Born into lowly circumstances in London's East End in 1823 William Wilkinson Wardell became one of Australia's greatest architects whose crowning works are his two cathedrals, St Mary's in Sydney and St Patrick's in Melbourne. In this first major biography of Wardell, Evans reveals for the first time his early life and influences at home in a Workhouse, his apprenticeship at sea, and his work in England and Scotland where he was responsible for over twenty much admired churches, schools, and private houses.