In 1871 the family returned to England aboard the Yatala, which was wrecked off the coast of France en route, but without loss of life. He undertook further schooling in
Surrey, then studied architecture in London, returning to
Adelaide in 1879.[citation needed]
In 1885 Bayer left the partnership and Wells took his place. Withall and Wells were in 1885 responsible for two of Adelaide's outstanding structures: the
Adelaide Arcade and the
Jubilee Exhibition Building (demolished c. 1965), both of which sported ornamental domes.[citation needed]
In 1888 Withall and his family left for Britain,[3] never to return, and Wells ran the business alone, designing for the
Adelaide Children's Hospital (now Women's and Children's Hospital) two structures which still stand: the
heritage-listed Allan Campbell and the Angas Buildings.[4][5][6]
Other high-profile buildings for which he was responsible were:[4]
Thebarton Town Hall,
Thebarton (built from 1885, gutted by fire in 1948, with its rebuilding and restoration described as "thoroughly horrible" in 1999[8])
Wells married Gertrude E. Pollock (3 December 1860? – 8 January 1946) on 29 August 1883, living at "Rathmines" in
Collinswood; they had two sons and two daughters:[citation needed]
Alfred Cuthbert Wells (1884 – 30 December 1952) married Angelica Leslie Pooler (1888–) on 30 July 1910
Geoffrey Erskine Wells (22 January 1891 – 6 October 1917) was, as Captain Wells of
2nd AIF, killed in action, Belgium.
(Marjorie) Gertrude Wells (25 January 1888 – ) married John Digby Yeatman MM (c. January 1890 – ) on 25 September 1920. She at one time inherited a painting by
Whistler,[10] later purchased by the
Art Gallery of South Australia[11]
Audrey Hall Wells (7 July 1897 – 24 October 1953) married Capt. Oscar William Chalker MC (27 July 1894 – 10 December 1953) on 20 September 1927, lived at Oak Lodge, Mount Lofty. He died of an injury to the back of his head, presumably accidental.[citation needed]
References
^Sullivan, Christine.
"Alfred Wells". South Australian Architects Biography Project, University of South Australia. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
^Willis, J.
"Latham Augustus Withall". South Australian Architects Biography Project, University of South Australia. Retrieved 31 May 2015.