Francis Drummond Greville Stanley

Francis Drummond Greville Stanley (1839–1897) was an architect in Queensland, Australia. He was the Queensland Colonial Architect. Many of his designs are now heritage-listed buildings.

Early life Stanley was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 1 January 1839, the son of actor and painter Montague Talbot Stanley and his wife Mary Susan (née Eyre).

Stanley studied and practised architecture in Edinburgh, prior to emigrating to Brisbane in 1861–62. There, he joined the Lands Department in 1863 and became the chief clerk of works, under the Colonial Architect Charles Tiffin.

On 27 April 1865, he married Margaret Bennet at Toowoomba.

His younger brother, Henry Charles Stanley, was also an early immigrant to Queensland, becoming the Chief Engineer of the Queensland railways. His niece, Gwendolyn Stanley was an artist.

Career Stanley was himself appointed to the post of Queensland Colonial Architect in July 1873. He held the post until 1881.

Works

1872: General Post Office, Brisbane 1873: Roma Street railway station, Brisbane 1874: the first Cape Capricorn Light, near Rockhampton 1877: Maryborough Courthouse 1879: Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane 1879: St Paul's Anglican Church, Maryborough 1879: Queensland National Bank (former), Townsville 1880: Toowoomba Post Office 1882: Australian Joint Stock Bank Building, Maryborough 1882: Queensland Club 1883: the rectory of Christ Church, Milton, Brisbane 1884: Union Bank of Australia (now Perc Tucker Regional Gallery), Townsville 1884: first Lennons Hotel in Brisbane 1888: Australian Joint Stock Bank Building (former), Townsville 1889: Tighnabruaich, Indooroopilly, a residence built for his brother, Henry. 1893: St Ann's Industrial School, now part of All Hallows' School, Brisbane

Later years Stanley was interested in astronomy and built an observatory at his home. It was equipped with a powerful telescope, housed under a retractable roof. He used this to observe the transit of Mercury, in November 1894.

In August 1896, Stanley took up government employment again as an Inspector of Works. on Friday 28 May 1897, at his home Ardencraig in Church Street - later Jephson Street - in the Toowong district of Brisbane. With classic symptoms of extrapulmonary TB, he had caught a chill three weeks previously, which developed into a paralysis of his lower body. He was buried in Toowong Cemetery.

His widow Margaret died on 14 September 1921 at Witherslack, Chelmer and was buried in the Anglican Cemetery of St. Matthews, in neighbouring Sherwood.