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Francis Howard Greenway
Francis Howard Greenway, 1814-1837, unknown artist, pencilML 482
Born	(1777-11-20)20 November 1777 Mangotsfield,Bristol, England
Died	(1837-09-00)September 1837 (aged 59) nearNewcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Resting place	Glebe burial ground,East Maitland, New South Wales[1] 32°45′33.2″S151°34′30.6″E / 32.759222°S 151.575167°E /-32.759222; 151.575167
Monuments	Francis Greenway High School,Beresfield
Nationality	English
Occupation	Architect
Years active	1800–1835
Known for	Early colonial Australian architecture
Notable work	List of works
Criminal charge	Forgery
Criminal penalty	14 yearstransportation to Australia
Criminal status	Discharged
Children	7

Francis Greenway (1777–1837) was an English-born architect whose journey from convict to colonial architect left an indelible mark on Australia's architectural heritage. Born in England, Greenway’s promising career as an architect came to an abrupt halt when he was convicted of forgery in 1809 and sentenced to transportation to New South Wales. Arriving in the colony in 1814, Greenway’s expertise caught the attention of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who, recognizing his talent, appointed him as the colony’s official architect despite his convict status. Over the next two decades, Greenway designed some of the most significant and iconic buildings of early Sydney, including the General Hospital (commonly known as the Rum Hospital), St. James' Church, and the Macquarie Lighthouse. His work reflected a blend of neoclassical design principles and practical solutions for the needs of a growing colony. Despite personal hardships and professional challenges, including tensions with fellow officials and a somewhat tumultuous career, Greenway’s architectural legacy remains a cornerstone of Australia’s built history, symbolizing both the struggles and aspirations of the early colonial period.

Greenway was born inMangotsfield, Gloucestershire (near the English city ofBristol), the son of Francis Greenway and Ann Webb.^[2] Greenway became an architect "of some eminence" in Bristol andBath. His only remaining building in the United Kingdom isthe Clifton Club in Bristol, originally the Clifton Hotel and Assembly Rooms. In 1809 he became bankrupt and in 1812 he pleaded guilty "under the advice of his friends", to forging a financial document, and was sentenced to death; this sentence was later commuted to 14 years'transportation. Why he pleaded guilty is unknown; he may have been told it was the only way to save his life. Whilst awaiting deportation toSydney, Greenway spent time inNewgate Prison, Bristol, where he completed paintings depicting scenes within the prison.^[3]

Greenway arrived in Sydney, New South Wales on the transportGeneral Hewitt in February 1814 to serve his sentence. On board the ship was the surgeonDr John Harris who was to give Greenway his first private commission in the colony which involved extending his residence on his Ultimo estate.^[4] Greenway first met Lachlan Macquarie in July 1814 to whom he had come recommended byAdmiral Arthur Phillip.^[5] 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.^[6] Greenway was so offended by this that he responded with a letter declaring his skills and quotingSir William Chambers that Macquarie should utilise the opportunity for a classical design,^[7] saying 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."

Between 1816 and 1818, while still a convict, Greenway was responsible for the design and construction of theMacquarie Lighthouse on the South Head 2km from the entrance toPort Jackson.^[2] After the success of this project, he wasemancipated by the governor Lachlan Macquarie, before breakfast on 16 December 1817 at the Lighthouse. In the role ofActing 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.

Greenway’s works includeHyde Park Barracks, extensions to FirstGovernment 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 theSydney Conservatorium of Music),^[8] andSt James' Church, Sydney, which was chosen as one of Australia’s only two man-made ‘treasures’ byDan Cruickshank in the BBC seriesAround the World in 80 Treasures.^[9] He submitted designs for the first Catholic church in Sydney,St Mary's but they did not match the ambitious scale envisaged by the priestFr Therry, and were not proceeded with.^[10]

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.^[2] He continued to follow his profession with little success.

In 1835 he was destitute, advertising in theSydney 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".^[11]

Greenway died oftyphoid nearNewcastle, New South Wales in 1837, aged 59. The exact date of his death is not known. He is believed to have been buried in theGlebe burial ground atEast Maitland on 25 September 1837, but his grave is unmarked.^[1]

Ironically, despite conviction for the forgery of a financial document, Greenway's face was shown on the firstAustralian decimal-currency $10 note (1966–93), making him probably the only convicted forger in the world to be honoured on a banknote.

Greenway is theeponym of aNSW Federal electorate, asuburb of Canberra, and a high school inWoodberry, a suburb ofMaitland.

Francis Greenway Drive in the suburb ofCherrybrook is named in honour of Francis Greenway.

The Vaucluse home of the renowned Australian architectLeslie Wilkinson (1882–1973) was named ’Greenway’ in honour of Francis Greenway.

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

The following works were either designed by Greenway, or where he had significant influence:^[12]

Structure name	Location	Period	Architectural style	Contribution	Heritage status	Image	Notes
Cadmans Cottage	The Rocks	1815–1816		Supervised construction			[13]: p.16
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		[14]
First Government House, Sydney	Bridge Street, Sydney	1810–1820	Italianate	Extensions	National Heritage List New South Wales State Heritage Register (Former)Register of the National Estate		[15][16]
Hobartville	Richmond			Contribution uncertain
Hyde Park Barracks	Macquarie Street, Sydney	1818–1819		Architect	UNESCOWorld Heritage List National Heritage List New South Wales State Heritage Register (Former)Register of the National Estate		[17][18][19]
Judge's House	Sydney			Also attributed to W. Harper			[13]: p.67
Liverpool Technical College (formerly Liverpool Hospital)	Liverpool
Macquarie Lighthouse (1816–1878)	Watsons Bay	1816–1818		Architect			[a][20]
Obelisk	Macquarie Place	1818		Architect			[21]
Old Government House	Parramatta			Timberportico only	UNESCOWorld Heritage List National Heritage List New South Wales State Heritage Register (Former)Register of the National Estate		[22][23][24][25]
St James' Church	Queen's Square Phillip Street, Sydney	1820–1824		Architect	New South Wales State Heritage Register		[26]
St Luke's Anglican Church	Liverpool	1818–1820		Architect	New South Wales State Heritage Register		[27]
St Matthew's Church	Windsor	1817		Architect
Supreme Court of New South Wales	CnrKing andElizabeth streets, Sydney	1820–1828	Old Colonial Georgian (Greenway designs) Victorian Italianate (Barnet additions)	Architect (dismissed before completion)	New South Wales State Heritage Register		[28]
Sydney Conservatorium of Music	Macquarie Street, Sydney			Architect	New South Wales State Heritage Register		[29][30]
Windsor Court House	Windsor	1821		Architect

• List of convicts transported to Australia
• History of Sydney

• Media related toFrancis Greenway at Wikimedia Commons

• 1777 births
• 1837 deaths
• New South Wales architects
• English emigrants to colonial Australia
• Australian public servants
• Convicts transported to Australia
• People from Mangotsfield
• Maitland, New South Wales
• People from Clifton, Bristol

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