Architects

Name:

Peter Kerr

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Exact Date

Exact DOB:

21/08/1820

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Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

31/03/1912

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Bio Notes :

Peter Kerr was born in Aberdeen on 21 August 1820, son of James Kerr, shipmaster and leather merchant, and his wife Helen Chesney. He served his articles with Archibald Simpson for four years from 1839, thereafter working in the office of George Fowler Jones in York. In 1845 he was engaged by the Duke of Sutherland to implement Sir Charles Barry's plans for the remodelling and extension of Dunrobin Castle. These had not fitted the site and the Duke twice revised them in collaboration with the Aberdeen architect and contractor William Leslie, under whom Kerr presumably acted as draughtsman. By 1848 Kerr had found a place in Barry's London office, and shortly after the end of the Palace of Westminster works in February 1852 Kerr emigrated to Melbourne, probably as a result of a recommendation from Barry to his former assistant Thomas Kemp, who was in partnership with John George Knight as Knight & Kemp, architects and engineers. Kerr tried his hand at cattle rearing for a time at Upper Yarra but returned to architecture in Melbourne.

In 1855 Kemp returned to England and Kerr was taken into partnership, the firm becoming Knight & Kerr. In 1858-59 Knight & Kerr designed the Melbourne Council and Assembly Chambers and the Library of the Houses of Parliament following the abandonment of the competition-winning scheme by Smith& Pritchard. The scheme was essentially Kerr's, Knight being an engineer. Knight was first president of the Victorian Institute of Architects and was admitted FRIBA on 21 January 1861, but shortly thereafter Kerr left the practice to become a pastoralist and tour other colonies, Knight closing the practice c.1865-66 to undertake exhibition work. On 20 October 1865 Kerr entered into a partnership with his former assistant W H Ellerker as Ellerker & Kerr, Queen Street, Brisbane, but within two years the partnership was closed and from 1866 Kerr served in the Victorian Public Works Department as an architect. He undertook the enlargement and completion of the Melbourne parliament building in 1877-92, and was also responsible for Government House, the Post Office, Custom House and parts of the Law Courts, all in Melbourne, prior to his retirement in 1892.

Kerr was one of the founders of the Victorian Institute of Architects in August 1856, and was made an honorary fellow when it received its Royal Charter in 1889. On 11 March of the same year he was admitted FRIBA, his proposers being George Chalmers Inskip, William Salway and Arthur Ebden Johnson, all of Melbourne.

Kerr died at South Melbourne on 31 March 1912, survived by his wife Harriette Bertrand and two sons and two daughters of their seven children.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Private Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From Char	Date From Type	Date To Char	Date To Type	Notes
15 Service Crescent South Melbourne Australia	Private/business

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
Aberdeen Scotland	Business
Melbourne Australia	Business
15 Service Crescent South Melbourne Australia	Private/business

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The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this person (click on an item to view details):

Employers2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position
William Leslie	201776	After 1845	c. 1848	Draughtsman
Archibald Simpson	100332	In year 1839	In year 1843	Apprentice
George Fowler Jones	200144	In year 1843	In year 1845	Assistant
Knight & Kerr	201780	In year 1855	In year 1861	Partner
(Sir) Charles Barry	100201	c. 1848	c. 1852	Assistant
Knight & Kemp, Architects and Engineers	201777	c. 1852	In year 1855	Assistant

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This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs2 classic

Building Name	Date Started	Town, District or Village	City or County	Country	Notes
Dunrobin Castle	In year 1845	Dunrobin	Sutherland	Scotland	Implemented Barry's designs; perhaps worked for William Leslie
Council and Assembly Chambers and the Library of the Houses of Parliament	In year 1858		Melbourne	Australia
Houses of Parliament	In year 1877		Melbourne	Australia	Enlargement and completion
Harbour Trust Offices			Melbourne	Australia	Date unknown
Chinese Court of Arbitration			Melbourne	Australia	Date unknown
Port Phillip Club Hotel			Melbourne	Australia	Date unknown
Government House			Melbourne	Australia	Involved in design, detailing and execution; date unknown
Melbourne Law Courts			Melbourne	Australia	Involved in design, detailing and execution; date unknown
Public Office			Melbourne	Australia	Involved in design, detailing and execution; date unknown
Registrar-General's Office			Melbourne	Australia	Date unknown
Melbourne General Post Office			Melbourne	Australia	Extensive additions - date unknown

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part
Australian Dictionary of Biography	Australian Dictionary of Biography
British Architectural Library, RIBA	Directory of British Architects 1834-1914	2001
APSD	The Dictionary of Architecture		The Architectural Publication Society (8v 1852-1892)	ed Wyatt Papworth
Jenkins, G H	A Short History of the Parliament House, Melbourne
Watson, Donald and McKay, Judith	Queensland Architects of the 19th Century	1994	Brisbane: Queensland Museum

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Publisher	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
RIBA Journal		1912/05/25	v19	p531 - obituary
Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Journal		1905/07	*	'Peter Kerr, (Hon Fellow) FRIBA'

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

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Periodical References

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