When Hobart Town Hall had its 150th birthday, spouse and I sailed on the Spirit of Tasmania, from Melbourne to Devonport, to join in the celebrations. Joe lay on the bunk, seasick, for the entire journey – I went to a concert, a film and a restaurant on the ship, and had a great trip. After he rejoined the human race, we drove to Hobart, to inspect the Town Hall and other significant 19th century architecture. Thank you for Municipal Magnificence by Peter Freeman, a great book documenting the history of Town Hall and its place in the City’s life.
Henry Hunter (1832-1892) was born in Nottingham, younger son of architect Walter Hunter. Educated at a parish school in Wolverhampton, he studied at the Nottingham School of Design. Henry and his siblings migrated to South Australia in 1848 with the parents and, after their parents died, to Hobart. Next Henry went to the Bendigo goldfields and then back to Tasmania to work in the timber trade. He moved to Hobart to work in a shop but in 1856, encouraged by the Catholic Bishop Robert Willson, he began to practise as an architect. Hunter was one of the few Roman Catholic professional men in Hobart.
The architect’s admiration for Augustus Pugin, leader of the English Gothic revival movement, influenced his work in the many churches he designed around Tasmania. The architect for the new St David’s Cathedral was George Bodley, a British leader of Gothic Revival in church architecture. So in Hobart itself, Hunter became the supervising architect for St David's Cathedral.
Hunter's commission came in Sept 1860 when Bishop Willson laid the foundation stone of St Mary's Cathedral Hobart, adapted from British architect-Melbourne resident William Wardell's design . Bishop Murphy opened the cathedral in 1866, but the construction was faulty - the pillars of the central tower moved, and stone fell from the arches. Hunter examined the work and recommended that the cathedral be rebuilt. A public meeting in Feb 1876 decided that the central tower, aisles & walls be demolished and rebuilt according to the original plan. Hunter, now Hobart's Town’s most successful architect, supervised the demolition and later laid the stone for the cathedral’s new incarnation.
The architect’s admiration for Augustus Pugin, leader of the English Gothic revival movement, influenced his work in the many churches he designed around Tasmania. The architect for the new St David’s Cathedral was George Bodley, a British leader of Gothic Revival in church architecture. So in Hobart itself, Hunter became the supervising architect for St David's Cathedral.
Hunter's commission came in Sept 1860 when Bishop Willson laid the foundation stone of St Mary's Cathedral Hobart, adapted from British architect-Melbourne resident William Wardell's design . Bishop Murphy opened the cathedral in 1866, but the construction was faulty - the pillars of the central tower moved, and stone fell from the arches. Hunter examined the work and recommended that the cathedral be rebuilt. A public meeting in Feb 1876 decided that the central tower, aisles & walls be demolished and rebuilt according to the original plan. Hunter, now Hobart's Town’s most successful architect, supervised the demolition and later laid the stone for the cathedral’s new incarnation.
Long gallery, Town Hall
By 1862, Hunter was very busy. He designed and built Derwent & Tamar Assurance Offices, Masonic Hall, Australian Mutual Provident Society's Building, and Hobart Museum. He planned wards and offices for the General Hospital, designed schools for the Board of Education, warehouses, Marine Office and Elwick race-course grandstand.
And now, his master piece! The Municipality of Hobart held the early Council meetings in temporary premises and the streets defining the site of the Town Hall were completed following demolition of the old Government House in 1858. Henry Hunter prepared plans and was awarded an honour in a competition conducted by the Hobart Municipal Council for their new home. His Gothic design was acclaimed as “a fine composition of unusual breadth and unity of line” yet his first plan was not accepted. I am assuming that Gothic architecture was either too Catholic for the good public servants, or was too old-fashioned for a new, modern city.
So Hunter was given 6 months to submit a new Italianate model, this time based on the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. Construction on Hobart Town Hall created part of the now-historic Macquarie St stretch of sandstone. The foundation stone was laid in April 1864, a day that was declared a public holiday and celebrated with a parade. It was completed two years later in Sept 1866, complete with its large windows and symmetrical portico with columns. Once again the day was celebrated with another public holiday and a gala ball.
From the start, the Town Hall was designed to house the City’s council chambers, police offices, municipal court and State Library of Tasmania. And the organ has been in use since 1870. In 1871 a stone wall was erected around the boundary, with trees obtained from the Botanical Gardens for landscaping.These facilities remained in use for c50 years after the town hall first opened.
WW1 Honour Roll, Town Hall
Macquarie Manor was originally built as a home for surgeon Dr Richard Bright. In 1870 Dr Bright commissioned Henry Hunter to design and oversee the construction of a residence perfect for a gentleman. It was!
On a visit to Queensland, Hunter formed a partnership with his son and a former pupil, and settled at Brisbane in 1888. Although specialising in domestic architecture, his firm did design some larger Queensland institutions. Henry was still in Brisbane when he died, in 1892.
On a visit to Queensland, Hunter formed a partnership with his son and a former pupil, and settled at Brisbane in 1888. Although specialising in domestic architecture, his firm did design some larger Queensland institutions. Henry was still in Brisbane when he died, in 1892.
By 1925 the state of the Town Hall’s prominent portico had degenerated to the point it was declared unsafe and major restoration work was required. Only then were the building's famous chandeliers installed in the ballroom, each having 84 gas jets that were imported from the UK.
Macquarie Manor, Hobart
Architect: Henry Hunter built 1875
Architect: Henry Hunter built 1875
On the Convict Trail
Henry Hunter had left behind one of the nation's oldest council buildings, in Australia's second oldest city. Today Hobart’s Town Hall is an ideal venue for exhibitions, balls, concerts, large meetings, citizenship ceremonies and cocktail functions. The main hall now seats 600 and the gallery seats 675 more. On The Convict Trail is excellent.
Henry Hunter had left behind one of the nation's oldest council buildings, in Australia's second oldest city. Today Hobart’s Town Hall is an ideal venue for exhibitions, balls, concerts, large meetings, citizenship ceremonies and cocktail functions. The main hall now seats 600 and the gallery seats 675 more. On The Convict Trail is excellent.
jam factory built 1869
now Henry Jones Art Hotel, Victoria Dock Hobart
Walk Into Luxury
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23 comments:
Hobart is on my list of places to visit when I win lotto.
Your journey and visit to Hobart Town Hall highlight Henry Hunter’s legacy and the building’s lasting civic and cultural importance, as captured in Municipal Magnificence.
Hobart was the seccond city in Australia, had beautiful buildings, great landscape and a deep port. So why do you think it remained a small city? I don't understand it.
River
I only know the Melbourne-Launceston one way ferry trip - $70
and the Launceston-Hobart bus trip = $17 to $33, depending on sales.
So well worth every penny, even if you have to go without food for some time :)
roentare
yes sir! Henry Hunter was an amazing architect, above and beyond what you may have expected in an ex-convict settlement. Look for example at Derwent and Tamar Assurance Offices, completed in 1877. Hunter also worked on churches, public buildings, schools and homes.
Deb
strange, isn't it? It was not Hobart's convict history... Sydney had much worse. And the city isn't much colder than the rest of the southern states. The port was deeper than elsewhere, and the wool, timber and whale trades were booming. And the public and private buildings are historical and beautiful.
So was it geographical isolation from the mainland?
Since there was some movement in building. Now I wonder the type of soil it was built on.
Add in the cost of getting to Melbourne from Adelaide then double it for all the getting home again trips. And the cost of staying in Hobart while sight seeing.
It is always interesting to note how different Tasmanian architecture is to the mainland architecture. Macquarie Manor is a good example.
River
I didn't forget about coming home ...but I must acknowledge that most destinations feel attractive and it often seems a shame to leave.
However I almost solved the accomodation issue by placing a relative in each city I want to visit and stay with. Joe's parents lived in Sydney, his first cousins live in New York and his uncles in Paris. Our son lived in Tel Aviv. And I had an aunt in London and several aunts in Winnipeg and Vancouver :)
Andrew
Hobart Victorian architecture, both private and public buildings, was very special once it stopped being a convict settlement. Examine St David's Anglican Cathedral, Royal Engineers Building, Parliamentary House, St Mary's Hospital, Hobart Town Hall, Masonic Club etc. More solid and less fussy than on the mainland, I think.
See the Hobart City Architectural Walk
peppylady
I know the Cathedral had to be reconstructed between 1876 and 1881, but all it said was "due to structural problems stemming from faulty construction". It could not have been a soil issue since the new Cathedral was rebuilt on the old site exactly.
That explanation was not very helpful, I realise.
Thanks for the information I enjoyed reading it. Have been in many of those buildings you have mentioned, some many times. I lived in Hobart when young but then again, I've lived in several places in Tasmania before marriage. Gorgeous buildings inside or out.
Margaret
You might like to read How to read a building: Architectural Eras and Styles in Hobart. The eras I was most interested in were: Old Colonial 1804–40 , Victorian 1840–90 and Federation 1890 – 1915.
I would love to visit Hobart, in fact all of Tasmania. But I hope I wouldn't be sea sick like your husband was. Thanks for the interesting post once again.
Dear Helen, that is a very beautiful Town Hall! Tasmania I've never visited - though I am not prone to seasickness as your then suffering husband. But I hope he thought it was worth the trouble.
Britta
the only time in life I was _ever_ nauseated was early in each pregnancy. So that probably tells us why men never became pregnant :) But the 10 hour trip is so exciting, it doesn't matter. I ate great food, drank wine, listened to a concert and exercised outside.
If you are ever coming to the SE corner of Australia, I would try to include Sydney, Ballarat, Melbourne and Adelaide, with an emphasis on Hobart!
Erika
make sure you come in the Tasmanian summer - Dec-March inclusive. The weather is at its loveliest and the ocean is at its flattest.
This part of Australia looks very European. Even the names. Yes, the Brits built a new UK with more space ! The blue bells in the wood are wild and haven't been planted
Ingrid
It certainly does look European. Once the British arrived and took over the land from the indigenous population, all the shipping, gold mining, agriculture, architecture, timber etc.. was done by the British and other Europeans. Australian didn't become a nation in its own right until 1/1/1901.
I have been to Hobart once but would like to visit there again one day, the last time we went to Tassie we flew but I would like to take the ferry across next time. Another damn good post
Jo-Anne
Flying is of course much faster, but it is more expensive, less social and there are no activities en route. Enjoy enjoy!
Thanks Hels.
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