William Robert Guilfoyle

Brief description

William Guilfoyle was curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne from 1873 to 1909. During his time as curator, he oversaw the expansion of the garden's parameters and the conversion of swamps to lakes. He was a successor to Ferdinand von Mueller in this role. Before taking up this position he designed numerous public, domestic and homestead gardens mainly in Victoria, and also accompanied Commodore Lambert to the South Sea Islands (1868). He also authored several text books on botany.

Full description

William Robert Guilfoyle (1840-1912), landscape gardener and botanist, was born on 8 December 1840 at Chelsea, England, son of Michael Guilfoyle (d.1884), nurseryman, and his wife Charlotte, née Delafosse,...

William Guilfoyle was born in 1840 in Chelsea, England. His father migrated to Sydney with his family in 1853 and set up several successful nurseries. After private teaching, Guilfoyle attended Lyndhurst College where he was encouraged to study botany. After graduating he made several tours to northern New South Wales and Queensland collecting specimens and in 1868 he joined the scientific staff of H.M.S. Challenger in the scientific expedition through the South Sea Islands. In 1873, Guilfoyle succeeded Von Mueller when he was appointed curator at the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. Inspired by the tropical landscapes he had observed on his tours, Guilfoyle extended and remodelled the gardens, transformed a billabong into a series of lakes, created the Temple of the Winds and designed several summer houses and kiosks. Guilfoyle also managed Government House land and the outer domain. Also renowned for designing private gardens, most notably Dame Nellie Melba's garden. Guilfoyle retired in 1909 and died three years later in 1912.