Leslie Wilkinson (1882-1973)
English born Leslie Wilkinson arrived in Sydney in 1919 and established the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Sydney. His residential designs were completed mostly in the 1920s and 1930s and are found throughout the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, as well as the Upper North Shore and the NSW Southern Highlands.
Wilkinson’s designs embody a sense of fun, using a mix of Mediterranean white or soft pastel walls, Spanish detailing and Georgian sash windows with shutters. Wilkinson admired the scale and proportion of Mediterranean architecture, and favoured their use of loggias over the more typical Australian verandahs. He thought the style was particularly well-suited to the hot and dry climate of Sydney.
Wilkinson’s own family home, Greenway at Vaucluse, was a clear embodiment of those ideals, sitting on the very back boundary, presenting a welcoming garden to the street.
Hallmarks of Wilkinson Residential Design:
- Mediterranean aesthetic
- Rendered brick exterior painted with cement based paints
- Private lawns and terraces
- Shuttered Georgian-style windows, often opening down into a cavity below
- Timber painted shutters
- Recessed porches and arcades
