Creating Sydney's Public Buildings

Edmund Thomas Blacket (1817 - 1883), who arrived in Sydney in 1842, was regarded as the pre-eminent architect of mid-19th century New South Wales.

Blacket was best known for his impressive public buildings and his Gothic-inspired churches and residences. Some of his surviving architectural masterpieces include the impressive Great Hall at the University of Sydney, St Stephen's Church at Newtown, St Thomas' at North Sydney, All Saints' at Woollahra, and the famous St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney. Indeed, the Anglican Church was one of his most significant clients.

The State Library's collections of Blacket's important work includes over 3,000 architectural plans, drawings, specifications, correspondence, papers, sketchbooks and his own personal drawing box.

Sketchbook of EdMUND Blacket's Journey Out to Australia

'I went early this morning to take a sketch of a door of a church, for they excel in doors before all other parts of the building. Also, I finished one that I had begun of the Convent of Theresa.' [Edmund Blacket, 12 August 1842]

This is just a taste of what lies in Blacket's personal sketchbook, one of the treasures held by the State Library. In it you'll find original sketches of buildings drawn by Blacket on his journey out to Australia in 1842. Once in Sydney, he immediately begins recording what he sees around him - from public buildings and churches through to modern residences.

> View Edmund Blacket's entire sketchbook via the Library's online catalogue