Francis Greenway
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Francis Greenway (20 November 1777 – September 1837) was an iconic Australian colonial architect.
Greenway was born at Mangotsfield[1], near the English city of Bristol, where he became an architect "of some eminence" in Bristol and Bath. In 1809 he became bankrupt, and in 1812 he pleaded guilty "under the advice of his friends", of forging a financial document and sentenced to death; this sentence was later commuted to 14 years transportation. Why he pleaded guilty is not now ascertainable; he may have been told it was the only way to save his life. He had been friendly with Admiral Phillip who was living in retirement at Bath, and Phillip wrote to Lachlan Macquarie recommending Greenway to him. He arrived in Sydney, New South Wales on the transport General Hewitt in February 1814 to serve his sentence.
Between 1816 and 1818, whilst still a convict, Greenway was responsible for the design and construction of the Macquarie Lighthouse on the South Head at the entrance to Sydney Harbour[1]. After the success of this project he was emancipated by the Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, and in the role of Acting Civil Architect and Assistant Engineer responsible to Captain J. M. Gill, Inspector of Public Works, went on to build many significant buildings in the new colony. His works include Hyde Park Barracks, St. James Church and the new Government House. There are still 49 buildings in central Sydney attributed to his designs.
Greenway fell into disrepute when Macquarie accused him charging high fees whilst on a government retainer, and he was dismissed by the next governor, Thomas Brisbane, in 1822[1]. He continued to follow his profession with little success, but he got his grant of land, though he does not appear to have received the promised cattle. In 1835 he advertised that "Francis Howard Greenway, arising from circumstances of a singular nature is induced again to solicit the patronage of his friends and the public". He died of typhoid near Newcastle in 1837, aged 59 or 60. The exact date of his death is not known, but he was buried in the East Maitland Cemetery on 25 September 1837, but his grave is unmarked.
Greenway's face was shown on the first Australian decimal-currency $10 note (1966-93). He is the eponym of a NSW Federal electorate, a suburb of Canberra, a high school in Beresfield, and a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales.
The Vaucluse home of renowned Australian architect Leslie Wilkinson (1982 - 1973) was named "Greenway" in honour of Francis Greenway.
[edit] References
- Serle, Percival. (1949). "Greenway, Francis". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from
Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America.
