The house was probably built between 1831 & 1842 as a building appears in its location in a survey of Richmond undertaken in 1842. In the census of 1842, Buscombe claimed the building had been completed and were inhabited with two residents and two servants.
In 1843, Buscombe sold the property to Captain James Richard Booth, who was the brother of the former commandant of the Port Arthur convict settlement, Charles O'Hara Booth. The House was referred to locally as the "Commandants House" due to this connection. Booth, however, named the property "Basing Lodge" after the family residence in Basingstoke, Southampton. The property was only named "Oak Lodge" following Booth's departure in 1846 when he returned to England and Basing Lodge was leased out.
In June 1852, the property was advertised for sale, at which time it was being leased to the Rev. W. Tancred. The description of the property in the advertisement makes for very interesting reading. "That commodious family residence on the corner of Blair & Bridge Streets....These substantial premises are newly built, and having been intended for the residence of the proprietor (Captain Booth R.N) every convenience is attached and no expense has been spared in making them complete in every respect. The house, which is two stories high, comprises fourteen rooms with six on the ground floor, with capital cellars under, five bedrooms on the second and three spacious servants rooms above" Given the five different levels comprising Oak Lodge, it is quite possible that Booth had added substantially to Buscombe's earlier construction.
In 1855, Oak Lodge became the home of Rev David Galer of St Luke's Church, Richmond. The church, at the time, had no purpose built rectory for the accommodation of the Reverend. Rev Galer lived in the residence for nearly twenty years until he put the property on the market. The property wasnt sold until 1880 when William Stevens, a schoolmaster of Richmond, and Mary Bedgood (a widow and presumably Steven's sister) purchased the house and ultimately resided in Oak Lodge until 1909. In May 1909 Oak Lodge was conveyed from Mary Bedgood to Arthur Ogilvy of Richmond.
Ogilvy did not live in the house, instead renting it out to Dr William Clark, the towns noted American born Doctor. Dr Clark remained the tenant throughout the period through to 1950. There had been a number of owners during this period including James Montegu Butler, a solicitor who purchased the property in 1940. Dr Clark had left the USA in 1891 for Australia. before settling in Richmond, he had practised in Launceston, Hobart and the Huon region. He lived and worked at Oak Lodge from 1909 until the late 1940's.
Oak Lodge is still owned by the National Trust (Tasmania) and is operated and maintained by the volunteers of the Coal River Valley Historical Society Inc. The society has developed a number of wonderful displays within the different rooms of the house and the volunteers have done a wonderful job maintaining the house as a museum and wonderful example of a bygone era in the Richmond region.
Main Text & Information Source -
Oak Lodge Information brochure (Produced by The Coal River Valley Historical Society)
Oak Lodge - Saving Oak Lodge
Coal River Valley Historical Society
Information updated 5th October 2014. Thank you to Neville Mendham for updated information.
Information updated 5th October 2014. Thank you to Neville Mendham for updated information.