Charles Farr (builder) explained

Charles Farr (c. 1812 – 25 February 1888) was a timber merchant and builder in the young colony of South Australia.

History

Farr emigrated to South Australia from Britain aboard D'Auvergne arriving in March 1839.

Farr, by trade a bricklayer, had premises on Hindley Street, and by 1850 owned a business on Franklin Street, a timber yard possibly purchased from Philip Santo.^[1] By 1868 he employed up to 115 men and his sawmill and timber yard, which employed around 35 men, extended over two acres between Franklin and Grote streets, and included the Farr residence.^[2] He later moved to Waymouth Street, then in 1883 moved to Grote Street, west of Brown Street.That same year he had a timber yard in Wakefield Street.^[3]

His two sons, who were educated at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution, were brought into the business, but later went their separate ways: Charles George was licensee of the Talbot Hotel, Gouger Street, then the International Hotel, Rundle Street; Alfred was city manager for Walter & Morris, who owned the Sarnia timber mills in Port Adelaide,^[4] and influential president of the Builders and Contractors' Association.^[5]

Farr died after several years an invalid. His remains were interred in the West Terrace Cemetery.

He evidently had good relations with the men in his employ, and paid skilled tradesmen slightly more than other employers; from 8/6d to 10s. per day.^[6] For twenty years his company was probably second only to English & Brown / Brown & Thompson, who owned the Glen Ewin quarry.^[7]

Some works

Built	Name	Architect	Client	Location	Notes
1856	Head office				Became "Union Hall", Adelaide headquarters of WCTU 1896, demolished 1925
1858^[8]	Church of the Immaculate Conception		Catholic Church	Port Adelaide
1859	Branch office	E. Wright	Bank of South Australia
1859	Branch office	E. Wright	Union Bank
1860^[9]	Head office		South Australian Savings Bank	King William Street
1863^[10]	Coal store and retort house		SA Gas Company
1863–1869			Adelaide City Council
1864^[11]	Chemist's shop	R. G. Thomas	Mrs. A. M. Bickford	Hindley Street
1864^[12]	Warehouse				became Harris Scarfe
1865^[13]	"Kingsmead House"
1865	Athelney	E. Wright, E. J. Woods		Athelney Avenue, Kent Town	Peter Dodding Prankerd married Lucy Amelia Wright, sister of the architect. They sold Athelney to H. B. Hughes in 1874. Now part of St Peter's College
1866	Wine and spirit store		S. R. Hall	King William Street	adjacent a similar store same owner and architect but built by English & Brown.
1867^[14]	Department store	G. S. Kingston	George P. Harris		became Harris Scarfe
1868^[15]		D. Garlick			foundation stone was laid by HRH Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, on 5 November 1867.^[16]
1869	Buck's Head Hotel	D. Garlick			rebuilt on same site
1868		D. Garlick	SA Government	cnr Greenhill and Brownhill Creek (now Fullarton) roads
1868^[17]	York Hotel	D. Garlick		cnr Rundle & Pulteney streets	rebuilt on same site
1869^[18] ^[19]			Baptist Association		heritage-listed on the SA Heritage Register in 1982.^[20] ^[21]
1871,1872^[22]	East, west wings	J. Cumming			sold to the Salvation Army (the current owner) in 1899
1871^[23]	Norwood Public School	J. Cumming	Education Department
1871	Extension	G. S. Kingston		King William Street
1873	Residence	D. Garlick
1875^[24]	"Kalymna"	T. English		28 Dequetteville Tce, Kent Town	still stands, as "Oreon House"
1876	drapery shop	D. Garlick	T. Wilcox	cnr. Rundle & Pulteney streets
1876	King's Head Hotel	T. English	W. Thomson	King William Street	rebuilt on same site
1877^[25]	Universal Buildings	T. English	L. A. Jessop M. C. Davis	Grenfell Street
1878^[26]	Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution	T. English		Brighton Road, Brighton	New building in front of the old one, previously the "Grace Darling Hotel".
1878			C. Banbury	Hindley Street, Adelaide	Hindley Street	rebuilt on same site
1878^[27]	extensions	D. Garlick	G. & R. Wills
1879		D. Garlick	William Chambers F. J. Blades	King William Street	rebuilt on same site
1879^[28]		G. R. Johnson^[29]		Pirie Street	sold to the Salvation Army in September 1898, and became its HQ, "Memorial Hall"
1879	stores	D. Garlick	J. Hodgkiss & Co.	Stephens Place, Adelaide
1879^[30]	clubhouse	T. English	New South Australian Club	Pirie Street	Not to be confused with (Trew's) South Australian Club Hotel on North Terrace,^[31] this was an exclusive establishment comparable to the Adelaide Club. An earlier incarnation (1839–44) on Hindley Street, whose members included Sturt, Morphett and Fisher^[32] ^[33] failed financially.
1880	Exchange Building / Queens Exchange			eastern corner, Pirie Street and Exchange Lane	"Commercial Union Building" demolished 1980
1880^[34]	Exchange Building	E. Wright	Exchange Land Company	Currie Street
1882	Adelaide Swimming Baths		Adelaide City Council	King William Road
1882	Warehouse	David Williams, jr.	Blackwell, Felstead, & Co.	Pirie Street, Adelaide
1884	Clubhouse	Smeaton	YMCA	cnr. Grenfell Street and Gawler Place
1885^[35]	Institute	R. Rees
1885^[36]	shops	D. Garlick	E & W. Hackett	Rundle Street
1887		Withall & Wells		North Terrace	for Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition

Family

Farr married Sophia Morris (c. 1813 – 19 March 1879) before leaving for South Australia. Their children were:

• Charlotte Farr (c. February 1839 – 4 September 1866) married Harry Bickford (1843–1927) on 24 February 1866. They had no children. He married again, on 10 March 1870 to Rosina Mary Ferguson (1845 – 5 October 1898). There was a dispute over a North Adelaide block given to Charlotte by Farr.^[37]
• Sophia Farr (1843 – 30 June 1918) died at the home of her sister Martha Laurence
• Charles George Farr (1845 – 1 April 1908) married Paruna Minnie Ann "Mina" Russell (c. 1863 – 4 August 1940) on 26 June 1879
• Alfred Farr (1847 – 29 May 1912) married Mary Prynn Sands (– 7 March 1903) in 1865, lived on Hurtle Square. He married again in 1905 to Ann McInnes, died at Jaffrey Street, Parkside.

• Alfred John Farr (– 1938) married Mary Lucy Greayer (–) on 20 May 1907
• Martha Farr (1849–) married Walter Laurence (–) on 8 February 1871

• Walter James Laurence (1883–1907)
• Eliza Farr (1851 – 10 January 1930) died at Napier Terrace, Hawthorn

They had a home on Franklin Street, and from around 1880 on Grove Street, Unley Park, where he died. This residence may have previously been the property of Dugald Herschel Babbage.^[38]

Notes and References

1. News: Another Pioneer Gone . . XXV . 7,260 . South Australia . 27 February 1888 . 25 October 2018 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
2. News: The Sawmills of Adelaide . . XXXII . 6741 . South Australia . 15 June 1868 . 26 October 2018 . 3 . National Library of Australia. Also mentioned are J. Pulsford, E. Wentzel, H. W. Ehmcke, English & Brown / Brown & Thompson, A. Clausen.
3. News: A natural curiosity . . XX . 5,915 . South Australia . 24 September 1883 . 26 October 2018 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
4. News: The Sarnia Timber Mills, Port Adelaide . . LX . 3,224 . South Australia . 18 July 1903 . 2 November 2018 . 22 . National Library of Australia.
5. News: About Men and Women . . XXXIX . 11,669 . South Australia . 30 August 1902 . 2 November 2018 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
6. News: The Labor Question—Meeting at the Hotel Europe . . III . 800 . South Australia . 28 July 1866 . 30 October 2018 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
7. News: Glen Ewin Quarry . . IV . 999 . South Australia . 29 March 1867 . 30 October 2018 . 3 . National Library of Australia. The principals of the two companies were Thomas English, Henry Brown (died 30 May 1881) and Henry Thompson (died 4 March 1890)
8. News: Port Adelaide . . I . 31 . South Australia . 16 August 1858 . 29 October 2018 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
9. News: The New Savings Bank . . III . 685 . South Australia . 25 September 1860 . 29 October 2018 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
10. News: The South Australian Gas Company's Works . . V . 1375 . South Australia . 17 December 1862 . 29 October 2018 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
11. News: Architectural Improvements . . XXVIII . 5665 . South Australia . 24 December 1864 . 29 October 2018 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
12. News: Opening of Mr. G. P. Harris's Store, Gawler-place . . VI . 300 . South Australia . 30 April 1864 . 24 October 2018 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
13. Web site: Adelaidepedia: Kingsmead House. 25 October 2018.
14. News: Building Improvements in the City . . South Australia . 16 January 1867 . 28 October 2018 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
15. News: Building Improvements . . XXXII . 6626 . South Australia . 31 January 1868 . 29 October 2018 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
16. News: Visit of H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh . . IV . 1,184 . South Australia . 6 November 1867 . 30 October 2018 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
17. News: Building Improvements . . XXXIII . 6938 . South Australia . 2 February 1869 . 29 October 2018 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
18. News: Latest News. . . I . 60 . South Australia . 13 March 1869 . 25 October 2018 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
19. Web site: Baptist Church, Norwood . State Library of South Australia. Photo + text . 16 August 2021.
20. Web site: 134 The Parade Norwood. The South Australia Heritage Places database . 16 August 2021.
21. Web site: Former Baptist Church The Parade, Norwood, South Australia . Organ Historical Trust of Australia . 10 August 2011 . John. Maidment . 16 August 2021.
22. Web site: Adelaidepedia: Bushmen's Club. 25 October 2018.
23. News: Building Improvements for 1871 . . XXXVII . 7842 . South Australia . 4 January 1872 . 29 October 2018 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
24. News: Private Houses . . XLI . 9098 . South Australia . 12 January 1876 . 30 October 2018 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
25. News: Building Improvements during 1876 . . XIX . 5687 . South Australia . 10 January 1877 . 31 October 2018 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
26. News: The Blind and Deaf and Dumb Institution . . XIII . 3,872 . South Australia . 25 November 1876 . 30 October 2018 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
27. News: Building Improvements for 1878 . . XLIV . 10,025 . South Australia . 1 January 1879 . 31 October 2018 . 1 . National Library of Australia.
28. News: Opening of the German Clubhouse . . South Australia . 15 July 1879 . 31 October 2018 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
29. George R. Johnson was a Melbourne architect, later based in Perth, remembered as designer of the Cremorne Theatre, Perth, opened 1896. He died of blood poisoning 25 November 1898 aboard Pilbarra between Albany and Adelaide
30. News: Building Improvements during 1879 . . XLV . 10,338 . South Australia . 2 January 1880 . 31 October 2018 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
31. News: Trew's South Australian Club Hotel . . South Australia . 29 October 1879 . 3 November 2018 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
32. News: Henry Calton versus South Australian Club . . IV . 263 . South Australia . 23 November 1841 . 3 November 2018 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
33. News: Resident Magistrate's Court . . III . 156 . South Australia . 20 June 1846 . 3 November 2018 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
34. News: Opening of the New Exchange . . XLV . 10,494 . South Australia . 2 July 1880 . 1 November 2018 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
35. News: Opening of Summertown Institute . . L . 11,922 . South Australia . 29 January 1885 . 2 November 2018 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
36. News: Building Improvements . . L . 11,969 . South Australia . 25 March 1885 . 2 November 2018 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
37. News: Supreme Court — In Banco . . LI . 12,376 . South Australia . 14 July 1886 . 26 October 2018 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
38. News: Land and House Property . . South Australia . 11 November 1879 . 2 November 2018 . 1 . National Library of Australia.