What's New

Trust at Agfest 2011

The National Trust was represented for the first time at Agfest, thanks to the generosity of Roberts Ltd, who shared their corporate stand with us. We were offering National Trust membership and a raffle, the proceeds of which are to go towards the restoration of the 'Lady de Carteret', a seventeenth century portrait painted by Sir Peter Leley, court painter to Charles II. (A reproduction of the painting can be seen on the left above)

Trust awarded federal Community Heritage Grant

The National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) has been awarded a $9240 federal Community Heritage Grant to fund the Digitization, conservation and rehousing of the Trust’s Built Heritage Pictorial Collection. The grant was announced at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, on Tuesday, 9 November, 2010.

In 2010, grants worth $418,563 were distributed to 70 community groups and organizations from around Australia to assist in the identification and preservation of community owned but nationally significant heritage collections.

A representative from the Trust attended a three-day intensive digitization and collection management workshop held at the National Library of Australia in Canberra.

Acting Director-General of the National Library of Australia Warwick Cathro said the CHG program showed the commitment by the National Library, along with its partner institutions and the Federal Government, in encouraging communities to care for the nation’s heritage, be it in small country towns or capital cities. “It is all about working together to help spread the message that if we don’t preserve our history now, it could be lost forever,” he said. “Through sharing this knowledge, the information can be taken back to the communities where it is most needed to ensure that local heritage collections are still there for future generations.”

The grant money is used for significance assessments, preservation needs assessments, conservation treatments, preservation training, digitization, and purchasing quality storage materials or environmental monitoring equipment.

The Community Heritage Grants Program is managed by the National Library. It is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Office for the Arts; the National Archives of Australia; the National Film and Sound Archive; the National Museum of Australia and the National Library.

Rolling out the 'Magic Carpets' of the National Trust

October 2013 sounds a long way off but for the garden committees at several National Trust properties in Tasmania, Franklin House, Runnymede, Clarendon and Home Hill it is going to come all too soon.

An ambitious project is in early planning stages to reproduce a carpet from each of the sites from live plant material. These 'reconstructed' and 'reinterpreted' masterpieces will feature in the gardens of each of the properties for a limited time as temporary exhibits. The project is one of many being embarked on by the National Trust Tasmania through its community heritage and public programs to actively engage with a wide range of community sectors as well as ensuring 'our properties belong as much in the past as in the present'.

The Magic Carpet project will involve National Trust volunteers, a range of horticultural professionals, community based groups and educational institutions who will pool their expertise and experience to create these living masterpieces. The carpets will be scaled up and plans carefully drafted to provide a precise template which will be marked out on each of the installation areas. The plans will include the variety and number of plants which will be used along with careful consideration given to plant textures, colours and resilience and suitability to installation. Turf will be specially grown for the project and will be cut and rolled out to provide outline definition and boarders to the carpets. Instillation's will occur over an eight week period allowing settling and stabilization between stages and will include some interesting 'maintenance challenges' as turf will need to be kept trimmed and correctly watered.

Community Heritage Officer, Matthew Smithies and Franklin House Manager, Hilary Keeley are coordinating the project on a state wide basis and believe the 'magic carpets' will provide a unique and exciting platform for many people to experience heritage attributes who in the past may not have had an interest. Both Smithies and Keeley strongly believe heritage values should be presented in a way that excites and interests the broader public and evokes challenging and some times provocative themes. They both agree that their roles in the National Trust include ensuring the unique Tasmanian story is told in a way that is engaging with contemporary relevance and provides an experience with lasting impact.

The rolling out of Tasmania's magic carpets has been embraced enthusiastically by a broad cross section of the community and will no doubt provide many unexpected challenges throughout its creation. With the enthusiasm already running high – the end results will be remarkable!

Conservation work at Franklin house

Under the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Heritage Job Fund Programme, major conservation work at Franklin House is being undertaken during the next few months. The initiative will ensure the long term conservation and continued community use of one of Tasmania’s most important heritage houses.

Work has been completed on the building fabric to stabilize wall movement in the stables wing, repair and paint internal walls damaged by building movement, repair of wooden floors in the house and installation of roof cavity insulation to reduce heating costs and better stabilize internal building environments.

Next week work will begin on re-laying the sandstone flagstones in the old kitchen to reduced further damage to the flagstones.  This will, unfortunately close the kitchen to the public for approximately one week.

Other work completed includes the relocation of the car park away from the house to enable the better presentation and interpretation of the house, and to improve disability access.

In addition the conservation of items from our textile collections will be undertaken to enable more of the collections to be used safely in the house, and in the house’s temporary programme.

Finally, the beautiful Markree fountain has been fully restored and relocated in the gardens behind Franklin House.  The Cameron fountain is also being fully restored and is relocated towards the front of the property.

This work was completed by June 2010

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR THE NATIONAL TRUST

RUNNYMEDE RECEIVES STATE GOVERNMENT GRANT OF $148,000

On October 30th the Hon Lisa Singh, Minister for Corrections and Consumer Protection representing the Premier of Tasmania, David Bartlett announced that the Tasmanian Government had provided a grant of $148,000for much needed conservation work at Runnymede.
The grant under the State Government's Urban Renewal and Heritage Program will enable much needed work to completely renew the existing outdated electrical wiring and services in the house, cottage and stables at Runnymede. The grant will also enable the installation of state of the art fire detection and security systems to be installed in the three buildings as well.
Together the three initiatives will provide Runnymede with greatly enhanced services that should better protect this most important heritage property. This work will be integrated with that being undertaken at Runnymede under the recently announced Federal Government Jobs Fund (Heritage Project) program

The Tasmanian Government's media release may be viewed here

The Derwent Hunter Telescope

Recently Runnymede received a most generous gift from direct descendents of James Bayley, a former owner of the house. The presentation of the Derwent Hunter telescope was made on the occasion of a reunion of approximately seventy members of the Bayley and Bayly families.

John Bayly, great grandson of James and Emma (nee Butchard) Bayley explained the potentially very confusing story of his ancestry and the significance of this telescope to both the family and Runnymede. Then James Bayly presented his great-great-great-grandfather’s telescope to Gemma Webberley and  to the care of the National Trust (Tasmania), to be kept in the house that the whaling Bayleys named after  the ship on which the telescope had served most of its working life.

The telescope is engraved with the name and address of its maker, J.R. Cameron of Liverpool, England. It had been purchased for use aboard the American built barque Derwent Hunter and is engraved with the name of the ship. In 1861 Captain Charles Bayley, also a former owner of Runnymede, jointly acquired the Derwent Hunter with his brother-in-law Alexander McGregor and converted it to a whaler. They also owned the barque Runnymede and Charles, and later his brother James, served as Master on numerous whaling expeditions, using the telescope continuously on both ships.

From 1875 the telescope was kept in Runnymede (the house) which Charles Bayley had purchased from Bishop Nixon in 1864. By that time Charles had died, leaving his house and business interests to his brother, James. James and his second wife, Elizabeth, and Harriet his only surviving child from his first marriage to Emma and their descendents lived at Runnymede until 1964.

Various descendents of the James Bayley - Bayly line of the family have treasured and cared for the telescope since then, but have decided it should be returned to be displayed amongst other artifacts associated with the lives and occupations of their forebears.

Thomas Bock portrait of Eliza Ann Pitcairn

The National Trust in Tasmania has acquired a portrait of Eliza Ann Pitcairn by colonial artist Thomas Bock. Eliza Pitcairn was born in Hobart Town on 23 September 1831 to parents Robert and Dorothea Pitcairn. Robert was a lawyer and native of Scotland and became active in the colony’s political affairs most notably the fight to end convict transportation to Tasmania. The family home in New Town, built by Robert and Dorothea is now known as Runnymede and is a property operated by the National Trust.

This is where Eliza Ann Pitcairn resided when her portrait was executed in July 1839. The portrait was recently offered to the National Trust by a dealer in London and has been purchased with funds raised by the Hobart Macquarie Group of the National Trust.

Eliza Pitcairn lived at Runnymede till 1850 when the family returned to live in Hobart Town. She married Francis Jeffrey Cockburn, January 1855 and lived in India from 1856 for some years before returning to England where her mother later lived with her.

The earliest known reference to the Runnymede garden is a letter that Eliza wrote to her father in 1845.

Because of the direct association of this portrait of Eliza Pitcairn with Runnymede the National Trust took steps to secure the work. More information on Thomas Bock can be found at the ANU's website here.

A media function held on Thursday 2 July at 10.30 unveiled and celebrated this significant acquisition. We will be displaying the portrait free of charge in the Drawing Room from 25th to end of July for the public to view.

$250,000 Grant

The Trust has been awarded a grant of $250,000 from the Federal Government’s Stimulus package for use at its properties Franklin House and Penghana.

The grant will enable a variety of much needed work to be undertaken. This includes buildings stabilization and repairs at Franklin House together with conservation work relating to furnishings and textiles. In addition it will allow replacement of the outdated electrical and water/fire systems at Penghana.

Country Houses of Tasmania

The Trust welcomes the publication of this impressive work by Alice Bennett and Georgia Warner celebrating our built heritage.

Tasmania is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. Lesser known than some of the State's famous convict-built icons are the colonial mansions that were constructed by the early settlers who braved this wild and untamed land.

This book not only showcases some of these amazing houses but also the incredible people who have passed through them over the years.

You can place an order directly on our web-site here.

Heritage Services Directory Announced

Heritage Tasmania announces the availability of The Tasmanian Heritage Services Directory. This directory has been developed to assist property owners, government, community groups and others seeking heritage advice and specialist skills. It provides contact details for professionals, consultants, contractors and specialist trades people across a range of categories including engineers, architects, heritage consultants, landscape architects, planners and specialists in cultural heritage tourism and interpretation.

• The web address is here

"The list" assists

"The List", a directory of Australian venues and events has generously placed details of some of our properties in its Tasmania Section.

• The List's web site is here

“Enid Lyons: Leading Lady to a Nation”

Anne Henderson’s new book "Enid Lyons: Leading Lady to a Nation" was launched in Tasmania by the Governor of Tasmania Peter Underwood in July at a function in the home of Dame Enid Lyons “Home Hill”, Devonport.

A fascinating podcast is on the Sydney Institute website her

Runnymede Model Ship Acquisition

The National Trust has recently purchased a model of the Hally Bayley made by B. Dean, Hobart, undated. It is a fine example of a ship model and is now on display in the museum room at Runnymede.

Runnymede’s connection with the maritime history of Tasmania and the adoption of its present name came about in 1864, about 24 years after it had been built, when the property was bought by Captain Charles Bayley. Charles and his brother James, who later lived at Runnymede after Charles had died, were prominent master mariners and ship-owners who spent much of their time deep-sea whaling, with the River Derwent as their home port.

The Bayley brothers owned and captained a number of whaleships and trading ships and the Runnymede maritime collection provides insights into their sea-faring past.

One of the Bayley ships the Hally Bayley, 122 tonnes, was built by John McGregor for the Bayley brothers at the Domain shipyard in Hobart and launched in 1869.  It was described as a ‘perfect topsail schooner’ and its fast passages showed it to be both a ‘clipper’ and a splendid ‘sea boat’.  It ended its days as a hulk at Sydney, New South Wales in 1910.

ROYAL TASMANIAN BOTANIC GARDENS

The National Trust is delighted to be entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens as it builds upon the complimentary strengths of our organizations to the advantage of the Tasmanian community.

The National Trust holds in its portfolio some of Tasmania’s most significant heritage properties with substantial gardens and grounds, which in their own right are of great heritage significance.

The new partnership will see a number of key elements:-

• Working together to promote the roles of our organization and the importance of our gardens including their heritage and scientific values;
• The opportunity for the Trust to benefit from the professional skills and knowledge of the staff of the Botanic Gardens as we care and conserve the gardens, trees and grounds of the Trust’properties throughout the state;
• Access to the archives;
• The ability of the Trust to support the Botanic Gardens in their statewide  outreach programs through the use of the Trust’s properties;

This partnership will help ensure that our gardens remain places of enjoyment and delight, while serving science and conserving our wonderful heritage.