G.D. Coleman
| George Drumgoole Coleman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1795 Drogheda County Louth Ireland |
| Died | March 27, 1844 (aged 48–49) Coleman House, Singapore |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse(s) |
Takoye Manuk (m. 1829–1844) Maria Frances Vernon (m. 1842–1844) |
| Children | Meda Elizabeth Coleman (daughter) George Vernon Coleman Napier (son) |
| Parent(s) | James Coleman |
| Buildings |
Caldwell House Armenian Church St Andrew's Cathedral (first church, demolished) Old Parliament House Istana Kampong Glam (alleged) Coleman House (demolished) |
| Projects |
Old Christian Cemetery Raffles Institution |
| Design |
Residency House (demolished) Telok Ayer Market (second market, demolished) |
George Drumgoole Coleman (1795 – 27 March 1844), also known as George Drumgold Coleman, was an Irish civil architect who played an instrumental role in the design and construction of much of the civil infrastructure in early Singapore, after it was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. Only a few of his buildings have survived in Singapore, most notably Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Maxwell's House (later expanded into the Old Parliament House), and Caldwell House.
George Drumgoole Coleman was born in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland, he was the son of James Coleman, a merchant, part of whose business was dealing in building materials. Coleman was trained as a civil architect.
In 1815, at the age of 19 years, he left Ireland for Calcutta, India, where he set up as an architect designing private houses for the merchants of Fort William. In 1819, he was invited, through his patron John Palmer, to build two churches in Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. The churches were never built, but Coleman spent two years working in Java.
Coleman then obtained an introduction to Sir Stamford Raffles from Palmer in Calcutta, and travelled to Singapore, arriving in June 1822. Coleman was responsible, as advisor to Raffles, for the draft layout of Singapore in 1822. He planned the centre of the town, created roads, and constructed many fine buildings. Raffles was away in Sumatra at the time, but Coleman also set about designing for him the Residency House of timber with a thatched roof. On his return, Raffles approved the house, construction of which was begun in November of the same year on Singapore Hill and completed in January 1823. Under John Crawfurd own expense, Coleman would later extended and redesigned the house for residence of Residents and Governors of Singapore. Raffles also commissioned Coleman to design a garrison church. However, the church was not built. Coleman oversaw the works at the Christian Cemetery which was built on the slope of the hill on the late 1822.
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