A Forger's Progress

The incredible fall, rise and demise of Francis Greenway, Australia's first government architect.

A forger and convicted felon, Francis Greenway was transported to Sydney in 1814. Only a decade later, his dreams of a 'city superior in architectural beauty to London' began to be realised as he designed Hyde Park Barracks, St James' Church, the Supreme Court, St Luke's Church in Liverpool and the Windsor courthouse.

In this first biography of Greenway since 1953 award-winning author Alasdair McGregor scrutinises the character and creative output of a man beset by contradictions and demons.

He profiles Greenway's landmark buildings, his complex and fraught relationship with Governor Lachlan Macquarie, and his thwarted ambitions and self-destruction.