Francis Drummond Greville Stanley Explained

Francis Drummond Greville Stanley (1839–1897) was an architect in Queensland, Australia. He was the Queensland Colonial Architect. Many of his designs are now heritage-listed buildings.

Early life

Stanley was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 1 January 1839, the son of actor and painter Montague Talbot Stanley and his wife Mary Susan (née Eyre).^[1]

Stanley studied and practised architecture in Edinburgh, prior to emigrating to Brisbane in 1861–62. There, he joined the Lands Department in 1863 and became the chief clerk of works, under the Colonial Architect Charles Tiffin.^[2]

On 27 April 1865, he married Margaret Bennet at Toowoomba.^[3]

His younger brother, Henry Charles Stanley, was also an early immigrant to Queensland, becoming the Chief Engineer of the Queensland railways. His niece, Gwendolyn Stanley was an artist.

Career

Stanley was himself appointed to the post of Queensland Colonial Architect in July 1873.^[4] He held the post until 1881.^[5]

Works

• 1872: General Post Office, Brisbane
• 1873: Roma Street railway station, Brisbane^[6]
• 1874: the first Cape Capricorn Light, near Rockhampton^[7]
• 1877: Maryborough Courthouse^[8]
• 1879: Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane
• 1879: Queensland National Bank (former), Townsville^[9]
• 1880: Toowoomba Post Office^[10]
• 1882: Australian Joint Stock Bank Building, Maryborough^[11]
• 1882: Queensland Club
• 1883: the rectory of Christ Church, Milton, Brisbane^[12]
• 1884: Union Bank of Australia (now Perc Tucker Regional Gallery), Townsville^[13]
• 1884: first Lennons Hotel in Brisbane
• 1888: Australian Joint Stock Bank Building (former), Townsville^[14]
• 1889: Tighnabruaich, Indooroopilly, a residence built for his brother, Henry.^{[2] [15]}
• 1893: St Ann's Industrial School, now part of All Hallows' School, Brisbane^[16]

Later years

Stanley was interested in astronomy and built an observatory at his home. It was equipped with a powerful telescope, housed under a retractable roof. He used this to observe the transit of Mercury, in November 1894.^[17]

In August 1896, Stanley took up government employment again as an Inspector of Works.

Stanley died of tuberculosis^[18] on Friday 28 May 1897, at his home Ardencraig in Church Street - later Jephson Street - in the Toowong district of Brisbane. With classic symptoms of extrapulmonary TB, he had caught a chill three weeks previously, which developed into a paralysis of his lower body.^[19] He was buried in Toowong Cemetery.^[20]

His widow Margaret died on 14 September 1921 at Witherslack, Chelmer and was buried in the Anglican Cemetery of St. Matthews, in neighbouring Sherwood.^{[21] [22]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Francis Drummond Greville Stanley. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Ancestry.com. 13 March 2014.
2. Web site: Blogger user: the foto fanatic. Tighnabruaich, Indooroopilly. Your Brisbane: Past and Present. Blogger. 13 March 2014.
3. News: Family Notices. . . 2 May 1865 . 14 March 2014 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
4. News: OFFICIAL NOTIFICATIONS. . . 12 July 1873 . 22 July 2013 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
5. Web site: Beddoe. Joan. Government Architects - Queensland. Pillars of a Nation. 6 March 2014.
6. 11 March 2014.
7. 7 March 2014.
8. 7 March 2014.
9. 18 June 2014.
10. 18 June 2014.
11. 1 August 2014.
12. 19 January 2014.
13. 7 March 2014.
14. 18 June 2014.
15. 14 March 2014.
16. 7 March 2014.
17. News: Scientific and Useful. . . 17 November 1894 . 14 March 2014 . 934 . National Library of Australia.
18. Web site: Colonial Architect Francis Drummond Greville Stanley. National Library of Australia. 11 December 2014.
19. News: Brisbane News. . . 29 May 1897 . 14 March 2014 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
20. Web site: Stanley, Francis Drummond Greville. Grave Location Search. Brisbane City Council. 13 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140314011729/https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=193264. 14 March 2014. dead.
21. News: Family Notices. . . 16 September 1921 . 14 March 2014 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
22. Web site: Margaret Stanley, 4 Sep 1921, Sherwood (Anglican) Cemetery, Brisbane. 13 March 2014.