Tunbridge & Tunbridge

Tunbridge & Tunbridge was a prominent architectural firm in North Queensland, Australia. It was founded by architect and serviceman Walter Howard Tunbridge CB, CMG, CBE, VD with his younger brother Oliver Allan Tunbridge joining him in Townsville in 1887[1].

Architect Charles Dalton Lynch joined the firm in 1899, becoming partner in 1902. The firm was known as Tunbridge, Tunbridge & Lynch for a time. A number of their works are now heritage-listed.

History

Walter Tunbridge was born and trained in England as an architect. In 1884 he migrated to Australia and worked for Rooney Brothers in Townsville. He left to establish his own practice in 1886 and invited his younger brother, Oliver, to join him in 1887. This partnership subsequently became an important architectural and civil engineering firm in North Queensland, eventually establishing offices across Townsville, Cairns, Charters Towers and eventually Rockhampton.[2]

W.H Tunbrdige returned to Townsville from the Second Boer War in 1901, by which time his brother had left the business for a Military Career.[3] Charles Dalton Lynch joined as partner in approximately 1902.

W.H. Tunbridge married Brisbane woman Leila Brown in 1904, relocating to Melbourne and establishing another branch of Tunbridge & Tunbridge in Victoria. He had two unsuccessful attempts to represent North Queensland in Federal politics as the National Liberal Union Candidate for the Queensland Senate in 1903, and again as the Free Trade Party's candidate for the Federal seat of Herbert in 1906 - losing both in tight contests. The firm continued to be active in Melbourne until 1914.[4]

In 1909, Lynch announced that he had been a solo practitioner for some time and that firm's name would be C.D. Lynch.[5] From 1911 onwards, Lynch joined Walter Hunt at a separate firm in Townsville until August 1921.[6][7]

After serving as the aide-de-camp to the Governor-General, returning to the military for World War I, and undertaking post-war Military roles in London, France and Belgium in the late 1910's,[3] W.H. Tunbridge returned to Australia around 1920 and retired from architecture in the 1930's.[1]

Legacy

A large amount of federation-style Heritage-listed pubs and restaurants remain, particularly across South Townsville and Townsville's CBD. As a result, the Walter and Oliver Tunbridge Award for Building of the Year is awarded annually by the Australian Institute of Architects for Queensland based submissions.

Significant works

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tunbridge, Tunbridge & (1904). "Townsville Architects Framed Portraits". nqheritage.jcu.edu.au. Tunbridge & Tunbridge, W. H. Tunbridge, W. E. Bevan, W. Sillars, H. B. Marks, J. E. Dean, H. H. Paterson, C. D. Lynch. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Victoria Park Hotel (entry 600882)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Walter Howard Tunbridge CB, CMG, VD, CBE – Hero of Elands River – MHHV". Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Glyn-Daniel, Charles, "Walter Howard Tunbridge (1856–1943)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 20 August 2026
  5. ↑ "An architectural legacy | Cairns Local News - Free to read No subscriptions | Local News covering Sport, Entertainment, Real Estate, Community & Business News for Port Douglas, Mossman, Daintree, Gordonvale, Kuranda & Innisfail QLD Australia". www.cairnslocalnews.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Mulgrave Shire Council Chambers reborn as thriving art gallery". Australian Heritage Specialists. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "An architectural legacy | Cairns Local News - Free to read No subscriptions | Local News covering Sport, Entertainment, Real Estate, Community & Business News for Port Douglas, Mossman, Daintree, Gordonvale, Kuranda & Innisfail QLD Australia". www.cairnslocalnews.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Great Northern Hotel (entry 600908)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Raggatt, Tony (21 July 2021). "Property investor wants to restore one of Townsville's historic pubs". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 20 August 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ "The Metropole Hotel". Queensland. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Queens Building (entry 600896)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Raggatt, Tony (18 September 2021). "The people say cheers to repair of Townsville's historic Republic Hotel". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 20 August 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ↑ "Grandstand, former totalisator building and main entrance gates, Cluden Racecourse (entry 600924)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Bishop's Lodge (entry 600883)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "St John's Anglican Church Precinct (entry 600880)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Central Court (entry 600379)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "School of Arts, Cairns (former) (entry 600380)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "2018 Houses | Great Houses of Charters Towers". The Great Houses Of. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Sumner, Ray M.A. "Influences on Domestic Architecture in Charters Towers" (PDF). Qld Heritage. 3 (4): 41 – via UQ.
  20. ↑ Lewis, Miles (2024). "7.07 Monier & Hennebique: 2024" (PDF). Australian Building: A Cultural Investigation. p. 13. Retrieved 20 August 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ "Offices and Residences, also Whitehall, 18-20 Bank Place, Melbourne". City of Melbourne Libraries. Retrieved 20 August 2026.

Attribution

CC-BY license icon This Wikipedia article incorporates text from "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014).

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