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Billing's album of architectural drawings

Identifier(s): H2015.161/1-199

 Collection

Scope and contents

The album includes drawings of some of the private, ecclesiastical and government buildings designed by Billing while in Western Victoria, not all clearly identifiable, but including the Union Bank at Portland and the Bank of Victoria at Port Fairy; Christ Church at Warrnambool and St. John's Church at Port Fairy; Roman Catholic Schools at Warrnambool; and watchhouses at both Warrnambool and Port Fairy. Together with these drawings are a number of others done in England before Billing's emigration, some dating back at least to 1844. Amongst them are sketches of architectural details from well known Norman and Gothic works, but the drawings of the more obvious interest are for various works at Pembroke College, Oxford. There are details for chimneypieces to the bursary and common room, including one drawing dated 1846, and these must form part of the work done on the north range of the Chapel Quadrangle by the architect John Hayward from 1844 to 1846. Information supplied by Professor Miles Lewis.

Dates

  • [between 1840 and 1885?]

Creator

  • Billing, Nathaniel, 1821-1910 (Architect, Person)

Copyright status

This work is out of copyright

Conditions governing use

No copyright restrictions apply.

Biographical / Historical

Nathaniel Billing was born at Brightwell, Oxfordshire in 1821, articled to the Gothic revivalist architect Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878) and practised at Slough. He emigrated to Australia in 1853 and was Government Clerk of Works in the Port Fairy, Warrnambool area from 1853 to 1855, where he also practised privately. In 1857 Billing left the public service and came to Melbourne where in 1859 he took out a patent for a form of hoop iron bond. He was president of the Victorian Institute of Architects in 1884-5 and argued for the establishment of a chair in architecture at the university.

Extent

199 architectural drawings : ink watercolour wash on paper ; no larger than 62 x 87 cm

Language

English

Immediate source of acquisition

Gift; Faculty of Architecture Building & Planning, University of Melbourne; 2002.

General note

Drawings have been removed from the album covers, conserved and boxed (LTRE 768) due to fragile state of some items.

Creator

  • Billing, Nathaniel, 1821-1910 (Architect, Person)
  • Hayward, John, 1807-1891 (Architect, Person)
Title
Guide to Billing's album of architectural drawings
Status
Completed
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository details

Part of the Pictures Collection, State Library Victoria Repository

Contact:
328 Swanston Street
Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia
03 8664 7002