Thomas Tidswell

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File: Quinton_Tidswell_at_Mosman.jpg and Jean Bellette in front of 29 Musgrave Street, Mosman, designed by Thomas Tidswell]]

Tidswell was born in Sydney, the sixth of nine children of hotelier Frederick Squire Tidswell (1831–1898) and his wife Mary Ann (1836–1912). The fourth child of the Tidswell family, Thomas Francis (1864–1866), had died in a tragic accident in front of his parents' hotel in Devonshire Street, Sydney,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18722630 |title=YESTERDAY'S SYDNEY NEWS. |newspaper=Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser |volume=XXIII |issue=2829 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=3 July 1866 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} and the fifth and sixth children were named in his honour: Frank Tidswell (1867 – 1941) and Thomas Tidswell (1870–1950). He lived in rural New South Wales until his parents bought Nugal Hall in Randwick, New South Wales.{{cite web

| title = Nugal Hall

| publisher = Office of Environment & Heritage

| url = http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_04_2.cfm?itemid=5045442

| accessdate = 21 May 2012 }} Tidswell attended Newington College (1881–1886).Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) p. 198 After high school Tidswell was articled in architecture and studied at Sydney Technical College (STC).{{cite book |author=Freeland, J. M. |title=The Making of a Profession |publisher=Angus & Robertson |location=Sydney |year=1971 }} In 1890 he was awarded Honours in Design at STC.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28275106 |title=TECHNICAL EXAMINATIONS. |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=16,471 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=7 January 1891 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}

On entering the architectural profession Tidswell entered into partnership with Arthur Beckford Polin (1872-1961). One of the firm's early works was the design of the Mechanics Institute in Coonamble in rural NSW.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article111104707 |title=COONAMBLE. |newspaper=Freeman's Journal |volume=XLVII |issue=3002 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=18 July 1896 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}} Another was the enlargement of the

Right Rev Dr Higgins, Roman Catholic Auxiliary-Bishop of Sydney’s residence Mount Eagle in Forbes Street Darlington.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article115471406 |title=BISHOP HIGGINS' NEW RESIDENCE. |newspaper=Freeman's Journal |volume=XLVIII |issue=3028 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=16 January 1897 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Late in the 1890s Tidswell went into practice on his own using numerous premises until he took space in Challis House in Martin Place in Sydney. In this period he designed the buildings of the original Orange Hospital{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237588920 |title=BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION. |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |issue=7579 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=22 September 1903 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} including general wards, isolation wards, a kitchen block and an operating theatre. These facilities were demolished in 1959.[https://www.localstudies.cwl.nsw.gov.au/orange-district-historical-society/from-district-to-base-orange-hospital-history/#.Ydvq6C_ZWf0 From District to Base: Orange hospital history] Retrieved 10 January 2020.

In 1898 he designed a house at 33 Findlay Avenue, Roseville for Charles Starkey.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14140060 |title=Advertising |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=18,904 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=15 October 1898 |accessdate=18 January 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} The Presbyterian Church in Anderson Street in nearby Chatswood was designed by Tidswell and the building was opened on 17 December 1898. The front porch and facade are a newer addition but the body of the church remains as Chatswood Uniting Church.[https://www.sydneyorgan.com/ChatswoodPres.html St Andrew's Presbyterian Church 37 Anderson Street, Chatswood] Retrieved 12 January 2022. In 1902 he won second prize in a design competition for a new Town Hall in Deniliquin.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103752045 |title=No title |newspaper=The Independent |volume=5 |issue=209 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=2 May 1902 |accessdate=17 January 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} In 1914 Tidswell designed a factory in Annandale for Starkeys{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15499597 |title=TENDERS. |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=23,776 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=24 March 1914 |accessdate=17 January 2022 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}} who at the time were the largest ginger beer manufacturer in the Southern Hemisphere.[https://dictionaryofsydney.org/organisation/starkeys_limited Dictionary of Sydney Starkey's Limited Commercial] Retrieved 17 January 2022. The factory is now in Bridge Road, Stanmore and was restored and adapted into a complex of commercial and light industrial units. The development won the 2004 Marrickville Medal for Conservation which is awarded annually by Marrickville Council.[https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/stanmore Dictionary of Sydney Stanmore] tetrieved 17 January 2022.

At the turn of the last century Tidswell designed family houses, and holiday houses, for himself and his brother. He designed his own home Greycliffs at 29 Musgrave Street, Mosman in 1899{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14232815 |title=Advertising |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=19,168 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=19 August 1899 |accessdate=18 January 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} and his brother’s house Deloraine on the northern tip of Point Piper in 1903.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237341416 |title=PUBLIC INSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT. |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |issue=7077 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=13 February 1902 |accessdate=18 January 2022 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237341416 |title=PUBLIC INSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT. |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |issue=7077 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=13 February 1902 |accessdate=12 January 2022 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}} While the house still stands at 132 Wolseley Road, it has been substantially altered and is now known as Cordoba having been redesigned in a Spanish Revival style by the architects Esplin & Mould. The beautifully landscaped garden has been subdivided leading to the erection of a newer house on the water front at 132A.[http://www.walkingcoastalsydney.com.au/documents/L6PtPiper.pdf Walking Coastal Sydney] Retrieved 25 January 2014. In the same era he designed a holiday house in the Blue Mountains for himself named Briar Hill at 41 Park Street, Glenbrook. The weatherboard house in late Federation and early Californian bungalow style has an Arts and Crafts inspired face brick inglenook and is on an extensive landscaped block. The house remained in the ownership of Tidswell family until this century[https://www.realestate.com.au/property/41-park-st-glenbrook-nsw-2773 Briar Hill Glenbrook] Retrieved 18 May 2022. and is an important element in the built environment of historic village of Glenbrook.[https://ehq-production-australia.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/73e5814fa20c3b79e8fbcbeae54d4dc8b536dcba/documents/attachments/000/077/847/original/3._Heritage_Assessment_Glenbrook_Village_2000.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIBJCUKKD4ZO4WUUA%2F20220518%2Fap-southeast-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20220518T024259Z&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=1c696153c415f5b5548419928b1dcf338b81c47545e4b920daf8da06f7d5f178 Heritage Assessment of the Village of Glenbrook]

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Having become a resident of Mosman, Tidswell started doing work for the Mosman Recreation Club, known as the Mosman Recreation Company. He designed a pavilion in 1901{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237374722 |title=MISCELLANEOUS. |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |issue=7025 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=14 December 1901 |accessdate=18 January 2022 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}} which was replaced by a larger pavilion in 1916 to a design by Tidswell. As the honorary company architect he designed a six-rink bowling green, turf and asphalt tennis courts.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237341416 |title=PUBLIC INSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT. |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |issue=7077 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=13 February 1902 |accessdate=17 January 2022 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}} Lawn bowls commenced with the completion of the greens in 1902 when the club was officially opened. Membership was exclusively for men and the Mosman Women’s Bowling Club was nearby and titled Mosman Park. Now known as Mosman Bowling Club the 1916 pavilion still stands at 15 Belmont Road, Mosman.[https://www.mosmanbowlingclub.org.au/about-us/ Mosman Bowling Club] Retrieved 29 January 2022. It is now owned by Mosman Municipal Council.

In 1902 a reserve named in honour of Sir William Lyne was reclaimed from tidal sand flats at Rose Bay and in 1904 harbour baths were designed by Tidswell.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14612742 |title=PROPOSED BATHS AT ROSE BAY. |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=20,622 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=12 April 1904 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}[http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Rose%20Bay%20pre%20war%201.htm Rose Bay public swimming enclosure] Retrieved 23 February 2022. He designed the tennis centre for the New South Wales Lawn Tennis Association at its Double Bay Grounds.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14844295 |title=TENDERS. |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=21,664 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 June 1907 |accessdate=17 January 2022 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}} in 1919 and the International Lawn Tennis Challenge}[https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/culture/sport/display/21030-davis-cup-memorial-plaque Davis Cup Memorial Plaque] Retrieved 23 February 2022. The centre hosted the Australasian Championships (now the Australian Open) and the International Lawn Tennis Challenge (now the Davis Cup) in both 1909 and 1919. In 1922 he designed the White City Stadium at Rushcutters Bay in 1922.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16026255 |title=OPENING OF NEW GROUND. |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=26,452 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=16 October 1922 |accessdate=17 January 2022 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}

After school, college and marriage Tidswell moved to the North Shore of Sydney and by 1900 he had built a large home with an expansive view of Sydney Harbour. As a sole practitioner he had an architectural studio in Challis House, Martin Place. In Mosman he was a member of the Mosman Recreation Club where his friend William Portus Cullen was the President. Tidswell designed the clubhouse. Cullen became Chief Justice of New South Wales, Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales and Chancellor of the University of Sydney. His school friends, Old Newingtonians Herbert Curlewis and Percy Colquhoun, were also bowlers, tennis players and members of the recreation club and his neighbours in Mosman. Curlewis was a judge of the District Court of New South Wales and married to Ethel Turner, the author of Seven Little Australians. Colquhoun was a parliamentarian, lawyer and Inter-Colonial sportsman of note. For tennis they used the courts of the NSW Lawn Tennis Association where Tidswell had designed the clubhouse. They were joined by Tidswell's brother who lived on the eastern side of the harbour. Dr Frank Tidswell was a renowned physician who served as the Director of the Government Bureau of Microbiology and later as Director of Pathology at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children. Colquhoun was president of the New South Wales Lawn Tennis Association and he served as the first president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia in 1926. From 1913 until 1920 Colquhoun represented Mosman in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Sydney was a small and parochial city until World War II and this was Tidswell’s Protestant, professional and social milieu.[https://www.supremecourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Publications/The%20War%20Memorial%20Project/Cunneen_(2014)_88_ALJ_477.pdf Cullen, Curlewis & Colquhoun] Retrieved 30 January 2022.

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In 1895 Tidswell married Elsie Winifred Robinson and the marriage produced four sons:

• Frank was born in 1896 at his parents then residence Elsinore in Chatswood{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14063276 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=18,228 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=18 August 1896 |accessdate=11 January 2022 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}
• Noel was born in 1897 at his parents then residence Tooloon in Lindfield{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14094449 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=18,616 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=13 November 1897 |accessdate=11 January 2022 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}
• Squire was born in 1900 at his parents then residence at 29 Musgrave Street Mosman{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14333548 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |issue=19,492 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=1 September 1900 |accessdate=11 January 2022 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}
• Quinton Tidswell was born in 1910 in Randwick

Frank and Noel both served in World War I and Noel was killed in action in 1918.[https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/71561/tidswell,%20noel/ Lance Corporal Noel Tidswell] Retrieved 10 January 2022. In 1931 Frank and Squire were living in Wollongong and their mother was visiting. During a flash flood Elsie and Squire were swept away in the Minnamurra River at Jamberoo and Elsie died. The District Coroner returned a verdict of accidental death by drowning.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106003832 |title=Drowning Tragedy. |newspaper=The Kiama Independent & Shoalhaven Advertiser |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=12 September 1931 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} Frank became a hotelier like his grandparents and owned the Lapstone Hotel in Glenbrook.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article100985439 |title=Lapstone Hotel |newspaper=Nepean Times |volume=72 |issue=4957 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=1 July 1954 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}} Squire remained on the South Coast of New South Wales and married.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142634382 |title=WEEK BY WEEK |newspaper=South Coast Times & Wollongong Argus |volume=XXXIV |issue=29 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=20 July 1934 |accessdate=10 January 2022 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}} Squire died in 1980.[https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/result?3 NSW BDMs squire Tidswell] Retrieved 19 January 2022. Quinton Tidswell became an artist renowned for his works on paper.[https://collection.castlemaineartmuseum.org.au/persons/581/quinton-tidswell-b1910-d1991 Castlemaine Art Museum — Quinton Tidswell (b.1910, d.1991)] Retrieved 10 January 2022. He moved to Victoria and died in Wangaratta in 1991.[https://billiongraves.com/grave/Quinton-Tidswell/15570264 Quinton Tidswell Grave] Retrieved 10 January 2022.

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Category:1870 births

Category:1950 deaths

Category:People educated at Newington College

Category:20th-century Australian architects

Category:Architects from Sydney