James Barnet
James Barnet
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James Barnet

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James Barnet

James Johnstone Barnet (1827 – 16 December 1904) was the Colonial Architect for Colonial New South Wales, serving from 1862 to 1890.

Barnet was born the son of a builder in Arbroath, Scotland, and was educated at the local high school. In 1843, at the age of sixteen, Barnet moved to London, where he became a builder's apprentice, studying drawing under William Dyce RA and architecture with CJ Richardson FRIBA. He then became of clerk of works with the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers. In 1854, he married and sailed for Sydney, Australia, with his new wife, Rosa. In Sydney, he worked first as a builder for Edmund Blacket, then became Clerk of Works at the University of Sydney.

In 1860, he joined the Colonial Architect's Office. In 1862, he was acting head of the office; in 1865, he was promoted to the post of Colonial Architect. He held that position for twenty-five years until the Office was reorganised in 1890.

In that period the department built 169 post and telegraph offices, 130 courthouses, 155 police stations, 110 lock-ups, 20 lighthouses and many other types of buildings. His major works include the General Post Office building in Sydney, Callan Park Lunatic Asylum, the Australian Museum, the Colonial Secretary's building, Lands Department building, and the Anderson Stuart Building at Sydney University.

Some major works completed by Barnet include:

Major public buildings in Sydney by Barnet include:

The Colonial Architect's office was also responsible for maintenance of public buildings. Between 1865 and 1881, Barnet had supervised 1,490 projects. Other roles were assigned to Barnet: for example, he was put in charge of the arrangements for the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1868.

In 1879, Barnet was put in charge of the design and erection of the Sydney International Exhibition building. The Colonial Architect's Office completed this large task in nine months, including preparing 412 drawings, management of the accounts and payments associated with the project, and supervision of the building. Night shifts were used to get through the project using the first electric light in Sydney. Although the project was judged a success at the end, Barnet was constantly criticised in Parliament during the construction. The project overran its budget of £50,000 by more than three times, costing £184,570.

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