30/07/2026
Flashback Friday 🔦
Celebrating 180 Years of Hudson
{Part One}
The Hudson name has been part of Australia’s building story for almost 180 years.
It began in 1846, when William Henry Hudson arrived in Sydney with his wife Elizabeth and their children. A skilled joiner by trade, William brought with him the craft, work ethic and determination that would become the foundation of the Hudson name.
Sydney was growing fast, and skilled trades were in high demand. William quickly earned a reputation for quality workmanship, producing detailed timber pieces and taking on specialist joinery contracts across the city. From church interiors to major building projects, Hudson craftsmanship became known for being dependable, well-made and built to last.
By the 1850s, William had established a shop in Botany Street, Redfern. Its location, close to the new railway and access routes to Sydney Harbour, placed the business right in the middle of a growing construction and transport network. As Sydney expanded, so did Hudson.
By 1863, the business had become Hudson and Sons, with William’s sons joining the operation. The family business continued to invest in new machinery, transforming from a traditional joinery shop into a large-scale steam joinery. Within a decade, Hudson Brothers had become one of the largest operations of its kind in the colonies, supplying both local and imported timber to a fast-growing market.
Hudson was never just a timber business. It was a business built around solving the needs of builders, trades and communities.
First Image - Hudson's Old Joinery Works
Second Image - The Pulpit for St. Paul's, Redfern. Fine example of Hudson Brothers Craftsmanship
