John Watts (military architect)

Irish military officer and architect

John Cliffe Watts (7 May 1786 – 28 March 1873) was an Irish military officer and architect who designed some of the first permanent public buildings in the young British colony of New South Wales, and who also later became Postmaster General in South Australia, where he was commonly referred to as "Captain Watts".

Watts was born in the village of Sallins, County Kildare Ireland to Charles Watts and his wife Margaret (née Boyse). He had seven brothers who, like him, all joined the army as commissioned officers; five of them (including him) reached the rank of captain. His education was completed by 1802, and thereafter he worked for a short time at a bank in Dublin, and then in a firm of architects for approximately 18 months.

On 24 July 1804 he was commissioned into the army as an ensign in the 64th Regiment of Foot, which was at that time stationed in the West Indies. In 1805 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and transferred to the 46th Regiment. During January and February 1810 he was involved in the action which, on 4 February 1810, took the island of Guadeloupe from the French. He returned to England with the 46th Regiment in 1811, where they were assigned garrison duty on Jersey until 16 June 1812; they were then on duty on the Isle of Wight until August 1813.

In August 1813 the 46th Regiment was ordered to proceed to the colony of New South Wales to relieve the 73rd Regiment of Foot which, under the leadership of Major General Lachlan Macquarie, had forcibly deported their predecessors, the corrupt New South Wales Corps. The 46th Regiment travelled in three ships, Windham and General Hewitt, departing England on 23 August 1813, and followed three months later by Three Bees. Watts travelled on Windham, and arrived in Sydney on 11 February 1814. On 3 June 1814 he was appointed aide de camp to the Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, and became a family friend to Macquarie and his wife Elizabeth. Watts supported Governor Macquarie's attempts to integrate emancipists into free society, however this was resisted by many free settlers and members of the military, including Watts' own commanding officer Colonel George Molle, of the 46th Regiment. Governor Macquarie wrote to Lord Bathurst (Secretary of State for War and the Colonies) and the Duke of York (the second son of King George III) criticising the insubordinate behaviour of the various military officers who refused to attend civil functions which were attended by emancipists. Macquarie also listed the names of loyal and well behaved officers in his letters, which included the name of his aide de camp, John Watts. Watts lived with the Macquaries for five years, and was warmly regarded by them as one of the family.

The Governor was a prolific builder and, as the colony had a serious shortage of architects and engineers, he soon made use of Watts' architectural skills, asking him to design a new military hospital to be built on what is now called Observatory Hill in Sydney. This building later functioned as Fort Street High School from at 1849 to 1975, and today is the headquarters of the New South Wales branch of the National Trust of Australia. The inner core of this building remains behind the later Victorian facade. Watts' successful completion of his first assignment led to more, many of which were based around the new inland settlement of Parramatta. In 1815 16 he worked on the repair and enhancement of Government House at Parramatta. He also designed a hospital at Parramatta 1817–18, a military barracks 1818 20, added two steeples to St John's Church at Parramatta 1818–19, worked on repairs to the road and bridges between Sydney and Parramatta, and the construction of a dam across the Parramatta River in 1818. Mrs Macquarie considered the improved water supply to Parramatta to be Watts' greatest achievement, as up to that time Parramatta had tended to suffer from a lack of drinking water in summer. He worked closely with Mrs Elizabeth Macquarie on the modifications to St John's Church and Government House at Parramatta, and is listed as one of those who accompanied the Macquaries on their tours to Bathurst in 1815, and to the Cowpastures area (in the vicinity of modern Camden) in the same year.

When Governor Macquarie's illegitimate nephew, the rakish Hector Macquarie arrived in New South Wales on 14 April 1818, Watts offered to relinquish his position, to allow Hector Macquarie to become the Governor's new aide de camp. This offer was rejected by Lachlan Macquarie, who encouraged Watts to write to England to seek promotion. After eight months with no reply, Watts resigned as aide de camp, and the Governor granted his request for a two year leave of absence from his regiment and duty, so that he could travel to England to follow up on his letter. The Governor publicly gave Watts his "best thanks" for his "architectural services and Taste", in an announcement in the Sydney Gazette, published on 2 January 1819. Their youngest daughter, Jane, married B. T. Solly, Private Secretary to the Governor of Tasmania. He retired on 29 June 1861 and was succeeded by James William Lewis, then in 1870 the Post Office was amalgamated with the Telegraph Office and Charles Todd was appointed as its head. He was an active member of the Aborigines' Friends' Association. Captain Watts died at the Bagot home "Nurney House" between Kingston Terrace and Stanley Street, North Adelaide in 1873, aged almost 87 years.