George Klewitz Soward (27 August 1857 – 21 February 1941) was an architect and politician in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. he was a partner in the firm English & Soward from 1880 to 1925, renamed English, Soward & Jackman from 1926 to 1936. Among other buildings, the firm was known for designing

Beehive Corner The Beehive Corner is a landmark in the Adelaide city centre, on the north-eastern corner of King William Street, Adelaide, King William Street and Rundle Mall, Adelaide, Rundle Mall, centrally placed between the Adelaide railway station, rail ...

, the Epworth Building, and the

Queen Adelaide Club The Queen Adelaide Club is an exclusive women's club, similar to a gentlemen's club, in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. History The club is named for Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, after whom the city of Adelaide was named. Founded ...

Early life and education

Soward's father, George Soward ( – 1894) migrated to the

colony of South Australia A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

aboard '' Lady Emma'', arriving in October 1838. His wife Eliza Maria, née Maloney ( – 30 May 1855) and their daughter Eliza Maria Soward ( – 26 January 1901) arrived in December 1838 aboard the same ''Lady Emma'' from Launceston; they may have broken their journey in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. The couple had six children in total. George Soward Snr married again, on 24 June 1856 to Bertha Klewitz (?–1870); they had one son, George Klewitz Soward, born 27 August 1857 in Norwood, and two daughters: Bertha in 1859 and Emma Klewitz Soward in 1862. He married one more time, on 5 February 1873, to Eliza Deans (died 3 October 1875). George Soward Snr was a timber merchant,

ironmonger Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...

, Clerk of Works (1856) in the Colonial Architect's Department, and then Supervisor (1860) of Public Works. After Edward Hamilton's resignation in 1860, Soward was acting Colonial Architect for six months. Soward was educated at St Peter's College from 1867 to around 1874. There, in 1872, he won the Prankerd Scholarship for the study of a foreign language.

Career as an architect

Soward served his articles as an architect with architect Thomas English from 1877, then was taken on as his partner in the firm of English and Soward around 1880. The practice continued under this name after the death of Thomas English in 1884, with his son Joseph English (died 1927).> Herbert Montefiore Jackman (1897–1968) joined the practice from 1926 to 1936, with the practice known as English, Soward & Jackman. Soward was architect to the

South Australian Jockey Club South Australian Jockey Club is the principal race club in South Australia. First racing events The first horse racing events in South Australia took place at a well-attended picnic meeting held over 1 and 2 January 1838. In August 1838, riding ...

, and designed several

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...

s, including one at

Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...

. His architectural work, much of it in partnership with English and his son, includes a number of buildings that are now heritage-listed, including

and The Griffins Hotel in

Hindmarsh Square Hindmarsh Square/Mukata (formerly Mogata) is one of five public squares in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It is located in the centre of the north-eastern quarter of the city, and surrounds the intersection of Grenfell and Pulten ...

Political career

Soward had long experience as a councillor with the Glenelg Town Council, and served as mayor from 1896 to 1898. He was a member of the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assem ...

for

Torrens Torrens may refer to: Places South Australia * Electoral district of Torrens, a state electoral district * Lake Torrens, a salt lake north of Adelaide * River Torrens, which runs through the heart of Adelaide * City of West Torrens, a local go ...

from 3 May 1902 to 26 May 1905.

Family

Soward's half-sister Eliza Maria Soward married C. A. Hornabrook on 18 March 1857. Soward married Emmy Lucy Charlotte Beare on 7 April 1880 at St Barnabas Church in

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

. They had two daughters, Helen Daisy and Marjorie, and a son, Lewis Douglas. The family lived at 62 The Mall (now Moseley Street) in Glenelg.

Other roles and activities

Soward was an inaugural member of the

South Australian Institute of Architects The South Australian Institute of Architects (SAIA) was a professional association for architects in South Australia, founded in 1886. It was preceded by the South Australian Association of Architects, Engineers, and Surveyors and the South Aust ...

in 1886, resigning for a while after discovering that Joseph English (not a member of SAIA), was charging former clients of his father less than that recommended by the body. He later became a fellow, but he was apparently not a popular member owing to his "forceful views". Soward was a director of the Glenelg Railway Company and the City Permanent Building Society, and was a prominent member of the Council of the National Defence League. He also wrote several works, including a novel called ''The Mirthful Mutineer'', which was published in the ''

Australian Woman's Mirror ''The Australian Woman's Mirror'' was an Australian weekly women's magazine published by '' The Bulletin'' magazine in Sydney, between 1924 and 1961. History The first issue of the magazine was published on 25 November 1924 with the following ...

'', a

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

magazine. Maintaining a strong interest in history, his article "One Hundred Years of Building" was published in '' South Australian Homes and Gardens'' in 1936.

Notable buildings

Notable buildings designed by Soward, many of which are

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

, include: *

Grandstand addition (1889) *

* Epworth Building *

Glenelg Oval Glenelg Oval (also known as Stratarama Stadium due to naming rights) is a sports venue located on Brighton Road, Glenelg East, South Australia. The ground is primarily used for Australian rules football and cricket and is the home ground for ...

Grandstand * Grandstand at

Morphettville Racecourse Morphettville Racecourse is the main horse racing Race track, course for the Australia, Australian state of South Australia, incorporating two separate tracks. Home to the South Australian Jockey Club, it is situated in the Adelaide suburb of ...

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

Sports Pavilion on

War Memorial Drive War Memorial Drive is a connecting road in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It starts from Bundeys Road near Princes Highway, runs in a western direction following the River Torrens, past the Adelaide Zoo, Adelaide University, Adelaide ...

* St Corantyn, originally "Eöthen", residence for Charles and Eliza Hornabrook

Death and legacy

Soward died on 21 February 1941. He was buried at St Jude's Anglican Church in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soward, George Klewitz 1857 births 1941 deaths Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Mayors of places in South Australia