Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940

Engineer. George Higgin, who was born on 16 January 1833, was the son of Thomas Houseman Higgin, mayor of Lancaster in 1835 and later resident in Belfast as secretary and general manager of the Belfast & Ballymena Railway. After being educated privately at Lancaster and then at Preston Grammar School, George Higgin, at the age of nineteen, was articled to CHARLES LANYON CHARLES LANYON , engineer to the Belfast & Ballymena Railway. He gave early proof of his abilities, taking part in the survey and construction of the railway from Ballymena to Portrush, and soon afterwards being given, as resident engineer, responsibility for the construction of almost all the branch line to Cookstown. This included the viaducts over the River Main at Randalstown and over the Lower Bann at Loorne Bridge.

In 1855 Higgin went to Brazil. The rest of his career was spent out of Ireland, chiefly in Spain. He became ill in 1891 and died in England on 8 November 1892.



References

All information in this entry is from the obituary of Higgin in Min.Proc.Inst.CE 112 (1892-3), 349-353, which see for details of his subsequent career.