Personalities > Walter Liberty Vernon
Walter Liberty Vernon
Walter Liberty Vernon (1846-1914) was a very successful architect in Hastings and London, until bronchial asthma led him to migrate to Sydney in 1883.
His influence on architecture was wide and deep, including work as government architect, insisting on the highest quality of design, building materials and construction methods. His insistence on quality allowed him sometimes to delegate to other architects. His commissions include Sydney’s most impressive public buildings, usually in sandstone and often in Federation Free Style. Fortunately, he also found time to design Pyrmont’s Post Office and Fire Station.
From 1901, as an advisor on locating the federal capital, and selecting its planners and architects, he championed Walter Burley Griffin. But he was an equally enthusiastic soldier and imperial patriot: he commanded the New South Wales Lancers at Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee (1897) and as lieutenant-colonel, he led the 1st Australian Light Horse Regiment (New South Wales Lancers) in 1903-07. Survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters, he died at Darlinghurst on 17 January 1914 after the amputation of his leg.
His commissions include:
Customs House, Land Titles Office, Lands Department Building, Supreme Court, Treasury Building, Mitchell Library, Central Railway Station, Art Gallery of New South Wales.
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