George Allen Mansfield

George Allen Mansfield FRIBA
Councillor of the Municipality of The Glebe for Inner Glebe Ward
In office 14 February 1866 – 23 December 1867
Alderman of the Borough of The Glebe for Inner Glebe Ward
In office 23 December 1867 – 11 February 1878
Succeeded by	Michael Chapman
Personal details
Born	(1834-06-15)15 June 1834 Sydney, Colony of New South Wales
Died	20 January 1908(1908-01-20) (aged 73) Darling Point, New South Wales, Australia
Spouse	Mary Emma Allen
Children	Seven
Occupation	Architect
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	NSW Defence Force
Years of service	1860–1865
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Glebe Volunteer Rifles

George Allen Mansfield FRIBA (15 June 1834 – 20 January 1908) was a prominent Australian architect of the nineteenth century who designed many iconic buildings in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Life

Born in 1834 in Sydney, his father, the Reverend Ralph Mansfield, had been a Methodist missionary.[1] He was educated at the privately run school of Mr. W. T. Cape and then articled with the architect John Frederick Hilly.

He married Mary Emma Allen, third daughter of prominent politician and solicitor George Allen, and had seven children. The family lived in Tranby, Glebe, which was designed by Mansfield.[2] They then lived at Oakwood in Bridge Road From 1864 to 1869, and Lynedoch in Glebe Road from 1870 to 1879. Mansfield served as an Inner Glebe Ward Councillor (Alderman from 1867) for the Borough of The Glebe from 1866 to 1878.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Mansfield was a lieutenant in the Glebe branch of the New South Wales Militia, a commissioner for Peace and an alderman for Glebe Council. Mansfield was also a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and was the first Australian-born architect to receive the honour of Fellowship.[1][9] Mansfield was also the founder and first president of the NSW Institute of Architects (now the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects).[10]

He died in 1908, and was buried at Waverley Cemetery.[11] He is remembered in the name of Mansfield Street, Glebe.[1][2][12]

Works

His many prominent colonial buildings including and ten listed on the NSW State Heritage Register,[2] include:

Churches

• Pitt Street Uniting Church
• Mudgee Uniting Church
• Newtown Mission Uniting Church[13]

Schools

Newcastle Public School circa 1879

• Castle Hill Public School, Sydney
• Cleveland Street Public School[14]
• Crown Street Public School[15][16]
• The Old School, Darlington[2]
• Mudgee Public School (part)
• Newcastle East Public School
• North Sydney Technical High School (1876–1877)[17]
• Pyrmont Public School[1]
• Redfern Public School (now demolished)[14]
• Rosebank College
• Sussex Street Primary School, Sydney[1]

Houses

• Toxteth Park for his inlaws
• Carthona, Darling Point
• 'The Warren' at Marrickville
• Coombing Park at Carcoar for the founders of Cobb and Co

Commercial buildings

The Australia Hotel, 1932

• Australia Hotel (now demolished for the MLC Centre)
• several bank buildings for the Commercial Bank of Australia, now Westpac[18]
• Australian Mutual Provident Society head office in Pitt Street, Sydney (1878; demolished 1909).[19][20][21]
• Much of commercial building stock of O’Connell Street
• The Darling Harbour facilities of AGL Energy (now Demolished)[1]
• Mansfield House in Maitland

Other

• Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Admission Block and Victoria & Albert Pavilions (1904)[22]
• History House, Macquarie Street offices for the Royal Australian Historical Society[23]
• Macleay Museum, (University of Sydney)[2]

Gallery

• 
  Former public school
• 
  Tranby House, Glebe
• 
  Additions to St Scholastica's, formerly known as Toxteth Park
• 
  Carthona, Darling Point, circa 1870 before the 1880s extensions at the back were made
• 
  Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Administration Building
• 
  History House
• 
  Mansfield's 1893 floor plan of RPA.

See also

• List of George Allen Mansfield buildings

References

1. "DEATH OF MR. G. A. MANSFIELD". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 January 1908. p. 6 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
2. Glebe Walks.
3. "SUBURBAN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS". Sydney Mail. New South Wales, Australia. 10 February 1866. p. 8. Retrieved 24 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "PLOUGHING MATCHES". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 24 February 1866. p. 5. Retrieved 24 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "BOROUGH OF THE GLEBE". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 35. New South Wales, Australia. 12 February 1869. p. 415. Retrieved 24 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "BOBOUGH OF THE GLEBE". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 41. New South Wales, Australia. 9 February 1872. p. 377. Retrieved 24 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "BOROUGH OF THE GLEBE". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 34. New South Wales, Australia. 12 February 1875. p. 448. Retrieved 24 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "BOROUGH OF THE GLEBE". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 53. New South Wales, Australia. 15 February 1878. p. 716. Retrieved 24 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "DEATH OF MR. G. A. MANSFIELD". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 21 January 1908. p. 6. Retrieved 24 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "George Allen Mansfield". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
11. "OBITUARY". The Daily Telegraph. New South Wales, Australia. 22 January 1908. p. 12. Retrieved 24 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
12. NSW chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects Webpage
13. "Uniting Church and Pipe Organ". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00747. Retrieved 13 October 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
14. Planning department report for Red Fern Public School Archived 3 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
15. "Crown Street Public School". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00562. Retrieved 13 October 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
16. Dictionary of Sydney
17. "North Sydney Technical High School (former)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00517. Retrieved 2 June 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
18. CBC officers Club Website Archived 25 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
19. "Australian Mutual Provident Society". The Maitland Mercury And Hunter River General Advertiser. New South Wales, Australia. 14 April 1877. p. 10. Retrieved 15 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
20. "IMPROVEMENTS". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 12 March 1875. p. 5. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
21. "Australian Mutual Provident Society". Evening News. New South Wales, Australia. 28 April 1875. p. 4. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
22. Glebe Walks Webpage.
23. Royal Australian Historical Society Website.

External links

• Portrait at Institute of Architecture

Professional and academic associations
New title	President of the Institute of Architects of New South Wales 1871–1878	Succeeded by Thomas Rowe
Preceded by John Barlow	President of the Institute of Architects of New South Wales 1902–1903	Succeeded by Cyril Blacket