Francis Greenway (20th November 1777- c.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, and 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 then Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, and 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, and his remains are believed to rest in an unmarked grave in the East Maitland Cemetery.

Greenway was featured on the first Australian decimal-currency $10 note (1966-93), and is also the eponym of a Federal electorate and a Canberra suburb.

Sources

• Web page http://www.dinkumaussies.com/ARCHITECTURE%2FFrancis%20Greenway.htm, retrieved on the 5th April 2005 at 16:30 BST.