ENGINEERING genius Isambard Kingdom Brunel stamped his mark on Swindon.

Now, he is being honoured with a set of commemorative postage stamps and coins.

The Royal Mail is marking the 200th anniversary of his birth with six stamps.

Meanwhile the Royal Mint is producing two £2 coins.

The stamps come with a mini biography of Brunel's life, charting his upbringing and greatest inventions, including Swindon railworks and the Great Western Railway.

The stamps feature the SS Great Eastern, Paddington railway station as well as three of his most famous bridges the Royal Albert, Maidenhead and Clifton Suspension.

Julietta Edgar, spokeswoman for Royal Mail, said: "Brunel's audacious and technically brilliant feats of engineering changed the landscape of Britain forever.

"This special stamp issue will play an important role in recognising the genius of this great man as examples of his work arrive on mail in many of the 27 million homes in the UK."

The stamps will be available from post offices from Thursday.

And collectors wanting to get their hands on the stamps can pay for them using £2 pound coins, which also carry a Brunel theme.

Royal Mint has launched the coins to commemorate the anniversary.

Artist Rod Kelly designed one of them and called it The Man.

He said: "I used early black and white photographs to develop an image of Brunel.

"And to accompany this I was struck by the beauty of the Royal Albert Bridge and Brunel's amazing achievements in the progression of the then modern railway."

The second design called His Achievement was designed by engraver Robert Evans and depicts Paddington Station.

Alan Wallace, director of Collector Coin, said: "The Royal Mint is delighted to be producing two coins that mark such a significant British figure.

"Even by modern standards, Brunel's engineering is exceptional and we hope that the coins will be enjoyed by collectors, historians and the general public alike."

The coins are available now in a two-coin presentation folder priced £9.95.

Both coin designs will be released into general circulation from April 3.

Swindon is planning a host of events to celebrate the life of Brunel the man who made the town what it is today.

The Swindon Brunel Festival a two-week extravaganza starts on July 11. For more information visit www.brunel200.com

His legacy lives on

BORN in Portsmouth on April 9, 1806, but educated in France, Brunel showed exceptional talent at an early age, which led to his appointment as Chief Engineer to build the Thames Tunnel.

He subsequently became Chief Engineer for the Great Western Railway and eventually turned to shipbuilding. His legacy is still with us in structures such as the Clifton Suspension Bridge over the Avon Gorge, the Box Tunnel near Bath, Paddington Station and the Great Western Railway itself.