Thomas Rowe (poet)
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Thomas Rowe (20 July 1829 – 14 January 1899) was a British-born architect, builder and goldminer who became one of Australia's leading architects of the
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
. He was also a politician, who was the first Mayor of Manly.


Early life

Thomas Rowe was born in
Penzance, Cornwall Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...
, United Kingdom, the eldest son of Richard Rowe and Ursula Mumford, and attended Barnes Academy. At 15 he became a draftsman in his father's building business before the family emigrated to Australia in 1848. From 1857 he practised as an architect in
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 ...
, Bathurst,
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...
,
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
and
Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, approximately south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent by Queen Victor ...
. As an architect he was often successful in competitions and his firms built commercial premises, large houses and many
Methodist 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 ...
churches.


Political career

In 1872, he was elected alderman for Bourke Ward of the
Sydney City Council The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, the City of Sydney is ...
, which he held until 1876. During his time on the council he worked on sanitation efforts related to improving the Sydney water supply. Rowe Street, which runs from Pitt Street to Castlereagh Street, was at that time named after him by in a vote by the council. In February 1877, he was elected to the first Manly Municipal Council and was elected first Mayor of Manly, overseeing the first laying-out of the town of Manly, and serving as an alderman until 1880.


Military career

Rowe was also involved in the volunteer NSW Colonial Forces, receiving a commission as a lieutenant in the newly formed New South Wales Corps of Engineers in 1872, and was promoted to the rank of captain in 1874. When the Colonial Volunteer Force was disbanded and reorganised as the ''NSW Defence Force'' in 1878, Rowe was recommissioned a captain, and promoted to major in 1880. Raised to rank of brevet Lieutenant Colonel in 1886, Rowe undertook a European tour the following year, visiting
Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
, Chatham, Enfield, and
Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...
, in search of information relating to defence matters. Rowe later designed several entrenching tools for the use of the engineers corps, including a bullet-proof shovel. Following the return to England of Colonel
Henry Renny-Tailyour Henry Waugh Renny-Tailyour (9 October 1849 – 15 June 1920) was a British amateur all-round sportsman who appeared for Scotland in some of the earliest international football and rugby union matches, remaining to this day the only player to have ...
in 1894, Rowe took up the position of Commander of the New South Wales Corps of Engineers, was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1895, and served until his retirement on 30 June 1898.


Later life and career

Rowe was also the founder, and for many years president, of the
New South Wales Institute of Architects The Australian Institute of Architects, officially the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (abbreviated as RAIA), is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA (Fellow), ARAIA (Associate Member) an ...
, and was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
in 1884. In 1888 the Premier
Sir Henry Parkes Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and the longest-serving non-consecutive premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australi ...
appointed Rowe as the first President of the Board of Water Supply and Sewerage, and served in that office until his death, with the exception of the period 1892 to 1896 when Cecil West Darley presided. His presidency was well-received, with an account after his death noting: "The great leaps and bounds by which the department has progressed, and its present state of efficiency, bear ample testimony to the capability of his administration." He died age 69 in January 1899 at ''Mona'', his leased residence since 1881 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 ...
. In accordance with his wishes "to be laid to rest near the sea", he was buried in his military uniform at
Waverley Cemetery The Waverley Cemetery is a Heritage register, heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte, New South Wales, Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins (cemetery lodge, ...
following a service at
St Mark's Church, Darling Point St Mark's Church is an active Anglican church in Darling Point, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of a significant local heritage group that includes the church, rectory, and adjacent cottage. The group forms part of a la ...
.


Key works

(Many of the following buildings are heritage-listed): * Chatswood South Uniting Church,
Artarmon, New South Wales Artarmon () is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby. History In ...
(1871) * Presbyterian Church, Bridge Road,
Glebe, New South Wales Glebe is an inner-western suburb of Sydney in New South Wales. Glebe is located southwest of the Sydney central business district in the Inner West region. Glebe is surrounded by Blackwattle Bay and Rozelle Bay, inlets of Port Jackson, Sydney ...
(1881) * Original Randwick Borough Chambers (later Parish Centre of
St Jude's Church, Randwick The St Jude's Church is an active Anglican church in Randwick, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of a significant heritage group that includes the church, cemetery, rectory and original Randwick Borough Chambers, later co ...
) (1862) * Catherine Hayes Building (based on design by
John Horbury Hunt John Horbury Hunt (1838 – 30 December 1904), often referred to as Horbury Hunt, was a Canadian-born Australian architect who worked in Sydney and rural New South Wales from 1863. Life and career Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of ...
), Prince of Wales Hospital,
Randwick, New South Wales Randwick is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government ar ...
(1870) *
Tresco, Elizabeth Bay ''Tresco'' is a heritage-listed residence located at 97 Elizabeth Bay Road, Elizabeth Bay, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Thomas Rowe and built by Rowe from 1867 to 1883. The property is privately owned. It was ...
, New South Wales (1868) * F.L. Kelly and Company Building,
Yass, New South Wales Yass () is a town on the periphery of the Southern Tablelands and South West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia. The name appears to have been derived from an Australian Aboriginal, Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" (or "Yharr"), said to mean 'running ...
(1869) * St Paul's Presbyterian Church,
Hill End, New South Wales Hill End is a former gold mining town in New South Wales, Australia. The town is located in the Bathurst Regional Council local Government area. History What is now Hill End was originally a part of the Tambaroora area; in the 1850s the Hill E ...
(1872) *
Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
, Bathurst (1871) * Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...
(1879) * Aliiolani Hale,
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
(1872) * Great Synagogue,
Elizabeth Street, Sydney Elizabeth Street is a major street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The street continues south of the central business district (CBD), through the inner city suburbs of Surry Hills, Redfern and Waterlo ...
(1874) * Former
Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in Greater London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the List of highest points in London, highest point ...
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 ...
(1874), now part of the Newington College drama centre *
Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital, historically known as the Rum Hospital, is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at ...
, including Nightingale Wing,
Macquarie Street, Sydney Macquarie Street is a street in the Sydney central business district, central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Street extends from Hyde Park, Sydney, Hyde Park at its southern end to the Sydney Opera House a ...
(1879) *
Newington College Newington College is a multi-campus Independent school, independent Uniting Church in Australia, Uniting Church Single-sex education, single-sex and Mixed-sex education, co-educational Pre-school education, early learning, Primary school, primar ...
, Founders Wing including Prescott Hall,
Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in Greater London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the List of highest points in London, highest point ...
(1878) * Sydney Arcade,
Pitt Street Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sect ...
,
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 ...
(1874) * Vickery's Building, Pitt Street, Sydney (1874) * Vickery houses, Banksia, Wych Hazel, Ellerslie and Edina, now part of the War Memorial Hospital
Waverley, New South Wales Waverley is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located seven kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia ...
. * Former
Petersham Town Hall The Petersham Town Hall is a heritage register, heritage-listed town hall located at 107 Crystal Street in Petersham, New South Wales, Petersham, a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, Australia. It was built in 1937–38 in the Australian non-re ...
, Petersham (1882; extended 1892, demolished 1937) * Former Stanmore Methodist
Parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, pa ...
(1886), now Headmaster's residence, Newington College * Ashton, Elizabeth Bay Road, Elizabeth Bay * Imperial Arcade, Sydney (1891) File:Hill End Presbyterian Church.JPG, St Paul's Presbyterian Church, Hill End Image:Stanmore Newington College 1.JPG, Founders Wing, Newington College File:Prescotthall.png, Prescott Hall, Newington College File:Dramacentre.png, Stanmore Methodist Church, now part of the drama centre, Newington College File:Parsonagenewington.jpeg, Stanmore Methodist
Parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, pa ...
, now Headmaster's residence, Newington College Image:SydneyHospital.JPG, Sydney Hospital, Macquarie Street File:Great Synagogue, Sydney Window.jpg, Great Synagogue, Elizabeth Street Image:(1)Edina War Memorial Hospital-1.jpg, Edina, Waverley File:Ashton1111.JPG, Ashton, Elizabeth Bay File:Town Hall, Petersham c. 1890.jpg, Petersham Town Hall c. 1890 File:(1)_Mona1.jpg, Mona, where Rowe died


Architectural partners

* W. B. Field * Sydney Green * Alfred Spain


Harry Ruskin Rowe

Rowe's son Harry Ruskin Rowe was also successful as an architect. One of his most significant achievements was the creation in 1950 of Ruskin Rowe, an estate in the Sydney suburb of
Avalon Avalon () is an island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recove ...
. Rowe acquired a house, The Cabbage Trees, in the estate and used it as a weekender. The estate still exists and is heritage-listed.State Heritage Register
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Thomas 1829 births 1899 deaths Military personnel from Cornwall People from Penzance Australian people of Cornish descent English emigrants to colonial Australia Australian ecclesiastical architects Gothic Revival architects New South Wales architects 19th-century Australian architects 19th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian military personnel Mayors of Manly, New South Wales Australian colonels Australian military engineers Public servants of New South Wales Burials at Waverley Cemetery Royal Australian Engineers officers