A Nexus engineer has swapped the historic surroundings of Parliament for the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Ben Brooks, the current head of engineering at Nexus, spent three years working at the Palace of Westminster – one of the most famous buildings in the world.
Ben worked as the lead electrical engineer, helping to keep the lights on at the heart of government.
It was a job which took him to every corner of the historic parliamentary estate in London.
This included Big Ben, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the basement where Guy Fawkes was infamously caught trying to blow the building up in the Gun Powder Plot of 1605.
It was Ben’s job to oversee all the UK Parliament’s electrical engineering – a challenge he says he was honoured to take on.
Highlights include the £80 million refurbishment of Big Ben, preparing Westminster Hall for Queen’s Elizabeth II to lie in state following her death in 2022, and a wider role in the renovation of large swathes of both Houses of Parliament and surrounding office buildings used by MPs.
Ben, 35, of Newcastle, said: “It was such an honour and a privilege to work at Westminster.
“I was delighted to join Nexus when we moved back up north to start a family, but I’ll always cherish my time down in London. Working in Parliament felt like I was really doing something for the good of the country, right at the heart of our democracy.
“I got to see every nook and cranny of the place. I saw areas behind the scenes the public don’t really get to ever go into.
“It’s one of the most famous buildings in the world. It’s a truly fascinating place to work. I loved my time there. You can feel the history when you walk around the place.
“A real highlight for me was getting involved in the conservation of the Elizabeth Tower, which most people know as Big Ben. I got to work with the estate historian on that one, which was a particular privilege. The clock hands were returned to their original Victorian colour scheme. My role was to work on the lighting systems which light up Big Ben’s clock face at night. We had to get the colour scheme absolutely right.
“When Queen Elizabeth II passed away, I was called to help with some of the work that was required at Westminster Abbey and at Westminster Hall, where Her Majesty was to lie in state. I did specifications and design work for the many temporary installations that were needed for this huge moment of national mourning.
“I’ve been down in the hidden labyrinth of subterranean basements, tunnels and cellars below Parliament, even the one where Guy Fawkes was caught during the Gun Powder Plot. It was surreal to be able to go in there.”
He added: “It’s a vast estate. The engineering tasks are almost endless. I did a lot of work on the Northern Estate Programme, which involved major restoration work on the Grade I and Grade II Listed buildings.
“This included a plan to convert a place Richmond House into a temporary pop-up House of Commons chamber, so the current one could undergo a major overhaul. In the end that project was paused following a strategic review, such is the nature of life in Westminster.
“One thing that stood out was just going in there every day and seeing all the politicians you usually just see on the television. I recall one time being in a cafeteria and I turned around to see Theresa May was stood behind me in the queue.”
Ben has enjoyed a stellar career in engineering for the last 13 years after graduating from Northumbria University. It’s a job which has taken him all over the UK and abroad.
He said: “I would recommend a career in engineering to anyone. It’s brilliant. No two days are the same. I’m excited about this latest chapter, working for Nexus, and supporting the many the public transport services they deliver, not least the Metro.”
Image credit: Nexus
