Editing Percy Grainger (section)

=== Family background ===
[[File:Princes Bridge Melbourne 01a.jpg|thumb|Princes Bridge, Melbourne, designed by John Grainger]]
Grainger was born on 8 July 1882 in [[Brighton, Victoria|Brighton]], south-east of Melbourne. His father, [[John Harry Grainger|John Grainger]], an English-born architect who had emigrated to Australia in 1877, won recognition for his design of the [[Princes Bridge]] across the [[Yarra River]] in Melbourne;<ref name= ADB>{{cite web|last= Dreyfus|first= Kay|url= http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090072b.htm|title= Grainger, George Percy (1882–1961)|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography online |year= 2006}}</ref> His mother Rose Annie Aldridge was the daughter of Adelaide hotelier [[James Henry Aldridge|George Aldridge]].<ref name= Bird2>Bird, pp. 2–6</ref>

John Grainger was an accomplished artist, with broad cultural interests and a wide circle of friends.<ref name= Simon2 /> These included [[David Mitchell (builder)|David Mitchell]], whose daughter Helen later gained worldwide fame as an operatic [[soprano]] under the name [[Nellie Melba]]. John's claims to have "discovered" her are unfounded, although he may have offered her encouragement.<ref>Bird, p. 9</ref> John was a heavy drinker and a womaniser who, Rose learned after the marriage, had fathered a child in England before coming to Australia. His promiscuity placed deep strains upon the relationship. Rose discovered shortly after Percy's birth that she had contracted a form of [[syphilis]] from her husband.<ref name= Bird2 /><ref name= Simon2 /> Despite this, the Graingers stayed together until 1890, when John went to England for medical treatment. After his return to Australia, they lived apart. Rose took over the work of raising Percy,<ref>Bird, pp. 14–15</ref> while John pursued his career as chief architect to the Western Australian Department of Public Works. He had some private work, designing Nellie Melba's home, Coombe Cottage, at [[Coldstream, Victoria|Coldstream]].<ref name= ADB />