{{ :personer:1857_sir_charles_fox.jpg?x250|}}Born into a well-connected family in Derby, UK, **Charles Fox** became a pupil for John Ericsson, a Swedish engineer. In 1829, he was on the footplate of Novelty which took part in the Rainhill Steam Locomotion Trials and then became a locomotive driver on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway when it opened.

With the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway, Fox was taken on as an articled apprentice by [[Robert Stephenson]] and helped to pioneer a number of innovations on the railways. These included his patented 'safety switch' which solved the problem of shifting rolling stock from one set of rails to another. He then became a partner in an iron casting business which became [[jernbaner:Fox, Henderson & Co]]. Working extensively in the railway industry, the firm developed particular expertise in the design and construction of large span roofs.

When the Great Exhibition of 1851 was proposed, Fox & Henderson took Caxton's sketches for a huge glass and iron structure and turned it into reality, securing Fox's reputation and earning him a knighthood. Six years later, after the death of Henderson, Fox founded his consultancy practice with his eldest son
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