Bradfield

Dr John Job Crew Bradfield

(1867 – 1943)

The general design of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was prepared by Dr J.J.C Bradfield and officers of the NSW Department of Public Works.

John Job Crew Bradfield was born on Rainbow Street in Sandgate, Queensland on 26th December 1867. He went to North Ipswich Public School and Ipswich Grammar School. In 1889 Bradfield was awarded a Bachelor of Engineering and a master of Engineering in 1896 with First Class Honors.

Bradfield joined the New South Wales Department of Public works in 1891, where in 1912 he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Metropolitan Railway Construction.

During the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Dr Bradfield checked and supervised all parts of the design and construction. In 1932 at the opening of the Bridge, the Governor, Sir Philip Game named the road linking the City and Northern Suburbs, ‘The Bradfield Highway’.

When the Bridge opened, Dr Bradfield was 64 years old. He retired from Public Service in 1933; however, he acted as a consulting engineer on projects such as the Story Bridge and the St Lucia Bridge in Brisbane.

Dr Bradfield passed away in September 1943 and is buried in the cemetery of St. John's Church of England, Gordon NSW.