Plan of the River Yarra Yarra at the Queen’s Wharf

Rare plan of the Queens Wharf area, extending from Spencer Street to Queen Street and the area of Southbank. William Wilkinson Wardell (1823 &#8211 1899) was a civil engineer and architect, notable not only for his work in Australia, the country to which he emigrated in 1858, but also for having a successful career as a surveyor, and an ecclesiastical architect in England and Scotland before his departure. Wardell designed many public buildings, including St Patrick’s Cathedral, Government House, St John’s College, University of Sydney and St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney. He worked in both the Gothic and classical styles. Wardell not only constructed major works in the public sector, he also maintained a large private practice building houses and business premises for private individuals. He was Inspector-General of Public Works and Building, for the Colony of Victoria, from 1861 until 1878. As an architect he is often compared with his friend and English counterpart Augustus Pugin.