Thomas RoweVD,JP,FRIBA (20 July 1829 – 14 January 1899) was a British-born architect, builder, and goldminer who became one of the leading Australian architects of the Victorian era. He was also a politician, who was the first Mayor of Manly, north of Sydney.
Early life and education
Thomas Rowe was born in Penzance, Cornwall, England, on 20 July 1829, the eldest son of Richard Rowe and Ursula Mumford.[1]
He attended Barnes Academy in Penzance. At 15 he became a draftsman in his father's building business, before the family emigrated to the colony of New South Wales in 1848.[1]
Career
Architectural career
From 1857 he practised as an architect in Sydney, Bathurst, Orange, Newcastle and Goulburn. As an architect he was often successful in competitions, and his firms built commercial premises, large houses and many Methodist churches.
His architectural partners over the years included W. B. Field, Sydney Green, and Alfred Spain.[1][2] Spain was articled to Rowe's practice of Rowe & Green in 1884, when he commenced his studies at Sydney Technical College.[3]
Spain became a partner in Rowe, Campbell & Spain in 1893, which became Rowe & Spain in 1895, which continued until Rowe's death in 1899.[3]
Political career
In 1872, he was elected alderman for Bourke Ward of the Sydney City Council, which he held until 1876. During his time on the council he worked on sanitation efforts related to improving the Sydney water supply. Rowe Street, which runs from Pitt Street to Castlereagh Street, was at that time named after him by in a vote by the council.[4]
In February 1877, he was elected to the first Manly Municipal Council and was elected first Mayor of Manly, overseeing the first laying-out of the town of Manly, and serving as an alderman until 1880.[5]
Military career
Rowe in his uniform as Commanding Officer of the NSW Corps of Engineers
When the Colonial Volunteer Force was disbanded and reorganised as the NSW Defence Force in 1878, Rowe was recommissioned a captain, and promoted to major in 1880.[6] Raised to rank of brevetLieutenant Colonel in 1886, Rowe undertook a European tour the following year, visiting Aldershot, Chatham, Enfield, and Woolwich, in search of information relating to defence matters.[7]
Rowe later designed several entrenching tools for the use of the engineers corps, including a bullet-proof shovel. Following the return to England of Colonel Henry Renny-Tailyour in 1894, Rowe took up the position of Commander of the New South Wales Corps of Engineers, was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1895, and served until his retirement on 30 June 1898.[6][8]
In 1888 the Premier Sir Henry Parkes appointed Rowe as the first president of the Board of Water Supply and Sewerage, and he served in that office until his death, with the exception of the period 1892 to 1896 when Cecil West Darley presided.[10][11][12] His presidency was well-received, with an account after his death noting: "The great leaps and bounds by which the department has progressed, and its present state of efficiency, bear ample testimony to the capability of his administration".[7]
Many buildings built to his designs still stand in Sydney, and Rowe Street in Sydney is named after him.[1]
Harry Ruskin Rowe
The Cabbage Trees, Ruskin Rowe, Avalon
Rowe's son Harry Ruskin Rowe was also successful as an architect. One of his most significant achievements was the creation in 1950 of Ruskin Rowe, an estate in the Sydney suburb of Avalon. Rowe acquired a house, "The Cabbage Trees", in the estate, using it as a weekender. The estate still exists and is heritage-listed.[17]
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1234J. M. Freeland, Thomas Rowe, pp 68–69, Volume 6, Australian Dictionary of Biography (MUP, 1976)
↑J. M. Freeland, The Making of a Profession (Sydney, 1971)
123Orr, Kirsten (2011). "Spain & Cosh"(PDF). In Goad, Philip; Willis, Julie (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture. Cambridge University Press. pp.644–645. ISBN9780521888578. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
↑"Thomas Rowe". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
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