David Lennox

Lansdowne Bridge over Prospect Creek on the Hume Highway at Lansdowne. Opened in 1836, it carries traffic to this day. David Lennox (1788 – 12 November 1873) was a Scottish-Australian bridge builder and master stonemason born in Ayr, Scotland.

Personal details

Trained as a stonemason, Lennox worked on Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge at Anglesey in Wales and on Over Bridge at Gloucester before emigrating to Australia following the death of his wife. He arrived in August 1832 aboard the ship Florentia.

Prior to this time, the young colony of New South Wales had no skilled stonemasons, and so it was almost fate that a chance meeting with the Surveyor-General, Major Thomas Mitchell should result in Lennox—by now a Master Stonemason with twenty years' experience—becoming, provisionally, Sub-Inspector of Bridges and later Superintendent of Bridges.

The historic Lennox Bridge at Lapstone Hill is the oldest bridge on the Australian mainland.

Lennox moved to Melbourne in 1844, to take up a position responsible for bridges in the Port Phillip district.

Lennox retired in November 1853 and returned to New South Wales two years later where he lived in Parramatta.

1832-1835 – Lansdowne Bridge Lennox was also responsible for the construction of historic Lansdowne Bridge over Prospect Creek which he was enlisted to build in 1832, with construction beginning the very next year using locally quarried stone. which both supplied water to the town of and served as a causeway across the Georges River. Constructed under the supervision of Capt. Christie of the 80th Regiment; assistant engineer and superintendent of Ironed Gangs in the Town of Liverpool.

1836-1839 – Lennox Bridge, Parramatta Designed in 1835 as an elliptical arch of span, the bridge over the Parramatta River at Parramatta was ultimately built as a simple stone arch spanning and having a width of . Construction began in November 1836, using the centring from the Lansdowne Bridge, adjusted to the new span, and the work was finished in 1839. It was named Lennox Bridge by the Parramatta Council some 28 years later.

1844-1853 – Lennox built fifty-three bridges in the nine years he was in the employ of Victoria, including the second Prince's Bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne. The stone arch was the largest built by Lennox and was opened in 1851. It was to last until the river was widened some thirty-five years later, and in 1888 was replaced by the present Prince's Bridge. It is possible that he designed Towrang Bridge (1839) that once carried the Hume Highway.

As well as bridges, Lennox was also in charge of roads, wharves and ferries in the Port Phillip district.