page_title: Arthur Purnell
section_title: The China years
hierarchical_section_title: Arthur Purnell / The China years
caption_attribution_description: English: Arthur Purnell centre holding joey with pet Kangaroo, with Charles Paget on right, Canton 1908
context_page_description: William Arthur Purnell F.R.A.I.A., generally known as Arthur Purnell, and sometimes A W Purnell, was an Australian born architect who practiced in Canton, China in the 1900s, and from 1910 mainly in Melbourne, Australia. He is most noted for the few designs in Melbourne that include Chinese references.
context_section_description: In 1900 Purnell left for China, and established himself in Canton (modern Guangzhou) in 1903. In 1904 he teamed up with Charles Souders Paget (1874–1933), a civil engineer from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as Purnell & Paget, winning the competition for a new Customs House the same year, and they soon developed a busy practice. They designed numerous projects, including large buildings for the Chinese Imperial Post Office, the London Missionary Society, the Canton Christian College, the Southern Baptist Theological School, and a power station for China Light & Power, which have all been demolished as Guangzhou has been redeveloped in recent years.
  The former British and French concession Shamian Island (then known as Shameen) however is completely intact, and hosts a number of designs by the firm, as well as alterations such as extra floors. They include the Imperial Maritime Customs Building (eastern end of Central Shamian Street on the north side, with a pair of 'witches hat' towers, 1907), Griffith & Co (south west corner of North Shamian and Third Streets, c1905), Karberg & Co, (50 South Shamian Street, 1908), International Banking Co (end of Central Shamian on the north side, 1908), Deacon & Co (northwest corner of Central Shamian and Fifth, 1908). All of the designs were generally in the Far East British Colonial form known as 'compradoric', featuring multi-level verandahs supported on solid pillars or arches, with Italianate or Edwardian Baroque detailing.
  One of his designs outside Shamian to survive is the South China Cement Factory built in 1909, which was later used by Chinese Nationalist leader Sun Yat-sen as his home and headquarters from 1917-1923, and is now a museum.
  He returned briefly to Melbourne in 1908 to marry Jane Farrell. Her parents were pastoralists from Lake Monemia near Streatham, Victoria. He returned to Canton with his new wife and a pet Kangaroo and joey, as seen in a photo from 1908.
caption: Arthur Purnell with pet Kangaroo and joey Canton 1908
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