Charles Tiffin, Colonial Architect for the colony of Queensland.
Architects working for the Queensland government were responsible for the design of a number of buildings still remaining in Historic Queen’s Wharf. The earliest of these architects was Charles Tiffin, responsible for the first purpose built Immigration Depot in Brisbane, today’s National Trust House.
Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1833, Tiffin trained in England before migrating to Victoria in 1855. While working in a partnership in Hobart, Tiffin married Mary Ann Haig. After his accepting the position of Clerk of Works in the Moreton Bay District in 1857, Charles and Mary Tiffin moved to Brisbane. He became Colonial Architect for the colony of Queensland in December 1859. Examples of the government buildings Tiffin designed still exist across the state. The list includes Old Government House in Brisbane, the Ipswich Court House, the main wing of Parliament House and the Maryborough Post Office.
From the late 1860s, Charles Tiffin was also the Superintendent of Roads and Bridges. His 1871 criticism of the government’s policy related to roads led to a year of leave followed by retirement. Tiffin died in Sydney on 9 January 1873, aged just 40 years.
Additional Reading
- Information about Old Government House.
