Francis Greenway
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Francis Greenway (20 November, 1777- 1837; the exact date of his death is not known, but he was buried at Maitland on 25 September, 1837) was an iconic Australian colonial architect. Greenway was born in the English city of Bristol, where he became an architect. In 1809 he became bankrupt, and in 1812 he was found guilty of forging a financial document and sentenced to death; this sentence was later commuted to 14 years transportation. He arrived in Sydney in 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. 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. He died of typhoid near Newcastle in 1837, aged 59 or 60. 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), and he is also the eponym of a NSW Federal electorate, a Canberra suburb and a high school in Beresfield, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales.
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