St Andrews Church, Campbell Town

A fine Gothic Revival sandstone church built in 1857 and containing an organ and desk that once belonged to Bishop Nixon the first Anglican Bishop of Tasmania. The church with its dominant needle spire is comparable with the best built in Australia at this time. The building has a fine curtilage extending over a complete triangular town block.

The organ was build by J.C. Bishop of London in 1843 for Tasmania's first C of E Bishop (Francis Russell Nixon). The Bishop had the organ installed in his New Town home "Runneymede". When the bishop returned to England in 1863 the organ was purchased for St Andrew's Campbelltown, which had been completed seven years earlier.

The spire of this beautiful little church is a landmark in the town. It is reported that the builders forgot to untie a rope and left it dangling from the top of the spire when their work was finished and the scaffolding taken away. Not wishing to have the unseemly thing in evidence on the day of dedication, a rifleman of repute was asked to come along and shoot it down. After several tries with various missiles, among which it is said, even marbles were used, the offending rope at last came tumbling to the ground.

St. Andrew’s was dedicated in 1855 and was served by the famous Rev. Adam Turnbull, M.D. Dr. Turnbull was born in 1803 and came to Tasmania twenty-two years later. For twenty years he was secretary to Governor Arthur and Treasurer in Sir John Franklin’s term of office. His disagreement with Governor Denison in ’52, concerning transportation, cost him both his office and his pension. Two years later he was admitted as a licenciate by the Presbytery and in August of that year was ordained and inducted. Services before that time had been held in the old Assembly Hall, which later became the library.

In 1871 the Rev. Alexander Michie came from South Australia to assist the doctor, who, full of honour retired in July, 1874. Old Mr. Alick Turnbull, the doctor’s brother and a keen gardener, used to keep the church grounds in perfect order until the time of his death. Here came lovers in the moonlight and children played away the happy hours.

The church itself has been closed for some time and recently was privately purchased and the intention of the new owners is to turn the old church into a café & functions venue.

Main Text & Information Sources – 

Australian Heritage Database

A Short History Of Campbell Town 

Australian Dictionary of Biography - Rev Adam Turnbull

Historic Photos – 

www.slv.vic.gov.au

LincTas

Organ Photos – 

www.ohta.org.au

Supply River Methodist Church

In 1857, a man who lay dying in the bush at Supply River requested the services of a minister. Thomas Travers, understanding the man’s needs, rode into Launceston, along unmade roads and crossing creeks by way of fords and brought back Rev T.B.Harris. This opened the way for the beginning of religious services at Supply River.

Initially, the first religious services, which began later in 1857, were held on week nights in the home of Mr William Brown. Soon monthly services, taken by a visiting minister from Launceston, began. In between the visits from the Launceston minster, sunday services were conducted by local laymen ministers, Messrs Bartram, Brown, Kerrison & Travers.

The Supply River Methodist Church was constructed in 1861. William Brown, Thomas Travers & Stephen Kerrison each donated 50 pounds towards the construction costs of the new church and this was augmented by donations from other interested locals who gave what they could afford. The church is typical of small Tasmanian timber churches built in the mid to late 19th century using split palings and hand made nails.

There was great enthusiasm for the work of the church in the late 19th century. Bush missionaries and laymen ministers conducted revival services and people walked from miles around the little church for meetings which packed out the church building. In fact, at times, ministers addressed the gathered crowds through the open windows of the church. These meetings sometimes would not finish until around midnight.

In 1911, the Rev George Wong, in his address at the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Introduction of Methodism on the West Tamar with the opening of the Supply River Church said “All took part, the young as well as the old. The pulpit, a gift from a friend, was landed at Blackwell. There was not a chaise cart in the district, to put it on a bullock was too great a risk so four young stalwart men carried it the six miles very carefully”

Conservation work was carried out on the gravestones in the graveyard in early 2004as part of a number of Tasmanian Government funding programs. The little church remains an active part of the local community to this day and is in wonderful condition and situated in a beautifully picturesque location. The church was the first Methodist Church constructed in the West Tamar Valley. It is also considered the oldest Methodist Church in Tasmania.

Main Text & Information Source – 

Interpretive Signs at the Site.

Historical Photo Source – 

LincTas

Theatre Royal Hotel, Hobart

Next door to Australia's oldest working theatre, the Theatre Royal built in 1837, there has always been a watering hole. In fact, for most of the 19th century, the Theatre Royal was surrounded by drinking establishments.
On what is now a construction site for the University of Tasmania's new arts precinct was once the Shakespeare Hotel, built in the 1830s. The Shakespeare was demolished in 1970.

On the other side, stands the Theatre Royal Hotel which dates back to the early 1830’s.  The hotel has gone through many names and looks, according to Dr Stefan Petrow from the Department of History and Classics at the University of Tasmania. "There has always been a pub on this site with an interesting mixture of patrons," he said.

Built in the area known as Wapping, many early Hobartians regarded the location as a den of iniquity. Prostitutes, seamen and whalers were just some of the characters who frequented the various establishments surrounding the theatre. "The Wapping old wharf area had about 13 pubs up until about 1870," Dr Petrow said.

The only surviving pub of that time is the Theatre Royal Hotel. Originally called The Dolphin Inn, it had a reputation for being cosmopolitan. "The Dolphin really only lasted until 1834 and then it had a new name — the Anthony Dorchester Butt," Dr Petrow said. It is believed the name came from a hotel on the east coast of England. "It was really roaring in the 1850s," Dr Petrow said, adding that the establishment had a reputation for selling some of the best liquor in Hobart Town.

In 1856, the building was sold to an ex-policeman by the name of George Brown who was accused of being an adulterer and believed by some to be unfit as a licensee. "He made extensive improvements to the old Dolphin which was in a very dilapidated condition," Dr Petrow said. Brown changed the name of the establishment and decorated the pub in a London style. Reviews from the time claim the pub was the snuggest house in town, particularly with its emphasis on entertainment. The assessment proved timely as the Theatre Royal began to boom, attracting some of the most popular names in the theatrical world, who usually ended up at the bar next door following their performance.

The next major change for the pub occurred in 1883 when the establishment was taken over by William Langford. By 1888, Langford had changed its name to the Theatre Royal Pub and redecorated it in a Melbourne style to keep up with the trends in interior design.

By 1904 ownership had once again changed, with the building being purchased by George Adams of Tattersalls fame. Despite the rich history of the location, Adams decided to demolish the old pub and build something new which was when the current building came into being.

A report from The Mercury newspaper captured the scene on the last day of the old pub's existence. "The large tribe of bootless Wapping youngsters with bags, old baskets and old crocs storming the place like flies about a carcass picking up and making off with the caged shingles falling from the roof, other bits of woodwork, unconsidered trifles and rubbish." The new hotel was constructed in an Elizabethan style and retained the same name. Adams tried to keep the snug atmosphere, making quite an impression according to accounts of the period.

By 1915, the area once known as Wapping had mostly disappeared and the Theatre Royal Pub entered a new period under the management of Richard Jackman, who was described as a man with a cheery disposition and a jovial approach to his customers. Boxing in the pub became commonplace as did betting of questionable legality.

The ownership of the Theatre Royal Hotel continued to change throughout the 20th century and by 2016 The University of Tasmania had bought the Theatre Royal Hotel for $1.7 million with a view to creating a future social hub for its growing inner-city campus and as such, the Theatre Royal Hotel’s future has been secured and it will continue to serve the thirsty patrons of Hobart for years to come.

Main Text & Information Source – 

www.abc.net.au website