Despite his arrival in Sydney in 1814 as a convict for forgery, Englishman Francis Greenway was appointed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie as the Civil Architect for New South Wales. One of his several commissions was to design a courthouse that quickly was refocused to become St James’ Church serving the Anglican Church of Australia. Construction of the Georgian structure began in 1819 using convict labor and was consecrated in 1824. The namesake is James the Great, one of the Twelve Apostles. Interestingly, both the architect and the church’s spire have been featured on Australian currency.