Thomas Pollard Sampson
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Thomas Pollard Sampson (24 June 1875 – 25 June 1961) was an
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
architect active in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
during the first forty years of the 20th century. His work encompassed the styles of the
Federation Arts and Crafts Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the British colonies of Australia collectively became the Commonw ...
and
Bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
through to the Inter-War Styles. In 1912 he designed an octagonal roofed stadium at
Rushcutters Bay Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. The suburb of Rushcutters Ba ...
that seated up to 12,000 spectators. At the time, the
Sydney Stadium The Sydney Stadium was a sporting and entertainment venue in Sydney, which formerly stood on the corner of New South Head Road and Neild Avenue, Rushcutters Bay. Built in 1908, it was demolished in 1970 to make way for the construction of ...
was said to be "the largest roofed-in structure in the world." In the 1920s and 1930s, as a golfer and member of
Concord Golf Club The Concord Golf Club is a golf club in Concord, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Sydney. It hosted the Women's Australian Open in 2004 with the champion being Laura Davies from England. The clubhouse was designed by Thomas Pollard Samps ...
and Pennant Hills Golf Club, he designed the clubhouses at both courses. The buildings of both these well known Sydney clubs are still in use in 2023.


Family and life

Sampson was born in
Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...
, to Richard Sampson (c.1847–1917) and Caroline Elizabeth Pollard (1849–1945). His maternal grandparents were from
Yorkshire, England Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the city of York. The so ...
, and his extended family were members of the
Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
. He attended the independent school known as Launceston High School that existed from 1884 until 1912. It was founded by Edward Alleyne Nathan who had been a teacher at
Launceston Church Grammar School Launceston Church Grammar School (informally Launceston Grammar or simply Grammar, commonly abbreviated to LCGS) is an Anglican co-educational private school in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia for Early Learning through to Grade 12. Although f ...
. The school was at Milton Hall in Frederick Street, Launceston, and eventually merged with Launceston Church Grammar School. The alumni of both schools held joint reunions as the Old Launcestonians' Association after the schools merger and Sampson attended these reunions in Sydney. On moving to Sydney in 1909, Sampson lived in Manly and for a short period in
Kirribilli Kirribilli is a Suburb (Australia), suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the Local governm ...
. He married Clarice Henderson on 17 February 1911 at
St Philip's Church, Sydney St Philip's Church, Sydney, is the oldest Anglican church parish in Australia. The church is located in the Sydney city centre between York Street, Clarence and Jamison Streets on a location known as Church Hill. It is one of two churches in t ...
and after the wedding the young couple lived at the Henderson family home "Youngarra" in Gordon Street, Burwood. Sampson and his wife had one daughter, Phyllis (Phyl) Marjorie Sampson, who was born on 8 August 1911 in Sydney. The Sampson family then rented a house at 47 Ashburner Street, Manly, in the 1920s. From the 1930s, until his death, Sampson lived in a flat at Craigievar in
Darling Point Darling Point is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Woollahra Council. Darling Point is bounded by Sydney Harbour to ...
. He died on 25 Jun 1961 at the Scottish Hospital, Paddington. In February 1932, at Woollahra, his daughter Phyl married
Paul Cohen Paul Joseph Cohen (April 2, 1934 – March 23, 2007) was an American mathematician, best known for his proofs that the continuum hypothesis and the axiom of choice are independent from Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, for which he was awarded a F ...
a son of Sir Samuel and Lady Cohen. The marriage produced twins, Christopher and Dinah Cohen. In 1941, Paul Cohen changed his Jewish name and those of his family to Cullen. He was fighting the Germans in North Africa, Greece and Crete and knew that, were he captured he would not be treated as a Prisoner of War. The marriage ended in divorce in 1961. Phyl Cullen died on 22 October 2011 in
Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales Elizabeth Bay is a harbourside inner city suburb in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Elizabeth Bay is located three kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local gover ...
, aged 100 years.


Career

Sampson was
articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulate ...
in architecture to A.E. Luttrell of Cameron Street, Launceston In 1891 Sampson exhibited an architectural drawing of a design for a villa residence in the Tasmanian Industrial Exhibition. He had been articled for six months at that time and had become an architectural photographer taking many notable images of Launceston buildings. Sampson moved to Sydney to practise as an architect. In 1907 he designed a row of three houses in
Manly, New South Wales Manly is a beach-side suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is north-east of the Sydney central business district and is currently one of the three administrative centres of the Local government in Australia ...
. In 1911 Charles A Henderson offered his son-law land on his subdivision at
Strathfield Strathfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Strathfield. A sma ...
. Sampson designed houses and rented them before selling the properties. In 1919 he partnered with Harold Minton Taylor, a solicitor, and purchased ''Rosebank House'' and adjoining land in
Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the Ci ...
. They demolished the original house and constructed several apartment blocks in the suburb including ''Richmond Hall'' and ''Rosebank Hall'' in Farrell Avenue and ''Upton Court'' in Forbes Street. Sampson also designed the buildings for Henderson's Hats at Surry Hills and Rosebery. Whilst living with the Henderson family his daughter started school at Meriden where Sampson did a substantial amount of work on the school's Redmyre Road campus in Strathfield. He was also involved in the marketing of a subdivision of land at Neutral Bay. Sampson worked with other architects early in his career including
Herbert Dennis Herbert Osborn Dennis (14 November 1879 – 8 September 1939) was a Victorian-born Australian architect who largely practiced in Sydney and is known for his early domestic designs and for his later substantial inner city industrial buildings sh ...
, Robertson & Marks and Nixon & Adam. After designing the stadium for Hugh D. McIntosh he worked on his home, ''Belhaven'' in Bellevue Hill and on investment properties for him. In 1924 Sampson designed a house at 3 Nicholson Street, Burwood, for Charles David Murray (1872–1936) who had just become managing director of Murray and Company Ltd, Universal Providers. It was one of three substantial homes, on the northern and high point of the street, that had tennis courts and orchards. The Murray house and its neighbours were all demolished in the 1970s for the creation of St. Paul’s Close, Burwood. The replacement houses are all in Late twentieth century Australian and immigrants’ nostalgic style. During World War Two Sampson worked for
Manpower Directorate (Australia) The Manpower Directorate was a division of the Government of AustraliaConcord Repatriation General Hospital Concord Repatriation General Hospital (abbreviated CRGH), commonly referred to as Concord Hospital, is a district general hospital in Sydney, Australia, on Hospital Road in Concord. It is a teaching hospital of Sydney Medical School at the Un ...
. After his daughter's marriage into the Cohen family Sampson worked for them designing houses in Woollahra and office buildings in Sydney.


Notable works

*R.C. Henderson Hat Manufactures, wharehouse and office, 11–13 Randle Street
Surry Hills Surry Hills is an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local gover ...
(1912 burnt out and demolished 2023) *''Austral Hotel'' Victoria Street, Darlinghurst (Kings Cross) (1912) alterations and additions demolished in 1936 and replaced by the Piccadilly Hotel *''Sydney Stadium'' Neild Avenue, Rushcutters Bay. (1912, demolished 1970) *''Kama'' 16 Llandilo Avenue,
Strathfield Strathfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Strathfield. A sma ...
(1913) *House 105 Bower Street Manly (1914) *''Romahapa'' 22–24 Martin Road, Centennial Park (1914) *''Villa Regina'' Ben Boyd Road,
Neutral Bay Neutral Bay is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. Neutral Bay takes ...
(1915 demolished c1976) *Houses 86, 88 and 90 Beresford Road, Bellevue Hill (1914) *House 11 Kingsland Avenue, Strathfield, New South Wales (1915) *''Commonwealth Hotel'' 461 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills (1919, facade only remains) *''Upton Court'' 12 residential flats, 186 Forbes Street,
Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the Ci ...
(1919) *
Concord Golf Club The Concord Golf Club is a golf club in Concord, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Sydney. It hosted the Women's Australian Open in 2004 with the champion being Laura Davies from England. The clubhouse was designed by Thomas Pollard Samps ...
Clubhouse,
Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...
(1921) *''Richmond Hall'' 11 residential flats, 2-4 Farrell Avenue, Darlinghurst, Darlinghurst (1922) *''Rosebank Hall'' 26 residential flats, 6-8 Farrell Avenue, Darlinghurst (1922) *Apartment Block 9 residential flats, 10-12 Farrell Avenue, Darlinghurst (1922) *''Derwent'' 117 Homebush Road, Strathfield (1924) *Murray House 3 Nicholson Street, Burwood (1924 demolished 1970s) *''Grantchester'' 6 residential flats, 420 Edgecliff Road, Edgecliff (1926) * Pennant Hills Golf Club Clubhouse,
Beecroft, New South Wales Beecroft is a suburb in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of Hornsby Shire and City of Parramatta. ...
(1925/1929/1939) *''Mendoet'' 18 Wallis Avenue, Strathfield (1929 derelict for many years before being auctioned in 2025 with no heritage overlay) *''Western Suburbs Builders' Exchange'' 353–355
Liverpool Road Liverpool Road is a street in Islington, North London. It covers a distance of between Islington High Street and Holloway Road, running roughly parallel to Upper Street through the area of Barnsbury. It contains several attractive Terraced ho ...
Ashfield (1929) *House 66 Wallaroy Road,
Woollahra, New South Wales Woollahra ( ) is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. Woollahr ...
(1933) *''Orwell'' 3 Turuga Street,
Turramurra, New South Wales Turramurra is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. It shares the postc ...
(1933) *''Wallis Hall''
Meriden School Meriden, An Anglican School for Girls is an independent Anglican single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day school for girls, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 189 ...
, Strathfield (1936) *''Insurance House'' 263
George Street, Sydney George Street is a street in the Sydney central business district, central business district of Sydney. It was Sydney's original high street, and remains one of the busiest streets in the city centre. It connects a number of the city's most im ...
(1939, sandstone fenestration only remains)


Gallery

File:Upton Court Forbes Street Darlinghurst.jpg, Upton Court, Forbes Street, Darlinghurst File:Kama Llandilo Avenue Strathfield.jpg, Kama, Llandilo Avenue, Strathfield File:11_Kingsland_Road.png, Kingsland Road, Strathfield File:Meriden1920.jpg, Wallis Hall, Meriden, Strathfield File:117_Homebush_Road.jpg, Derwent, Homebush Road, Strathfield File: 18_Wallis_Avenue.jpg, Wallis Avenue, Strathfield File:Insurance_House_263_George_Street_Sydney.png, Insurance House, 263 George Street, Sydney File:Commonwealth_Hotel_Surry_Hills_NSW.jpg, Commonwealth Hotel, 461 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills


References


External links


Aerial view of Sydney Stadium designed in 1912 by Sampson.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sampson, Thomas Pollard 1875 births 1961 deaths Architects from Sydney People from Launceston, Tasmania Strathfield, New South Wales