Queensland Architects 1823−1895: A Biographical Dictionary
by Donald Watson and Judith McKay
Format
Softback, limpbound, section sewn
352pp
27 x 21cm
ISBN
9781922601360
In 1883, English journalist REN Twopeny wrote that many architects in Australia were self-taught and had served little or no apprenticeship in the profession ‘which should rather be called a trade’. He made his condescending comment after judging buildings in Australian cities to be generally more ‘practical’ than ‘beautiful’.
He was only half-right. While Queensland’s early architects included carpenters, journalists, undertakers, hoteliers and many other diverse trades and professions, more had received formal training in architectural offices in Great Britain, continental Europe, North America or in other Australian colonies. Mining booms, rapid railway construction and expanding agricultural and pastoral settlement attracted architects of both strands to the unfolding opportunities of colonial Queensland. While a few amassed wealth, most experienced the fluctuations of fortune that remain part of architectural practice to this day.
Queensland Architects 1823−1895: A Biographical Dictionary is a major revision of Donald Watson and Judith McKay’s earlier biographical dictionary published in 1994. It incorporates new material and has a wider range of entries than its predecessor, not only for architects but also for related practitioners. It acknowledges that during the nineteenth century professional boundaries were less clearly defined than they are today, particularly between architecture, surveying, engineering and building. The extended experience of many practitioners in other Australian colonies and elsewhere is better documented.
The authors have undertaken years of research to identify hundreds of architects and the like who practised in what is now Queensland from the beginning of European settlement until the economic downturn of the late nineteenth century, highlighting their widespread presence in a sparsely settled colony and the challenges they faced. Their lives and many of their buildings are recorded in succinct entries illustrated with mostly contemporary images.
Queensland Architects 1823−1895 transforms our understanding of the Queensland built environment and those who helped to shape it over many years.
About the authors
Recognition
Donald Watson (1945– ) is a well-known Queensland architect who has had a diverse career encompassing university teaching, research, advocacy and practice, including as a staff member of the Queensland Department of Public Works. Over many years he has researched key aspects of the local architectural tradition and in particular the lives and work of architects who practised in Queensland. He is an adjunct professor in The University of Queensland School of Architecture, Design and Planning and has received major awards, including the Australian Institute of Architects’ Robin Boyd Award in 1989 and its Gold Medal in 2021.
Judith Marilyn McKay (1949– ), OAM, is a historian and museum curator, formerly on the staff of the Queensland Museum and the Australian War Memorial. She has served as honorary curator for various small museums and as a member of the Queensland Heritage Council. Her research interests are wide ranging, with a focus on Queensland and the contribution of women. Her books include Daphne Mayo: Let there be Sculpture; Showing Off: Queensland at World Expositions 1862-1988; Brilliant Careers: Women Collectors and Illustrators in Queensland; and Ellis Rowan: A Flower-Hunter in Queensland.
‘Erudite, authoritative and critical, with an ear for a good story, Watson and McKay set new ambitions for historical inquiry.’
—John Macarthur FAHA, FQA, PhD Cantab, Professor of Architecture, co-Director ATCH Centre
‘An indispensable resource for heritage professionals, family historians, and lovers of architecture alike.’
—Dr Julie Collins, Architecture Museum, University of South Australia