Cherry, William

CHERRY, William (1843–1904) was born at Balfron, Stirlingshire, Scotland, eldest and only son of David Cherry, a “master baker employing 3 men”, and Janet McGeachie. In 1851 he was living at Rothsay but moved to Glasgow where he served his apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner and in 1870 married Margaret Macpherson. For three years from 1870 he was employed as a foreman joiner by John McArthur, of Bishop Garden Saw Moulding Mills and Steam Joinery Works, for erection of: the Conservative Club, Glasgow; the Sun Foundry, Glasgow; the British Dynamite Company’s Works, Ardeer, Ayrshire; and the Steel Company of Scotland’s Works at Hallside. From 1872, he was clerk of works for various Scottish architects: David Bryce (1803-1876), Edinburgh: the Scottish baronial Ballikinrain Castle, Mansion house for Sir A Orr Ewing, Stirlingshire; James Hamilton (c1826-1894), Glasgow: the Italianate villa, Dunlambert House, Fortwilliam, Belfast for Henry Matier; A Maitland & Sons, Tain: the Gothic St Ninian’s Free Church, Nairn, 1880; and Alexander Ross (1834-1925), Inverness: Caledonian Hotel, 1881 and business premises for Mr McDonald, wine merchant, both Inverness. While clerk of works for Hamilton’s Dunlambert House, Fortwilliam, two daughters were born at Belfast in September 1874 and March 1876. In 1881, he was listed as a clerk of works living at Nairn, Scotland. The family migrated to Queensland, departing from Liverpool in November 1882 and arriving at Brisbane in February 1883 where he worked as a patternmaker for the founders JW Sutton & Co. From 1885 he was employed as an experienced clerk of works by FDG STANLEY. In December 1885, Cherry was appointed temporarily to start work in mid-January 1886 to oversee construction of JJ CLARK’s Warwick Court House but the appointment may not have survived Clark’s dismissal in December 1885, or was of short-duration or Cherry chose to remain with Stanley for whom he supervised major buildings at Townsville, Rockhampton: Bundaberg, Maryborough and in many in Brisbane. Cherry remained with Stanley until 1891 before working for the engineering firms of Frank COXON for a year and a half, and WILDRIDGE & SINCLAIR for three years. In 1897 Cherry was appointed as foreman of works by the Brisbane Municipal Council. When his predecessor A Ferguson was reappointed in 1900, Cherry applied unsuccessfully for a position in the Government Architect’s Office before resuming work with Frank Coxon at Birt & Co’s meatworks at Murarrie. Cherry was living at Lisson Grove, Wooloowin when he died.