William Hardwick

W.B Hardwick
General Post Office, Perth
Born	William Burden Hardwick December 1860 Rylstone, New South Wales
Died	2 October 1941 South Perth, Western Australia
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Architect
Practice	Principal Architect (Western Australia)
Buildings	Northam Senior High School (1921) Bunbury Senior High School (1923) Albany Senior High School (1924)
Design	Old Modernians War Memorial (1922)

William Burden Hardwick (1860 – 1941), often referred to professionally as W.B. Hardwick, was an Australian architect who from 1917 until 1927 was Principal Architect of the Public Works Department in Western Australia.The Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture refers to Hardwick as being "well known for continuing the high standards of design in public buildings established during the gold boom, particularly in hospitals, schools and post offices throughout the state".

Hardwick was born in Rylstone, New South Wales, the son of Rebecca (née White) and John William Hardwick (1826 - 1891). In 1852, at the age of 26, his father had migrated to Australia with £1,000. On arrival he travelled the south eastern states and sketched the sites as he went. He established a general store in Rylstone and married in 1856. William Burden was the third of ten children and he took his paternal grandfather's first name as his first name and his maternal grandmother's maiden name as his middle name.

In 1873, at 12 years of age, Hardwick commenced senior education, in Sydney, as a boarding student of Newington College. His older brothers, George and Edward, had started there as boarders two years earlier. The College was then still at Newington House on the Parramatta River and his years at Newington coincided with the Presidency of the Reverend Joseph Horner Fletcher. After leaving school, Hardwick served his articles in architecture in private practice in Victoria and worked in that state until the Australian banking crisis of 1893 when he moved to Western Australia.

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