Henry Willey Reveley
Encyclopedia
Henry Willey Reveley was a civil engineer
responsible for the earliest public works at the Swan River Colony
, the foundation of the state of Western Australia
.
Reveley was the son of William (Willey) and Maria Reveley (later Gisbourne), friends of the Shelley
s and Godwin
s. He was born in England at Reading, Berkshire
in 1788. His father was an architect, reportedly the understudy of John Rennie (1794–1874), who assisted Jeremy Bentham
in the construction of his panopticon
. His mother, Maria, married John Gisborne (or Gisbourne) after the death of Reveley. In 1799 the family went to live in Pisa, Italy, where he graduated as a civil engineer at the University of Pisa
.
On 20 January 1824, Henry Reveley married Cleobulina (b.1790, also known as Amelia), the sister of Copley Fielding
. He worked in London before being appointed the first Colonial Civil Engineer at the Cape Colony
, where he arrived in January 1826. One of his principal tasks was to improve Table Bay
Harbour. His best-known building is St Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Somerset Road, Cape Town. In May 1928 he was dismissed as incompetent by the Governor, Richard Bourke
.
When James Stirling
called at the Cape with the colonists aboard the Parmelia
, he employed Reveley to help establish the new colony in the west of Australia. He and his wife embarked on Stirling's vessel and arrived at what would become known as Fremantle
in 1829. His first commission was the simple buildings at the temporary settlement of Garden Island
. Once the colonists were landed at Fremantle, and Stirling had established his settlement at Perth
, Reveley was to become the engineer responsible for all public works. These buildings included barracks for the military, the first Government House, and other official buildings of the Swan River Colony. His design for a twelve-sided gaol at Fremantle, known as the Round House
, remains largely intact and is preserved as a heritage site that overlooks the west end of the High Street
.
Reveley's other works include Perth's Old Court House
, opening a channel at the Swan River near the Causeway
, and plans for a harbour and breakwater at Fremantle. He also executed a Tuscan design for a water-mill, a first for Stirling's colony, on his holding which became the grounds of the Old Perth Boys School
and the Old Perth Technical School
. His style has been described by West Australian architect and historian Ray Oldham as "simplified Georgian".
Disappointed with his prospects, he left the colony in November 1938 to return with his wife to England, where he lectured on arts and science and published two articles on Western Australia, one on timbers, the other on immigration policy. In 1875, he died at Reading, the town of his birth.
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
responsible for the earliest public works at the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
, the foundation of the state of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Reveley was the son of William (Willey) and Maria Reveley (later Gisbourne), friends of the Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
s and Godwin
William Godwin
William Godwin was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism, and the first modern proponent of anarchism...
s. He was born in England at Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in 1788. His father was an architect, reportedly the understudy of John Rennie (1794–1874), who assisted Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
in the construction of his panopticon
Panopticon
The Panopticon is a type of building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late eighteenth century. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe all inmates of an institution without them being able to tell whether or not they are being watched...
. His mother, Maria, married John Gisborne (or Gisbourne) after the death of Reveley. In 1799 the family went to live in Pisa, Italy, where he graduated as a civil engineer at the University of Pisa
University of Pisa
The University of Pisa , located in Pisa, Tuscany, is one of the oldest universities in Italy. It was formally founded on September 3, 1343 by an edict of Pope Clement VI, although there had been lectures on law in Pisa since the 11th century...
.
Copley Fielding
Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding , commonly called Copley Fielding, was an English painter born in Sowerby, near Halifax and famous for his watercolour landscapes. At an early age Fielding became a pupil of John Varley...
. He worked in London before being appointed the first Colonial Civil Engineer at the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
, where he arrived in January 1826. One of his principal tasks was to improve Table Bay
Table Bay
Table Bay is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named because it is dominated by the flat-topped Table Mountain.Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore this...
Harbour. His best-known building is St Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Somerset Road, Cape Town. In May 1928 he was dismissed as incompetent by the Governor, Richard Bourke
Richard Bourke
General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB was Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia between 1831 and 1837.-Early life and career:...
.
When James Stirling
James Stirling
James Stirling may refer to:*James Stirling , mathematician*Admiral Sir James Stirling , Governor of Western Australia*James Stirling , Scottish engineer...
called at the Cape with the colonists aboard the Parmelia
Parmelia (barque)
The Parmelia was a barque that was used to transport the first civilian officials and settlers of the Swan River Colony to Western Australia in 1829....
, he employed Reveley to help establish the new colony in the west of Australia. He and his wife embarked on Stirling's vessel and arrived at what would become known as Fremantle
Fremantle
Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia...
in 1829. His first commission was the simple buildings at the temporary settlement of Garden Island
Garden Island (Western Australia)
Garden Island is a slender island about ten kilometres long and one and a half kilometres wide, lying about off the Western Australian coast, to which it is now linked by a man-made causeway....
. Once the colonists were landed at Fremantle, and Stirling had established his settlement at Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Reveley was to become the engineer responsible for all public works. These buildings included barracks for the military, the first Government House, and other official buildings of the Swan River Colony. His design for a twelve-sided gaol at Fremantle, known as the Round House
Round House
The Round House is the oldest building still standing in Western Australia. It is located at Arthur Head in Fremantle, and recent heritage assessments and appraisals of the precinct of the Round House incorporate Arthur Head....
, remains largely intact and is preserved as a heritage site that overlooks the west end of the High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
.
Reveley's other works include Perth's Old Court House
Old Court House, Perth
Old Court House is located in the Supreme Court Gardens in Barrack Street, Perth, Western Australia, adjacent to the Supreme Court building. It is a single-storey cream rendered building, with a wooden shingle roof....
, opening a channel at the Swan River near the Causeway
The Causeway
The Causeway is the name of the traffic crossing of the Swan River in Western Australia at the eastern end of Perth Water. Made up of two bridges on either side of Heirisson Island, the crossing links the City of Perth and Victoria Park....
, and plans for a harbour and breakwater at Fremantle. He also executed a Tuscan design for a water-mill, a first for Stirling's colony, on his holding which became the grounds of the Old Perth Boys School
Old Perth Boys School
The Old Perth Boys School is located at 139 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia. The single-storey limestone building was designed by William Sandford in 1852 and is a significant example of a colonial building constructed in Perth from the mid-nineteenth century.-Built form:The Old Perth...
and the Old Perth Technical School
Old Perth Technical School
The 1910 Perth Technical School is located at 137 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, adjacent to the Old Perth Boys School building....
. His style has been described by West Australian architect and historian Ray Oldham as "simplified Georgian".