Basic Biographical Details Name: | Andrew Petrie | Designation: | | Born: | 1798 | Died: | 20 February 1872 | Bio Notes: | Andrew Petrie was born at Kettle, Fife in 1798, the son of Walter Petrie, weaver, and his wife Margaret Hutchison. Around 1813 he was articled to 'a prominent architect builder called Lang', probably Alexander Laing. In 1821 he married Mary Cuthbertson and commenced business on his own account in Edinburgh. In 1831 he was invited to New South Wales along with other Scottish 'mechanics' to erect Dr John Dunmore Lang's Australian College in Jamieson Street, Sydney. After a period in partnership with George Ferguson, a fellow emigrant, Petrie was appointed first a foreman of works on the Goat Island Magazine and then superintendent of works on the convict stockade there. He was dismissed for humanitarian views in 1835 but following appointment as a foreman of works with the Royal Engineers Establishment in May 1836, he again became a superintendent of works initially at Moreton Bay, and then at Brisbane, where he built a house and workshops at Petrie Bight; there he established a major contracting firm which was responsible for the construction of most of the government buildings in Brisbane and provided architectural services as required.
Petrie was blinded by sandy blight on a visit to Darling Downs in 1848, the supervision of the business thereafter becoming mainly the responsibility of his son John, who had been born in Edinburgh in 1822.
Andrew Petrie died of 'debility' in Brisbane on 20 February 1872. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | Kettle, Fife, Scotland | Private | 1798 | Before 1813 | | | Edinburgh, Scotland | Private/business | 1813 | 1831 | | | Sydney, Australia | Business | 1831 | Before 1835 | | | Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia | Business | May 1836 | c. 1838 | | | Wharf Street and Queen Street, Petrie Bight, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Business | c. 1838 | | |
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | Alexander Laing | c. 1813 | Before 1821 | Apprentice | Petrie was articled to 'a prominent architect builder called Lang', probably Alexander Lang | | Petrie & Ferguson (or Ferguson & Petrie) | After 1831 | Before 1835 | Partner | |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Dornan, Dimitry and Cryle, Denis | 1993 | The Petrie Family: Building Colonial Brisbane | | Brisbane | | | Watson, Donald and McKay, Judith | 1994 | Queensland Architects of the 19th Century | | Brisbane: Queensland Museum | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Brisbane Courier | 21 February 1872 | | | Obituary |
|