Eclecticism in the Work of Queensland Colonial Architect F. D. G. Stanley, 1871–1881

Abstract

Scotsman Francis Drummond Greville Stanley (1839-1897) occupies an ambivalent position in the history of Queensland and Australian architecture. His works constitute the largest volume of public buildings designed under the stewardship of a single Colonial Architect in Queensland. Stanley's career is outlined in Donald Watson and Judith McKay biographical dictionary Queensland Architects of the 19th Century. Many of his key buildings survive and have been documented in individual heritage assessments and the occasional thesis. His contribution to Queensland's heritage of public buildings is also acknowledged by the current day F.D.G. Stanley Award for Public Buildings offered by the Queensland Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects. Yet despite this commendation of the architectural profession, there has been limited critical analysis of Stanley's work and his contribution to the development of public architecture in Queensland or Australia more generally.