Peter Nicol Russell

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Sir Peter Nicol Russell (4 July 1816 – 10 July 1905), commonly referred to as P. N. Russell, was an Australian foundry owner, manufacturing engineer and benefactor of the University of Sydney.

Early life[]

Russell was born at Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, the second son of eleven children of Robert Russell, engineer and ironfounder, and his wife Janet, née Nicol. Robert Russell and his brother Alexander operated the Kirkcaldy Foundry and Engineering Works. Russell was educated at Kirkcaldy Grammar School and joined with his father and brothers in establishing their own company, the Phoenix Foundry and Engineering Works.[1]

Career in Australia[]

The family emigrated to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) in 1832, and in 1838 moved to Sydney.[1] In 1842 Russell left the family company at Pyrmont and leased the Sydney Foundry and Engineering Works from the estate of .[2] In 1859, he re-united with his brothers George and John to form P. N. Russell and Company, which became the largest and most successful business of its kind in Australia. In 1860 Russell left for London, where he acted as London representative of the business. In 1875 the business was closed after industrial unrest. Russell's investments had prospered however, and he retired a wealthy man. He retained an interest in Australia, making several return visits, and in 1896 made a gift of £50,000 to the University of Sydney engineering school on condition that it be called the "Peter Nicol Russell School of Engineering". In 1904 he made a second gift of £50,000 to be devoted to engineering scholarships, with the proviso that the government should provide £25,000 for buildings.[1][3]

In 1859 Russell married Charlotte Lorimer, daughter of Dr Alexander Lorimer. Russell, who was knighted in 1904, died childless in London on 10 July 1905, aged 89. Under his will a total of £16,000 was left to various institutions and charities in Sydney.

Legacy[]

Following Russell's endowments totalling £100,000 to the University of Sydney, the faculty known as the Peter Nicol Russell School of Engineering opened in 1909.[1]

Russell's company, P. N. Russell and Company, constructed the heritage listed Denison Bridge at Bathurst.[4]

At East Finchley Cemetery

Memorials[]

A portrait of Russell by W. Q. Orchardson RA., hangs in the Great Hall.[1][3]

Sculptor Bertram Mackennal was commissioned to created a pair of bronze and granite Edwardian-style memorial statues in his honour.[5] The first is located at the East Finchley Cemetery in London, and is Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England.[6]

At University of Sydney

Its duplicate, presented to the University of Sydney by Russell's wife to honour his name and inspire future generations, was positioned next to the Great Hall, later relocated by the ground floor entrance of the institution named after him.[7]

Beside the grand granite and bronze monument, stands a single cast iron Ionian column, one of many such columns produced by the P. N. Russell and Co foundry.[7] This marks where a professor at the University of Sydney met Russell, a meeting that ultimately resulted in Russell's gifts to the university. It commemorates Russell, but also stands as a symbol of his legacy as an engineer and contributions to the University of Sydney.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Arthur Corbett and Ann Pugh, 'Russell, Sir Peter Nicol (1816–1905)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/russell-sir-peter-nicol-4527/text7411, published first in hardcopy 1976, accessed online 14 April 2015.
  2. ^ "The Royal Society". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 19, 431. New South Wales, Australia. 22 June 1900. p. 8. Retrieved 25 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ a b Serle, Percival (1949). "Russell, Peter Nicol". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  4. ^ NSW Heritage Branch. "about NSW – Denison Bridge". NSW Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  5. ^ Sydney Architecture. Peter Russel Memorial. Retrieved on 31 March 2015, fromhttp://www.sydneyarchitecture.com/UNI/UNI-061.htm.
  6. ^ Historic England, "Monument to Sir Peter Nicol Russell Engineer in St Marylebone Cemetery (1188637)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 October 2016
  7. ^ a b Faculty of Engineering Short History. The University of Sydney, 2002-2015. http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/about/history.shtml. Accessed 1 April 2015.

External links[]

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