Francis Greenway

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Francis Greenway (20 November 1777 - September 1837) was an English-Australian convict and colonial architect. After being convicted of forgery in England and subsequently transported to New South Wales, Australia (known then as New Holland) at age 37, Greenway was appointed the colony's official architect by Governor Lachlan Macquarie despite his convict status. Over the next two decades, Greenway designed the General Hospital (commonly known as the Rum Hospital), St James' Church, and the Macquarie Lighthouse. His designs incorporated neoclassical architectural principles and responded to the practical needs of the developing colony.

Life and career

Greenway was born in Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire (near the English city of Bristol), the son of Francis Greenway and Ann Webb.<ref name="aus-biography">Template:Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography</ref> Greenway became an architect in Bristol and Bath.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His only remaining building in the United Kingdom is the Clifton Club in Bristol, originally the Clifton Hotel and Assembly Rooms, although only the front facade is his work, due to bankruptcy in 1809. In 1812 he pleaded guilty to forging a financial document, and was sentenced to death; this sentence was later commuted to 14 years' transportation. It is not known why he pleaded guilty, but some believe that this was due to his bankruptcy and the dire circumstances he may have faced. Whilst awaiting deportation to Sydney, Greenway spent time in Newgate Prison, Bristol, where he painted scenes of prison life.<ref name="State Library">Template:Cite web</ref>

Greenway arrived in Sydney, New South Wales, on the transport General Hewitt in February 1814 to serve his sentence. On board the ship was the surgeon Dr John Harris who was to give Greenway his first private commission in the colony which involved extending his residence on his Ultimo estate.<ref name="broadbent">Template:Cite book</ref> Greenway first met Lachlan Macquarie in July 1814, to whom he had come recommended by Admiral Arthur Phillip.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the initial meeting, Macquarie sought to test Greenway by asking him to copy a design of a town hall and courthouse from a pattern book.<ref name=dupain>Template:Cite book</ref> Greenway responded with a letter asserting his professional qualifications and urging Macquarie to consider a classical design, citing Sir William Chambers.<ref name="Tanner">Template:Cite book</ref> He added that he would "immediately copy the drawing Your Excellency requested me to do, notwithstanding it is rather painful to my mind as a professional man to copy a building that has no claim to classical proportion and character."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Between 1816 and 1818, while still a convict, Greenway was responsible for the design and construction of the Macquarie Lighthouse on the South Head 2 km from the entrance to Port Jackson.<ref name="aus-biography" /> After the success of this project, he was emancipated by the governor Lachlan Macquarie on 16 December 1817 at the Lighthouse. In the role of Acting Civil Architect and Assistant Engineer responsible to Captain J. M. Gill, Inspector of Public Works, he went on to build many buildings in the new colony.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Greenway's works include Hyde Park Barracks, extensions to First Government House, the stables for a projected new Government House (condemned for their 'useless magnificence' by a visiting British official, the building is now home to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and St James' Church, Sydney, which was chosen as one of Australia's only two man-made 'treasures' by Dan Cruickshank in the BBC series Around the World in 80 Treasures.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He submitted designs for the first Catholic church in Sydney, St Mary's but they did not match the ambitious scale envisaged by the priest Fr Therry, and were not proceeded with.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Greenway fell into disrepute when Macquarie accused him of charging high fees whilst on a government retainer, and he was dismissed by the next governor, Thomas Brisbane, in 1822.<ref name="aus-biography" /> He continued to follow his profession with little success.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1835 he was destitute, advertising in the Sydney Gazette that "Francis Howard Greenway, arising from circumstances of a singular nature is induced again to solicit the patronage of his friends and the public".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Greenway died of typhoid near Newcastle, New South Wales in 1837, aged 59. The exact date of his death is not known. He is believed to have been buried in the Glebe burial ground at East Maitland on 25 September 1837, but his grave is unmarked.<ref name=mcc>Template:Cite web</ref>

Posthumous tributes

Greenway's face was shown on the first Australian decimal-currency $10 note (1966–93).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Greenway is the eponym of a NSW Federal electorate,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a suburb of Canberra,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a high school in Woodberry, a suburb of Maitland.

Francis Greenway Drive in the suburb of Cherrybrook is named in his honour, as is the Vaucluse home of the Australian architect Leslie Wilkinson (1882–1973).

A Correctional Centre complex near Windsor, NSW is called the Francis Greenway Correctional Complex.

Selected list of works

The following works were either designed by Greenway or were influenced by Greenway:<ref>The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981</ref>

Structure name	Location	Period	Architectural style	Contribution	Heritage status	Image	Notes
Cadmans Cottage	Template:NSWcity	1815–1816		Supervised construction			<ref name=haskell>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
Cleveland House	Surry Hills			Contribution uncertain
Clifton Hotel and Assembly Rooms building	Bristol	1806–1809		Supervised construction	Grade II* listed building on the National Heritage List for England		<ref>Template:NHLE</ref>
First Government House, Sydney	Bridge Street, Sydney	1810–1820	Italianate	Extensions	Template:Bulleted list		<ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref><ref>Template:Cite AHD</ref>
Hobartville	Template:NSWcity			Contribution uncertain
Hyde Park Barracks	Macquarie Street, Sydney	1818–1819		Architect	Template:Bulleted list		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="WorldHeritage02">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Judge's House	Sydney			Also attributed to W. Harper			<ref name=haskell/>Template:Rp
Liverpool Technical College (formerly Liverpool Hospital)	Template:NSWcity
Macquarie Lighthouse (1816–1878)	Watsons Bay	1816–1818		Architect			Template:Efn<ref name="nswshr-677"/>
Obelisk	Macquarie Place	1818		Architect			<ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
Old Government House	Parramatta			Timber portico only	Template:Bulleted list		<ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref><ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref><ref>Template:Cite AHD</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
St James' Church	Queen's Square Phillip Street, Sydney	1820–1824		Architect	Template:Bulleted list		<ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
St Luke's Anglican Church	Template:NSWcity	1818–1820		Architect	Template:Bulleted list	Error creating thumbnail:	<ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
St Matthew's Church	Template:NSWcity	1817		Architect		File:Windsor0003.jpg
Supreme Court of New South Wales	Cnr King and Elizabeth streets, Sydney	1820–1828	Template:Bulleted list	Architect Template:Small	Template:Bulleted list	File:Supreme Court and St James Church 1842.jpg	<ref name=nswshr-800>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
Sydney Conservatorium of Music	Macquarie Street, Sydney			Architect	Template:Bulleted list	File:1 Conservatorium a.JPG	<ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref><ref>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
Windsor Court House	Template:NSWcity	1821		Architect