Mother Mary helps son Robert Thomas fund early project on way to being South Australian government architect
Architect Robert George Thomas started his Adelaide practice with projects such as Stow Memorial Church in Flinders Street, Adelaide city (pictured in 1870), leading to him being appointed South Australian government architect with enduring works such as the Parkside Lunatic Asylum (later Adelaide film studios), bottom right, and the supreme court building.
Mary Thomas, matriarch of the pioneer family that arrived with the first fleet of South Australian European settlers in 1836, helped her son Robert George Thomas become one of Adelaide’s most prominent 19th Century architects.
In 1864, Mary Thomas mortgaged town acre 56 in Hindley Street, Adelaide city, part of the property bought by her husband Robert in 1837, to raise her funds to help her son Robert with his second big Adelaide project: the Stow Memorial Church in Flinders Street. Thomas's first big contract was to design and oversee the Flinders Street Baptist Church, with its first serivce in 1863. He designed another Baptist chapel, completed the next year, in Alberton.
With help from his mother’s loan, Thomas embarked on designing the major Stow Memorial Church project (later Pilgrim Uniting Church), with Alexander hay laying the foundation stone in 1865, with its first services in 1867.
Thomas was appointed South Australian assistant government architect in 1866 as deputy to government engineer William Hanson. Shortly after, the department was reorganised and he was designated government architect at a salary of £600 per annum. His achievements during this time included supreme court building, Magill orphanage, Mount Gambier hospital, the Sailors' Home at Port Adelaide and Parkside Lunatic Asylum.
Thomas oversaw construction of Adelaide general post office, designed by Wright, Woods and Hamilton. To save costs, Thomas had to redesign the tower at a resuced height. The government architect position was abolished in 1870 and Thomas returned to private practice. His most substantial building designs during this time were St Augustine’s (Anglican) church on Unley Road, Unley (1864) and the Port Adelaide Institute on Commercial Road, Port Adelaide (1875). Lack of finance meant the foundation stone for St. Augustine's wasn’t laid until 1869 and its supervising architect was Thomas English.
Elected a fellow of the Royal Institution of British Architects in 1866, Robert Thomas also was a fine amateur artist, with watercolors his specialty. Thomas served as secretary to the central board of health from 1874 and died at home in Unley after a protracted illness.
