Francis Bird (architect)

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Francis Bird (14 November 1845{{spaced ndash}} 24 May 1937) was a businessman and architect in Western Australia. Bird was born in Hyde Park in London, the third son of Mr and Mrs George Bird of Pinner Hall, Middlesex.

After being articled to architects in England, he left the country and arrived in Fremantle in 1869 aboard the {{ship||Bridgetown|1857|2}}. Once settled he set up a business partnership with timber merchant Benjamin Mason named Mason, Bird and Co.{{cite web |url=http://architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/wa-notable-buildings/bird-francis.pdf?sfvrsn=0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405210311/http://architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/wa-notable-buildings/bird-francis.pdf?sfvrsn=0 |archive-date=2016-04-05 |title=Francis Bird |first=John J. |last=Taylor |date=December 2010 |access-date=2015-09-12 |work=Western Australian Architect Biographies }}

By 1871 Bird had secured a timber concession over {{convert|100000|acre|ha|0}} in the Canning District from the British Government.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70263646 |title=Obituary |newspaper=Albany Advertiser |location=Albany, Western Australia |date=31 May 1937 |accessdate=12 September 2015 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} In 1877 he relinquished his milling interests and settled in Perth to practice as an architect. Eventually appointed as Chief Government Architect in 1883 he remained in the position until 1884. By 1889 he moved to Albany and took up residence at Old Farm, Strawberry Hill where he remained for the rest of his life.{{cite web|url=http://museum.wa.gov.au/whats-on/historical-inquiry-albany|title=Old Farm, Strawberry Hill & Western Australian Museum – Albany|accessdate=12 September 2015|year=2012|publisher=Western Australian Museum}} Bird stood unsuccessfully for the seat of Albany at the 1890 general election, losing by a large margin to Lancel de Hamel.{{cite book|last=Black|first=David|authorlink=David Black (historian)|last2=Prescott|first2=Valerie|title=Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996|year=1997|publisher=Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission|location=Perth, [W.A.]|isbn=0730984095}}