A. G. Chapman

Chapman was born in Enfield, London.^[1] He married and emigrated to South Australia, arriving in Adelaide around 1854 and started working as a carpenter for Beeby & Dunstan, millers, of Grenfell Street, and had a residence in the city.

He was involved in the construction of Charles Todd's telegraph line to Port Adelaide in 1856, the MacDonnell Bridge over the Torrens to Paradise (opened 1857),^[2] and the Glenelg jetty (opened 25 April 1859).^[3] He also worked for the Railways.

He established himself as a builder and contractor, with an office in Roberts Street, later in Hutt Street. He worked on a wide range of prestigious projects, frequently for architect Daniel Garlick:

• 1869 servants' quarters at Government House^[4]
• 1870 "superior residence" for Frank Rymill on East Terrace^[5]
• 1870 Northmore's drapery, on part of the DaCosta bequest to St Peter's College^[6]
• 1870 Pulteney Street School additional building^[7]
• 1871 Four shops on Gawler place for Alexander Dowie; houses on Wakefield Street for T. English and Thomas Gattey Brown^[8]
• 1872 Northmore's shop remodelled and doubled in size^[9]
• 1872 Brown & Woods' store on Waymouth Street^[10]
• 1872 Several two-storey houses for T. English in Wakefield Street, one for C. Glover on Gilles Street, two for C. Wadey in Franklin Street, one for S. Whitmore on South Terrace, ...^[11]
• 1873 J. Calder's biscuit factory on Twin Street,
• 1874 rebuilt the guardhouse to Government House and gateway.
• 1875 Parliament House extensions^[12]
• 1875 Norwood and Kensington Institute^[13]
• 1876 further expansion of Northmore & Deans emporium, Rundle Street, also part of Wills & Co.'s store on Rundle Street.^[14]
• 1877 an Oyster saloon for G. Moseley and the Crown and Sceptre Hotel for A. Hubble,^[15] both on King William Street, also a store and factory on Waymouth Street for Bickford & Sons^[16]
• 1877 Morialta Chambers in Victoria Square and Waymouth Chambers on Waymouth Street^[17]
• 1878 Torrens Chambers, adjacent Morialta Chambers on Victoria Square.^[18]
• 1878 Academy of Music, Rundle Street^[19]
• 1878 Charles Birks emporium, Rundle Street^[20]

Each year he held a Christmas get-together of his workers, usually 20 or thirty men, for lunch with their families.^[21] Around 1880 he quit the building business.^[22]

He invested heavily in land during the boom with some success at first, later lost a great deal, and quit business.

He became a partner in W. F. Gray and Co. (with Frederik William Gray and Henry Snelling), plumbers and sheetmetal workers at the corner of Grenfell and Hyde streets,^[23] which he took over in 1891, retaining the name.^[24] The company began manufacturing "Snelling & Chapman's Little Gem Spray Pump". In 1908 Snelling sued Chapman for unpaid royalties on the device.^[25] By 1904 Chapman had taken his son Allan Chapman into partnership.^[26]

His son enlisted with the 1st AIF on 5 October 1915, giving occupation as "Master Plumber", served with the 43rd Battalion, gunshot wound January 1917 rendered him paraplegic, died at 7 AGH, Keswick, South Australia on 6 September 1917. Their son Private Alfred George Chapman (born 1899) died of wounds 18 April 1918.