This classic Georgian two storey house was constructed in 1841 by John Ashton and was first licensed in 1844 and named the Wilmot Arms Inn to honour the newly installed Governor, Sir John Eardley Wilmot. Ashton came to Van Diemens Land as a free settler and chose to settle at Green Ponds where his uncle, George Ashton, who was an emancipated convict and was already prospering in the new colony. John Ashton came out to Van Diemens Land with his wife & family.
John Ashton owned the Wilmot Arms Inn until 1875, when he died at the age of 77 after a long and painful illness that he bore with “Christian fortitude”. However the Inn had generally been leased to tenant licensees with Ashton running the post office next door. The Wilmot Arms was one of about eleven Inns in Green Ponds that vied with each other to attract the custom of not only the locals but also of the travelers that passed through along the Launceston to Hobart road.
The Inn was last licensed as a public house in 1897. The house continued to be used as a private residence through until the 1960’s. By the 1970’s the building had been restored to its former glory and operated as colonial accommodation and tea rooms.
The Inn has retained its early colonial atmosphere and is now a private residence which also operates as a bed & breakfast colonial accommodation. For its age, the Wilmot Arms remains in wonderful condition.
Main Text & Information Source –
Interpretive Sign at the Site
