The Institution of Structural Engineers and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) have jointly established Structural Engineers Registration Ltd (SER).

The Coy Mistress by Dr Bill Harvey BSc PhD CEng FIStructE FICE

Andrew Marvell wrote: ‘Had we but world enough, and time This coyness mistress were no crime’

Masonry is a coy mistress. She reveals her secrets with reluctance and a hasty analysis will often produce an over conservative view of performance. A series of examples will illustrate how hard it is to predict behaviour and how even “failure” may prove to be no failure at all in real terms. We do not have “world enough and time”, (i.e. unlimited resources) but must make the very best of what we have if we are to maintain a safe environment without inordinate (and wasteful) expense.

Committed to bridge engineering from the age of 7 after a visit to Clifton Suspension bridge, Bill began researching masonry bridges in 1981 and with every year he seems to know less (but at least to understand more). Bill became Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Exeter in 1995 and left in 2000 to found his own consultancy.