Well, hopefully the bugs have been ironed out of this system and I can get on with things again without spending hours trying to sort margins and upload photos. Fingers crossed!
Before resuming our roam around New Norfolk, I should like to briefly return to the subject of the Bush Inn which featured in my last offering. I did mention that this was built by one Anne Bridger, but did not pursue her story beyond that.
By the time I had investigated this further, the gremlins had taken over and I was unable to insert the tale of this remarkable woman. I know I have vowed to be more circumspect in the information I provided in these missives, but this is one tale well worth the telling.
And again, I am completely indebted to Geoff Richie and his blog 'On The Convict Trail' (you may remember he most graciously allowed me to use his photos of the interior of the Royal Tennis Courts in Hobart). Let me now quote directly from his offering relating to Anne Bridger and the Bush Inn:
"As originally built, the Bush Inn at New Norfolk was a typically English Inn of the nineteenth century. 1823 the arrival of a most extraordinary woman, Ann Bridger, who would within a year be the proprietor of the Black Snake Inn, and a year later be destined to play a major role in the lives of so many people in the young town of New Norfolk, and in the development of the town itself. Ann Bridger, a widow, bought with her from England her son, Henry, and two daughters, £500 ($1,000) in cash and £200 ($400) in ‘various merchandise for investing in agricultural pursuits’, and a desire to succeed.
In the early days of the Inn, its rooms were used by many different local groups as it was the only substantial building in town at the time. A group of devout Methodists from the local area used to hold their services in the taproom of the hotel and the taproom was the meeting place for the group who gathered to discuss the building of a toll bridge to cross the Derwent. That was in 1838 and the first bridge was built in 1841. The Bush Inn also enjoyed Vice Royal patronage with Sir John and Lady Franklin being frequent visitors. Lady Franklin visited the hotel in 1837 after a boat trip from Hobart and planted a pear tree in the hotel's garden. The tree still bears fruit to this day."
By the time I had investigated this further, the gremlins had taken over and I was unable to insert the tale of this remarkable woman. I know I have vowed to be more circumspect in the information I provided in these missives, but this is one tale well worth the telling.
And again, I am completely indebted to Geoff Richie and his blog 'On The Convict Trail' (you may remember he most graciously allowed me to use his photos of the interior of the Royal Tennis Courts in Hobart). Let me now quote directly from his offering relating to Anne Bridger and the Bush Inn:
"As originally built, the Bush Inn at New Norfolk was a typically English Inn of the nineteenth century. 1823 the arrival of a most extraordinary woman, Ann Bridger, who would within a year be the proprietor of the Black Snake Inn, and a year later be destined to play a major role in the lives of so many people in the young town of New Norfolk, and in the development of the town itself. Ann Bridger, a widow, bought with her from England her son, Henry, and two daughters, £500 ($1,000) in cash and £200 ($400) in ‘various merchandise for investing in agricultural pursuits’, and a desire to succeed.
It didn’t take long before Anne Bridger had entered into a business in her adopted homeland, as the proprietor of the Black Snake Inn at Granton. The inn had a reputation as being ‘a shady thieves’ kitchen’, but before long Mrs Bridger had transformed the inn to a respectable Public House. It was known as the ‘halfway house’ to those who journeyed to New Norfolk. New Norfolk was one of the fastest growing areas of the Colony, and an astute business woman like Mrs Bridger would have looked upon that as a potential opportunity for making money. This opportunity was realized when she decided to move her business and family there in 1825, to build the hotel still bearing the name of the Bush Inn, Australia’s oldest continually licensed hotel.
The name Bridger will feature again shortly, but for now it's back to Arthur Square, or at least its surrounds. Standing in Bathurst Street, near the far end of High Street and looking over the square, is probably what could be classified as NN's most recognised and famous old building.
Here we are looking at the oldest church building in Tasmania. St Matthew's Anglican church was built 1824, and as you can see has been wonderfully maintained. Here the fledgling colony's chaplain, the Rev Robert Knopwood, took to the pulpit regularly (he actually used to bring his own...pulpit that is, and it is now to be found next door in The Close).
Not too far behind the construction of this place of worship came its ancillary building, The Close, which was erected in 1866 to serve as a Parish Hall and the Anglican Sunday School (and is, like many buildings in NN, very difficult to photograph behind its screen of beautiful trees)
This building has also been marvellously preserved and maintained. In the front gardens I spotted this collection of what appeared initially to be a collection of old, grey stones. Well, that's exactly what they were, but they did have a history
as the equally grey and faded plaque attached to one of these grooved stones explained.
It did strike me as a little odd that these important monuments to early life in NN should have been placed here in the gardens of The Close, but perhaps the good burghers of this town were trying to emphasise the importance of maintaining the good health of both body and soul!
By 1892 the need for a travelling preacher was no more, when The Rectory was built on the corner of Bathurst and Pioneer Streets at the opposite end of Arthur Square to the church. This was for many years the home of the rector of St Matthew's, but is now a private residence.
As I tried to photograph the delightful gardens which surround this imposing mansion as unobtrusively as possible,
and snapped this shot of the upper floors towering over the surrounding greenery, I was again struck by the extraordinary importance the early settlers of this State placed on religious practice. I mean, this was without doubt one of the grandest homes in the town, and whilst I am in no way implying that the good rector was not entitled to a comfortable lifestyle, a home of this grandeur (and expense) did strike me as a little at odds with the notion of the humble piety of the profession. Ah, status...perhaps that's the answer!
Eardley Cottage, built in 1843 and named after Governor Sir Eardley Wilmont,
is surrounded by another delightful NN garden, and overlooks Arthur Square from Pioneer Street. And guess who commissioned its construction.....Eliza Bridger, daughter of the licensee of the Bush Inn.
The land on which this now magnificently restore cottage stands was granted to Eliza in 1827. She sold the cottage to the Wesleyan Church in 1862 when it became the church parsonage, a role it maintained until sold into private hands in 1936.
As Geoff Richie has noted, it is interesting that the publican Bridger family would sell their cottage to the fiercely temperate Wesleyans. What I find more surprising is that they would have bought it.....clearly moral principles did not stand in the way of a good deal, or did the Wesleyans have a cunning plan to buy the Bridgers out of town?
And whilst on the subject of pubs, a quick dash to the opposite side of Arthur Square brought us to another of NN's early hostelries, the Star and Garter Hotel.
As is obvious, this building is a far cry from what it was when built in 1831 when it served as the depot for the arrival and departure of the coaches of the Royal mail, but it remains a licenced hotel. We did poke our enquiring noses in here at one stage for one obligatory drink and soon left. That probably serves to comment on what we found inside.....nothing of any interest whatsoever. Give us the Bush Inn any day (and the same went for the nearby New Norfolk Hotel....sadly sterile).
Adjacent to The Star and Garter, Rockhampton House is another of NN's oldest buildings which has undergone many alterations since it was erected in 1830.
This front of house plaque served to explain why this NN building in High Street is know locally as 'Saints and Sinners'.
Now, before I bore you all to death with NN history, we must take a quick jaunt to The Avenue, a street on the south-western side of the old town
where the street entrance is still marked by this set of old gates.
The Avenue's significance lies in the fact that it was here in 1827 that construction of Willow Court began, a military barrack style building originally conceived by Governor Arthur to house invalid convicts (I could not help wondering what part the treatment meted out to these poor transported souls might have played in their reduction to invalidity).
It was so named because Lady Franklin (she certainly got about did the good Lady F) planted a willow in the courtyard of the building. This willow in itself was of great historical significance in that it was a slip taken from the willow tree planted at the grave of Napoleon. Unfortunately it has not survived.
The occupancy of this site predates that of the Port Arthur convict settlement and over the years following its completion, the use of the original Willow Court building was expanded to include housing the intellectually handicapped and the insane amongst the convict ranks.
During the 1850s it was taken over by the Colonial Government. From then on the numbers of its inmates expanded rapidly, as penal institutions started to close down across the colony and their invalids were sent to this New Norfolk institution.
With this expanded use came both extensive additional buildings and various name changes.....Lunatic Asylum, New Norfolk 1829 – 1859, Hospital For The Insane, New Norfolk, 1859 – 1915, Mental Diseases Hospital, New Norfolk 1915 – 1937, Lachlan Park Hospital 1937 - 1968 and Royal Derwent Hospital 1968 - 2000.
Willow Court (aka everything else) underwent a series of constant changes and development from 1830 until its closure in 2000. At its busiest this institution held approximately 1500 patients, and of course the extraordinary expansion of patient load
created the demand for more staff, which in turn led to the building of quarters for the nursing staff.
This is one wing of this impressive building
which together with the other main wing surrounded a central courtyard area.
The Royal Derwent Hospital (as it now was) was closed in late 2000, as smaller community-sited care institutes proceeded rapidly, and it could no longer be funded by the Tasmanian State Government. At this time it was the oldest mental hospital on its original site in Australia (just another example of the plethora of Tassie's 'first', 'oldest' or 'longest running' Australian buildings or institutions!).
So, after a period in which this whole area operated like a small village, today much of the site lies derelict. The buildings having been the subject of both vandalism and two separate arson attacks in 2008 and 2010,
although amid the destruction we did spy one window in the old main building where a someone with a sense of humour has been concerned enough to make this statement!
Many sections of the old site have been sold. The large nurses' quarters now operates as a boutique shopping centre.
Adjacent to the original barracks building the sprawling Agrarian Kitchen, self described as an 'eatery and store'
clearly caters to those with deep pockets as this small example of the posted menu so amply demonstrates. For $110 I would want a very large share of the pork!
On the other side of the complex, a much more modest cafe caters for those with a more limited budget,
whilst yet another section of the area is given over to the Willow Court antique centre,
where this open area is now home to a collection of vehicular junk
and this very odd looking pond, complete with its fish statue and one of 'a thinker' overlooking the whole area from the bushes. All a bit weird really!
I am pleased to be able to report that the local authorities are now taking a much more proactive approach to the restoration and retention of much of this site, one which is of real historical significance.
Interestingly, the establishment of this facility and its longevity as a home for the mentally ill has left a rather nasty social legacy in Tasmania. As we soon became aware following our first visit to this town, the folks of New Norfolk remain the brunt of many jokes and much innuendo as to their personal histories and IQ's.
In my next we'll take a break from history, buildings and social comment to explore the delights of the beautiful Russell Falls in the nearby Mount Field National Park, the trout farm at Salmon Ponds and the extenisve hop fields of Bushy Park and beyond.
Interestingly, the establishment of this facility and its longevity as a home for the mentally ill has left a rather nasty social legacy in Tasmania. As we soon became aware following our first visit to this town, the folks of New Norfolk remain the brunt of many jokes and much innuendo as to their personal histories and IQ's.
In my next we'll take a break from history, buildings and social comment to explore the delights of the beautiful Russell Falls in the nearby Mount Field National Park, the trout farm at Salmon Ponds and the extenisve hop fields of Bushy Park and beyond.
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