Lancelot Harrie Leighton

01/07/1898

Lancelot Harrie Leighton Gooden was born on 8 July 1898 to Charles Harrie Gooden and Sarah Stokes of Kensington Park. His father, a civil servant and town clerk, died in a motor accident in 1906 leaving Sarah to bring up the young Lance and his brother Charles. Her father-in-law helped her establish a millinery shop on Magill Road to support the family (Gooden 1986: 6.5). Lance played lacrosse and tennis as a young man and attended Norwod High School. In 1935 he married Peg Lawton at St Matthews Church, Marryatville and although he had no natural children of his own, brought up their step-children.

Lance was articled to Herbert Louis Jackman of Garlick and Jackman, architects, on 2 March 1917. Concurrently he studied architecture at the South Australian School of Mines and Industries between 1918 and 1921. Gooden became chief draftsman at Garlick and Jackman in 1926 and became a partner of the firm, together with H.M Jackman, following H.L Jackman’s death in 1936. The name of Garlick and Jackman was retained, with H. M. Jackman as senior and Lancelot Gooden as junior partner. During World War Two Gooden worked for the Commonwealth Department of Interior and Works (Lawton 2002) rejoining the practice in 1945, which was renamed Garlick, Jackman and Gooden. The later addition of Earle Scott as a partner meant they became Jackman, Gooden and Scott. And When Brian Swan joined the practice Lance continued as senior partner of Jackman, Gooden, Scott and Swan. Lance Gooden was a member of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and was honoured by being made a Life Fellow in 1976. He was also a Registered Architect with the Architects Board of South Australia. Lance Gooden retired from practice in 1976 aged 78 and died on 17 March 1987. In 2010 the practice survives as JPE Design Studio.

While Gooden was working for Garlick and Jackman the practice designed such significant Adelaide buildings as Adelaide Railway Station, North Terrace (1926) and Hooper’s Furnishing Arcade, Hindley Street (1927-1930). The Adelaide Railway Station design had been decided by competition in 1924. According to Page, ‘Herbert Jackman’s brother Sydney was responsible for much of the design and supervision work for the new station, which as an integral part of the modernisation of the State’s railway system during the 1920s’ (1986: 160). It featured a magnificent barrel vaulted concourse and Marble Hall.

Hooper’s Furnishing Arcade was a long-time client of Garlick and Jackman Architects commissioning new premises on the corner of Hindley and Leigh Streets, Adelaide. The new building was constructed in two sections. The first, built on the western portion of the site, was commenced in July 1928 and was opened in July 1929. The ground level Hindley Street frontage featured display windows interspersed with three entrances. The first floor contained one large show room and seven smaller showrooms to display particular suites in room settings, the second floor comprised one large furniture showroom while the basement contained building services. The building was constructed of reinforced concrete and steel with brick walls and rendered with cement to resemble sandstone. A feature of the façade is the double storey height arch windows running over the first and second floors, which not only let daylight into the building but also introduced a sense of grandeur to the store.

They also designed many small commercial buildings with several clients returning and providing a steady flow of work for the business. Eudunda Farmers was one such client, with the practice designing premises in Blyth Street, Adelaide (1921), a residence at Laura (1924), premises at Balaklava (1924), Pinnaroo (1934), Renmark (1936), Barmera (1936) and Lameroo (1937). Other returning clients included the Wyatt Trust (1921-1936), and A.A. Simpson for their factory on Gawler Place, Adelaide (1922-1925). The Commercial Bank of Australia was a continuing client for Garlick and Jackman. Branches were designed at Yorketown (1930), Victor Harbor (1930) and Naracoorte (1937).

Tender notices show that residences designed by Garlick and Jackman included some at Glenelg (1921), Unley Park (1923), North Adelaide (1924), Roysten Park (1924) and Largs Bay (1924). St Mary’s Church at Glenelg was designed in 1925. Memorial Halls made up some of the practice’s work with two designed in 1923, at Ceduna and Snowtown. These were followed by the District Hall at McLaren Vale in 1932. A two storey residential hotel was designed for Naracoorte in 1929.

Following the formation of the partnership between Lance Gooden and H.M. Jackman in 1936 the practice continued works for Gooden’s former Garlick and Jackman clients including Eudunda Farmers Co-operative. Branches were designed for Gladstone (1939), Eudunda, Millicent (1939), Tailem Bend (1937), Lameroo (1937) and an extension at Renmark (1939). A drainage scheme for the Port Adelaide Racing Club at Cheltenham was undertaken in 1936. For SA Farmers Union Ltd the practice designed a cheese factory at Glencoe (1937), offices at Eyre Street, Pt Lincoln (1939), a new loading platform at Murray Bridge (1948), and additions to offices at Morphett Street, Adelaide (1948).

During World War Two the practice was seconded by the Department of Interior and Works to work on Munitions Buildings at Salisbury. In 1945 Garlick, Jackman and Gooden designed new premises for O. Heysen and Son in Wyatt Street, Adelaide and Alma Shoes’ premises, in Gray Street, Adelaide (1945-1946). In 1948, following the major fire at Charles Moore’s Department Store, Victoria Square, Adelaide, Garlick, Jackman and Gooden were called upon to prepare plans for the reinstatement of the premises. The building had originally been designed by Garlick and Jackman, the previous generation of the practice, in 1913 and was a spectacular building with colonnaded façade and grand interior surmounted with a dome. A marble staircase featured in the opulent interior.

Some of the residences designed by the practice Garlick, Jackman and Gooden include the W.W. Grasby house, Fullarton Road, Netherby (1941) and the S.R. Giles house, Wattle Park (1952). In 1951 a residence was designed for partner H.M Jackman, at North Adelaide. Into the 1950s the practice was kept busy with works for some of Adelaide well-known businesses, such as a bulk store in York Lane, Adelaide for Malcolm Reid & Co. Ltd. in 1951. Farmers’ Co-op Executors & Trustees Ltd. commissioned extensions to their Bentham Street premises in Adelaide in 1963 from Jackman, Gooden & Scott, as did the Commercial Bank when they needed alterations to their premises in King William Street, Adelaide (1963).

Julie Collins

Citation details
Collins, Julie, ‘Gooden, Lancelot Harrie Leighton', Architecture Museum, University of South Australia, 2008, Architects of South Australia: [http://www.architectsdatabase.unisa.edu.au/arch_full.asp?Arch_ID=100]