![StateLibQld 1 52980 Official opening of the Indooroopilly Toll Bridge, Brisbane, 1936](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/StateLibQld_1_52980_Official_opening_of_the_Indooroopilly_Toll_Bridge%2C_Brisbane%2C_1936.jpg)
Walter Taylor (1872–1955) was an Australian visionary and builder of many
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
landmarks. His most notable works are the
Walter Taylor Bridge
The Walter Taylor Bridge is a heritage-listed suspension bridge crossing the Brisbane River between Indooroopilly and Chelmer in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is shared by motor traffic and pedestrians and is the only habitable bridge ...
and the
Graceville Methodist church, both of which are
heritage-listed
This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...
buildings.
Early life
Walter Taylor was born on 16 September 1872 in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, England, the third child of Walter Taylor (senior) and his wife Ann (née Naylor).
[Walter Taylor South Action Group: Walter Taylor History](_blank)
accessed 15 February 2011 In about 1882, the family immigrated to
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Australia, where Walter (senior) took up work in the building trade, eventually setting up on his account as a contractor.
The son Walter worked with his father and learned the construction industry on the job; he did not receive any formal training in architecture, construction or engineering.
In 1899, his father Walter (senior) died in the
Brisbane General Hospital
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) is a tertiary public hospital located in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Metro North Health, part of the Queensland Health network. The hospital has 929 be ...
, following an accident while building the engine sheds at Brisbane's
Roma Street railway station
Roma Street railway station is located in the Brisbane central business district, Queensland, Australia. It is the junction station for the North Coast railway line, Queensland, North Coast, Main Line railway, Main, Gold Coast railway line, Go ...
. Despite being a busy contractor with many projects, the winding up of his father's estate over the following year revealed he was
insolvent
In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet i ...
, leaving the family penniless. This experience had a profound effect on the young Walter.
Walter Taylor married Brisbane-born Louisa Johanna Elvina Charlotte Braun in 1900 and they had a daughter Thelma Henrietta Alvina in 1901.
[Queensland Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages] In 1902, Walter and his family sailed to England to gain more experience in the construction industry. They remained in England for 10 years, returning in 1912.
Professional life
Between 1902 and 1912 in England, Walter Taylor was involved in the design and construction of
fairground rides.
On returning to Brisbane in 1912, Walter Taylor established a successful
contracting business. He was involved in the construction of many Brisbane buildings and other civil engineering works, such as bridges.
Projects he worked on included:
*
Brisbane Boys' College
(Let Honour Stainless Be)
, established = 1902
, type = Independent, single-sex, day and boarding
, denomination = Presbyterian and Uniting Church
, slogan =
, headmaster = André Casson
, city = Toowong
, state = Queensland
, count ...
* new block at the
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) is a tertiary public hospital located in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Metro North Health, part of the Queensland Health network. The hospital has 929 b ...
in 1928
* the
RSL Club in Elizabeth Street, Brisbane
* the
Boyne River bridge at
Mundubbera
Mundubbera ( ) is a town and a locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mundubbera had a population of 1261 people.
Mundubbera is the self-proclaimed "Citrus Capital of Queensland", although this is disputed by the ...
in 1928
* the
Barambah Creek
Barambah is a rural locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
bridge at
Gayndah
Gayndah is a town and locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Gayndah had a population of 1,981 people. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region.
Geography
Gayndah is on the Burnett River and ...
* the
Downfall Creek bridge on the Redcliffe Road near
Aspley
* the swimming pool at
Somerville House
Somerville House is an independent, boarding and day school for girls, located in South Brisbane, an inner-city suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Established in 1899 as the Brisbane High School for Girls, the School was eventually nam ...
in 1923
* the
Central Buildings
The Central Buildings are a heritage-listed series of six shops located at 327 Honour Avenue, Graceville, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. They are located between Verney Road West and Rakeevan Road. They are listed on the Brisbane Heritage Regi ...
on Honour Avenue in Graceville between Verney Road West and Rakeevan Road in 1924
* the Abbotsford Road Bridge (Albion Fiveways) in (
Albion
Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...
) in 1928
* extensions to the
Church of England Grammar School
The Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), formerly the Church of England Grammar School and commonly referred to as Churchie, is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in East Brisbane, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Q ...
(
East Brisbane
East Brisbane is an inner southern suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , East Brisbane had a population of 5,934 people.
Geography
East Brisbane is located south-east of the CBD. It is mostly residential, with some ...
) in 1927
However, Walter Taylor was not content to simply build projects envisaged and designed by others. He was a man of great vision and believed that modern construction projects could bring significant benefit to Brisbane's citizens. He proposed a series of projects, many of which encountered considerable opposition politically and financially. Unlike his father, Walter was very financially savvy and often came up with innovative funding solutions for his proposed projects. For example, he door-knocked the suburbs of Chelmer and Graceville to sell subscriptions to fund the construction of the Indooroopilly Toll Bridge and then used the tolls charged to pay back the loans and the investors.
Projects that Walter Taylor proposed included:
* Graceville Methodist Church (completed, now heritage-listed)
* underground river tunnel from the Brisbane central business district to Woolloongabba (proposed 1924,
but never built, although such a tunnel, the
Clem 7, was built many years later in 2010)
* Indooroopilly Toll Bridge (opened on 14 February 1936, now the heritage-listed
Walter Taylor Bridge
The Walter Taylor Bridge is a heritage-listed suspension bridge crossing the Brisbane River between Indooroopilly and Chelmer in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is shared by motor traffic and pedestrians and is the only habitable bridge ...
)
* an underground parking station for the Brisbane central business district (proposed 1938, but never built, although a similar project,
King George Square carpark, was built in the 1970s)
Personal life
As befitting a contractor, Walter Taylor constructed himself a fine home "The Gables" at 15 Molonga Drive, Graceville, and then in 1927 another fine home "Glenrae" on the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...
at 95 Banks Street, Graceville, where he lived with his wife and daughter Thelma (until her marriage in 1928 to Victor Davis).
Walter Taylor was a devout
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
and worshipped at the Sherwood Methodist church. His older brother Albert became a Methodist minister. Walter instigated, designed and built the Graceville Methodist Church in Oxley Road, Graceville, to serve the Graceville community of Methodists. It is often regarded as one of Brisbane's prettiest churches (and very popular for weddings).
Walter and Louisa Taylor hosted many social occasions such as dances and garden parties in their home for the benefit of the church and its fund-raising. As the congregation had to borrow in order to build the Graceville Methodist Church, Walter Taylor's will provided funds to pay off the debt (following the death of his wife Louisa). His granddaughter Joan Davis was married in that Graceville Methodist Church, the service being conducted by her uncle Arthur Taylor.
His grandson Noel Davis also became a church minister (and in 2011 published a book "The Remarkable Walter Taylor" about his grandfather).
[Bridge builder's stories revealed, Ipswich Advertiser, 31 January 2011](_blank)
accessed 15 February 2011
Walter Taylor died in November 1955 and his wife Louisa in 1962.
Honours
On 28 October 2011, Walter Taylor was posthumously the recipient of
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...
's
Distinguished Constructor Award
The Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. ...
and inducted into their
Construction Hall of Fame.
References
External links
''The Remarkable Walter Taylor'' by Noel Davis, Margaret Cook, & Ralph Fones, published by the Oxley-Chelmer History Group, 2011
''Walter Taylor (contractor)'' a list of newspaper clippings and other references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Walter
People from Brisbane
1872 births
1955 deaths
Bridge engineers