Joshua Jeays | |
|---|---|
 Joshua Jeays | |
| Born | 1812 Leicestershire, England |
| Died | 11 March 1881 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation(s) | Builder; Politician |
Joshua Jeays (1812–1881) was a Leicester-born carpenter who became a successful developer, analderman and mayor ofBrisbane,Queensland, Australia.[1]
Joshua Jeays was born in 1812 inLeicestershire, England.,[2][3] and died in Brisbane in 1881, at the age of 69.
He married Sarah Edwyn in 1838 inMarylebone,Middlesex, England[4] with whom he had a number of children including:
There may have been other children who died in infancy.[5]
Joshua and Sarah and the three children above immigrated toMoreton Bay in 1853. Jeays purchased land and built 'Roma Villa' on the corner ofUpper Roma and Skew Streets,Petrie Terrace (an area then known as 'the Green Hills'), where he lived with his wife and family. His daughter Sarah Jane married in 1858 at Brisbane to SirCharles Lilley,[6] who went on to becomePremier of Queensland.
In 1862, Jeays paid £78 for 16 hectares (39 acres) of land along Simpsons Road, from the corner of Cooper's Camp Road, towardsIthaca Creek and abutting what is now Bowman Park (the latter area then known as the 'Cobbler's Flats', because of the abundance of the weed 'cobblers pegs'), west of the area then known as Upper Paddington.[7] His wife believed that living on this land would be healthier for her than their home on the 'Green Hills'. Accordingly, Jeays built a grand English-style home, using rough stone and decorated with gables and casement windows, naming it'Bardon' after Bardon Hill in his native Leicestershire. The suburb was subsequently named'Bardon' after this house, in 1926.[8][9] However, by the time the house was completed his wife had died and Joshua was too broken-hearted to live in the house that he had built for his wife, and it was then occupied by his son Charles and later by Edwyn Lilley (son of his daughter Sarah Jane andCharles Lilley).[10] The house was purchased by the Brisbane Diocese of the Catholic Church in 1925[11] and now stands in the grounds of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, The Drive, Bardon.
Joshua Jeays died on 11 March 1881 inBrisbane[2] and is buried inToowong Cemetery. with his wife Sarah who, as noted above, predeceased him, dying on 26 July 1864 in Brisbane.[2][12] Sarah was originally buried inPaddington Cemetery but was most likely one of those re-interred inToowong Cemetery (thePaddington Cemetery was redeveloped as a recreational site for athletics and other sports and in 1914 was fenced off and renamedLang Park).
Jeays started work in England as a carpenter.[13] In Brisbane, he worked as a builder, architect and stonemason[3] and was involved in the construction of the gallery of the original St John's (Church of England) pro-cathedral in the Queen's Gardens (1854), the secondAlbert Street Methodist Church building (1856, since demolished), as well as building homes of prominent Brisbane residentsWalter Hill, (founder of the Botanic Gardens), the infamousPatrick Mayne's 'Moorlands' atAuchenflower, and the Cribb family. He was also involved in the development of Brisbane's water supply and drainage system.[14]
Jeays built and provided the stone from his quarry atWoogaroo (the area now namedGoodna) for Brisbane's firstGovernment House, now part of theQueensland University of Technology's Gardens Point campus.[5][15] He also partially built the George Street side ofParliament House, Brisbane,[5] whichJohn Petrie completed in 1868.
Jeays built theWharf Street Congregational Church, Brisbane (1859–1860).[16]
Jeays was analderman of theBrisbane Municipal Council, from 1859 to 1867, including serving as mayor in 1864. He also served on a number of committees, including:[1]
Jeays has been described as having "radical political views"[17] and as anOrangeman andEvangelical.[18]
Among the facilities named after him are Jeays Street inBowen Hills and the 'Joshua Jeays Conference Room' at theBardon Professional Centre.[19]
Joshua's grandson Charles Joshua Jeays founded Jeays Hardware.[20]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Media related toJoshua Jeays at Wikimedia Commons
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