Mid North Coast Pioneers - Newcastle to Lismore and beyond

A Stalwart of the building

Herbert C. Hudson— Life

Another stalwart of the building industry of Australia has passed to his great reward. On Wedneslay last master builders of New South Wales were shocked to hear of the death of Herbert C. Hudson, who, as a member of the firm of Loveridge and Hudson, was responsible for erection of some of Sydney's finest buildings.

It was as a chum at school that Herbert Hudson first became associated with his friend, partner, and brother in law, Thomas Loveridge, who passed away in December last, and to whom a tribute was paid in these columns at the time. The link that the two boys formed at school was sufficiently strong to endure for life without a break, and after they left school, both went to serve their apprenticeship under that luminary of the building industry, Aaron Loveridge. At the end of their apprenticeship they decided to start business in partnership for themselves, and so the great firm of Loveridge and Hudson was formed, with capital of about £200. Their first contract, which they carried out succcsfully, was a residence at Blackheath for John Pope, Farmer and Co. They aimed high, but. took their steps gradually, and their next work was a masonry work sub-contract on the United Insurance Building, under master builder A. Dtl and architects Morell and Kemp. Then, followed a similar contract on the Commercial Bank of Australia, at the corner of Pitt and Rowe Streets, under master builder Arthur Scott and architects Mansfield Bros. With the experiences of these works to guide them it was not long before they blossomed into big work. They secured a contract for the erection of the Hampden Bridge over the Kangaroo River, on the road from Moss Vale to Nowra, and, haying completed it successfully, the young builders passed from one success to another, the most outstanding of which was probably the erection of the Equitable Building, in George Street, Sydney, under architect Edward E. Raht, supervised by John Reid, who was also architect for another of their successes, the Bank of Australasia on the corner of Martin Place and George, Street. The erection of the Equitable Building was considered one of the building achievements of the age, and it speaks volumes for its design and construction that it is still one of the outstanding buildings of Sydney, though built as far back as 1893. In the Romanesque style of architecture, and

NATIONAL ART GALLERY, SYDNEY

This fine structure was one of the works carried out by the firm of Loveridge and Hudson, being designed by the late Colonel Vernon.

REGISTRAR GENERAL'S BUILDING, SYDNEY Masonry Details of the Gable End

Some of the finest pieces of masonry construction in Sydney were the result of the labours of Master Builders Loveridge and Hudson, not the least of which are the simple but graceful bits of construction in the building of the Registrar- General, of which those depicted above are typical.