John Beswicke

John went to Geelong Grammar School and in 1862 was apprenticed to the firm Crouch & Wilson at age 16, where he continued to work for 18 years, finishing as head assistant.

[2] Amongst his prolific output was a series of grand houses in Harcourt Street in Hawthorn, many for his family, from the 1870s to 1900; of 15 buildings built in this area, 14 are still standing.

His father Charles had bought land in Harcourt Street in 1873 and moved from Geelong into a house at No 5, which John designed while he was still at Crouch & Wilson ('Les Avents', later 'Carn Brae', altered in the 1920s[3]).

[4] One of these was the Australian Property and Investment Co; he had designed houses and subdivisions for one of the directors, and his brother in law had been a manager.

He designed a number of notable shop/ office/ residence blocks in a distinctive eclectic style that included polychrome brickwork with cement render classical details over three storeys; there are two such blocks in Auburn Village in Hawthorn, on Auburn Road, near Burwood Road, and a larger one on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.