| In 1910,
Chas A Harding, the Architect for Rivers and Ports for
the Department of Public Works, New South Wales, left
public service to set up in private practice as an Architect
and Surveyor. He was soon joined by his son, John, and
the Sydney firm of Chas A Harding & Son was established.
After Charles’ death in 1916, the firm specialised
as quantity surveyors and continued through depression
and World War II working on suburban and country hotels,
schools, banks and early city buildings, including the
Hotel Australia, Sydney’s premier hotel at the
time. Before this, though, in
1852 in London, Frederick Widnell and Charles Trollope
established a practice to provide services on London’s
booming property development work and by the turn
of the 20th century had become one of the leading
firms of quantity surveyors. The firm expanded in
the 1940’s in to the Caribbean and Middle East,
in the 1970’s to Australia, Africa and Asia,
particularly Hong Kong.
The two firms merged in Australia in
1971 to expand and strengthen the footprints of both
practices. In keeping with other sister practices
around the world, the firm’s name eventually
condensed to Widnell by the mid 1990’s
In 2000, Widnell’s UK practice
merged with Currie & Brown but the two firms are
still separate entities in Australia and co-operate
from time to time, as the need arises.
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