland Revenue in 1871. He died at Tivetshall St. Margaret, England on 17 April 1887 (biog. H. Morgan, Canadian Parliamentary Companion, 1874, 548-49; biog. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, xi, 1982, 120; portrait in J.R. Robertson Coll., Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library, Item 2786; biog. Jennifer McKendry, Architects Working in the Kingston Region 1820-1920, 2019, 20, illus.)
COMPETITIONS
KINGSTON, ONT., Queen's College [later called Queen's University], 1841. His design was passed over in favour of one submitted by John G. Howard of Toronto
KINGSTON, ONT., City Hall & Market Building, 1842. Brunel was one of 13 architects who submitted plans for this major competition. His plans were entered using the pseudonym "T", and the other under the name of "V". One of these designs received the Second Premium of L 30.00 Sterling (J. Douglas Stewart & Ian Wilson, Heritage Kingston, 1973, 136, list of competitors). The winner was George Browne of Kingston.
QUEENSTON, ONT., Brock's Monument, 1842. Brunel demonstrated his versatility as a designer by submitting three different designs for this landmark. Descriptions of his 3 proposals have survived in the Brock Monument Papers at the Ontario Archives in Toronto (OA, MU 296). The winner was William Thomas of Toronto.
MONTREAL, QUE., Bonsecours Market, 1844. He is presumably the same "Mr. Brunell" [sic] who submitted a design. The winner was William Footner of Montreal.