Charles Webb (architect)

Charles Webb (born 26 November 1821, Sudbury, Suffolk, England – 23 January 1898) was an architect working in Victoria, Australia during the 19th century. Notable Webb designs include the iconic Windsor Hotel,[1] Royal Arcade,[2] South Melbourne Town Hall[3] and Tasma Terrace,[4] all listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Charles Webb

Biography

Charles Webb was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, England on 26 November 1821, as the youngest of nine children. After being apprentice at an architect in London, in 1847 he became the secretary of the London Architectural Students' Society. Following his brother James who earlier migrated to Australia, Charles arrived in Melbourne on 2 June 1849. He set up an architecture and surveyor partnership with his brother at Brighton. Their first important commission was for the St Paul's Church on Swanston Street in 1850. After 1858 Webb practised on his own, until two of his sons joined him in 1888. In this period he designed several public buildings, including the Wesley College (1864), Alfred Hospital (1869), Royal Arcade (1869), South Melbourne Town Hall (1878), Melbourne Orphan Asylum (1878) and the Grand Hotel later renamed Hotel Windsor (1884). In 1856 he was a founding member of the Victorian Institute of Architects, and between 1882-83 the organisation's president.[5]

Significant works
  • Melbourne Grammar School, Witherby Tower, South Facade
    Melbourne Grammar School, Witherby Tower, South Facade
  • Church of Christ, Swanston St, Melbourne
    Church of Christ, Swanston St, Melbourne
  • Royal Arcade
    Royal Arcade
  • John Knox Church (built 1876) on the corner of New Street and North Road, Brighton, Victoria
    John Knox Church (built 1876) on the corner of New Street and North Road, Brighton, Victoria
  • Tasma Terrace
    Tasma Terrace
  • South Melbourne Town Hall
    South Melbourne Town Hall
  • Melbourne Windsor Hotel (Built 1887)
    Melbourne Windsor Hotel (Built 1887)
  • Banks & Co Warehouse (right)
    Banks & Co Warehouse (right)
  • Charsfield Hotel, St Kilda Road
    Charsfield Hotel, St Kilda Road
  • Beehive Building, Bendigo, Victoria
    Beehive Building, Bendigo, Victoria

References
  1. "Hotel Windsor: There's life in the old girl yet". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  2. "Trust will fight 3 wreckings The National Trust has again". The Age. 27 February 1978. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  3. "South Melbourne Town Hall Community Hub Opens". Archived from the original on 20 June 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  4. "A register of treasures". The Age. 13 March 1979. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  5. Bridges-Webb, Charles, "Webb, Charles (1821–1898)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 3 November 2012.

Media related to Charles Webb at Wikimedia Commons

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