Launceston. Fine old Georgian style house.
Launceston.
Fearing the French might establish a settlement there, Governor King of NSW in 1804 sent Colonel William Paterson to set up a town at Port Dalrymple in the north of VDL. It is now Georgetown on the coast. It was a difficult site so Paterson moved to the confluence of the South Esk and Tamar Rivers in 1806. Paterson called the place Launceston after the birth town of Governor King. The settlement struggled but in 1813 it was declared a free port to international shipping and the town slowly progressed. Most building in the 1820s was on the wharf where men like Reibey had their own wharves. A large penitentiary was built to provide convicts to build the town but the main early structure is the Paterson Barracks and Commissariat Store in St Johns Street which was erected in 1828. It is an austere, solid stone three storey structure. The other early building is St John’s Anglican Church which opened in 1825. It was a replica of the original St David’s neo-classical church in Hobart. Between 1901-11 the church was incorporated into a new St John’s and only the entrance porch remains visible attached to a Victorian gothic church!
The early town relied on flour mills, breweries and the wool trade for its prosperity. Two early settlers, John Batman and John Fawkner established a village across Bass Strait in 1835 called Melbourne. The arrival of the western railway in 1871 boosted the town as did two major mineral discoveries which made Launceston boom. They were the tin deposits at Mount Bischoff in the west in 1871 and gold at Beaconsfield in 1877. The wool industry was still flourishing and Waverley Woollen Mills were established in the 1870s and still operate today. By the 1880s Launceston was prosperous and held an International Exhibition in 1891. The Albert Hall was built at a cost of £14,000 to house the exhibition. Tasmanian producers exhibited as did companies from England, Germany, Austria, France, the USA and New Zealand. The competition with Hobart was strong even in those days and in 1894 Hobart also held an International Exhibition. (Melbourne had had an International Exhibition in 1880/81.)
The next factor to develop the city was the availability of cheap hydro electricity from the late 1930s which saw Coats Paton threads and textiles establish in the city ( they closed in 1997 and moved to Wangaratta in Vic.) and the railway workshops for the whole of Tasmania were built at Inveresk just outside the city centre( also now closed.) Launceston also became the first city in Australia lit by hydro-electricity back in 1895 from a generator on the river above Cataract Gorge. Big employers in Launceston today are Boags breweries, Waverley Mills and the education sector- a university campus as well as the Australian Maritime College for training mariners. Greater Launceston has a population of over 100,000 people.
Examples of the boom period of Launceston can still be seen in the outstanding late 19th century Customs House, the impressive neo-classical Town Hall, the charming 1891 Queen Victoria Museum (the city venue) and the fine stores and buildings in the CBD. The boom period also saw some grand private houses built along the hill tops of the city.
Franklin House.
Convicts built this good example of a Georgian style house in the village of Franklin. Next door is St James’ Anglican Church built in 1845. Franklin House was built for a local brewer and innkeeper in 1838 but in 1842 it was sold to Mr W. Hawkes who converted it into a school for boys. The school operated until 1866 when the house changed owners. It had a succession of owners until the National Trust bought it in 1860. Note the fine porch with Ionic Greek columns, the wonderful fan light above the door with an elliptical central piece of glass, and the string course across the facade to separate the two levels of the building. Inside the house is known for its extensive use of Australian red cedar for the doors, architraves, door frames etc. The complex has a pleasant coffee shop and gardens.
Launceston. Fine old Georgian style house.
Launceston.
Fearing the French might establish a settlement there, Governor King of NSW in 1804 sent Colonel William Paterson to set up a town at Port Dalrymple in the north of VDL. It is now Georgetown on the coast. It was a difficult site so Paterson moved to the confluence of the South Esk and Tamar Rivers in 1806. Paterson called the place Launceston after the birth town of Governor King. The settlement struggled but in 1813 it was declared a free port to international shipping and the town slowly progressed. Most building in the 1820s was on the wharf where men like Reibey had their own wharves. A large penitentiary was built to provide convicts to build the town but the main early structure is the Paterson Barracks and Commissariat Store in St Johns Street which was erected in 1828. It is an austere, solid stone three storey structure. The other early building is St John’s Anglican Church which opened in 1825. It was a replica of the original St David’s neo-classical church in Hobart. Between 1901-11 the church was incorporated into a new St John’s and only the entrance porch remains visible attached to a Victorian gothic church!
The early town relied on flour mills, breweries and the wool trade for its prosperity. Two early settlers, John Batman and John Fawkner established a village across Bass Strait in 1835 called Melbourne. The arrival of the western railway in 1871 boosted the town as did two major mineral discoveries which made Launceston boom. They were the tin deposits at Mount Bischoff in the west in 1871 and gold at Beaconsfield in 1877. The wool industry was still flourishing and Waverley Woollen Mills were established in the 1870s and still operate today. By the 1880s Launceston was prosperous and held an International Exhibition in 1891. The Albert Hall was built at a cost of £14,000 to house the exhibition. Tasmanian producers exhibited as did companies from England, Germany, Austria, France, the USA and New Zealand. The competition with Hobart was strong even in those days and in 1894 Hobart also held an International Exhibition. (Melbourne had had an International Exhibition in 1880/81.)
The next factor to develop the city was the availability of cheap hydro electricity from the late 1930s which saw Coats Paton threads and textiles establish in the city ( they closed in 1997 and moved to Wangaratta in Vic.) and the railway workshops for the whole of Tasmania were built at Inveresk just outside the city centre( also now closed.) Launceston also became the first city in Australia lit by hydro-electricity back in 1895 from a generator on the river above Cataract Gorge. Big employers in Launceston today are Boags breweries, Waverley Mills and the education sector- a university campus as well as the Australian Maritime College for training mariners. Greater Launceston has a population of over 100,000 people.
Examples of the boom period of Launceston can still be seen in the outstanding late 19th century Customs House, the impressive neo-classical Town Hall, the charming 1891 Queen Victoria Museum (the city venue) and the fine stores and buildings in the CBD. The boom period also saw some grand private houses built along the hill tops of the city.
Franklin House.
Convicts built this good example of a Georgian style house in the village of Franklin. Next door is St James’ Anglican Church built in 1845. Franklin House was built for a local brewer and innkeeper in 1838 but in 1842 it was sold to Mr W. Hawkes who converted it into a school for boys. The school operated until 1866 when the house changed owners. It had a succession of owners until the National Trust bought it in 1860. Note the fine porch with Ionic Greek columns, the wonderful fan light above the door with an elliptical central piece of glass, and the string course across the facade to separate the two levels of the building. Inside the house is known for its extensive use of Australian red cedar for the doors, architraves, door frames etc. The complex has a pleasant coffee shop and gardens.