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| Bothwell
Grange |
Bothwell
Historically significant farming town on the
Clyde River
Located 350 m above sea level and 74 km north of
Hobart (take the Midland Highway - it is located
21 km from Melton Mowbray on the A5), Bothwell
is a quiet farming town on the Clyde River. It
was named after a town in Lanarkshire, Scotland
by Governor George Arthur in 1824.
The first European into the area had been
Lieutenant Thomas Laycock who, while traversing
the island from Port Dalrymple (Launceston) to
Hobart in 1806, camped beside the Fat Doe River
(subsequently renamed the Clyde River) near the
present site of the town. Laycock was trying to
reach Hobart because the settlement at Port
Dalrymple was running out of food. The area was
explored in some detail in 1817 and by 1821
settlers had taken up land along the banks of
the river.
It is widely accepted that the first European
settler into the area was Edward Nicholas who
arrived in 1821 and built Nant's Cottage, about
1.5 km from the town centre on Denistoun Road.
This simple Georgian cottage with an iron hipped
roof and 12 pane windows was used by the Irish
political exiles, John Mitchell and John Martin,
during their stay in Tasmania in the 1850s. Both
had been arrested for treasonable writings with
Mitchell writing in The United Irishman and
Martin in The Irish Felon.
The town was laid out in 1824 with the two
broad main streets being named Alexander (after
Alexander Reid of 'Ratho') and Patrick (after
Patrick Wood of Denistoun).
The strong Scottish element in the early
population is evident everywhere. The town's St
Luke's Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church, which
was built between 1828-31, is the second oldest
Presbyterian church in Australia. It is claimed
that the first game of golf in Australia was
played on Alexander Reid's property 'Ratho' in
the 1820s - the course where this famous event
took place is still in use and can be played by
keen golf lovers. And Bothwell is the home of
Australia's first Aberdeen Angus stud.
Things to see:
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| The Old
Bootmakers Shop |
Bothwell Historic Town
Today Bothwell Historic Town, with 18 buildings
listed by the National Trust and over 50
buildings of interest, is one of the most
important historic towns in Tasmania.
Thorpe Watermill
The town's most interesting historic buildings
include Thorpe Watermill (out near Nant's
Cottage), a brick flour mill powered by water
which was built by Thomas Axford in the early
1820s. It operated for seventy years, was closed
down, and was restored in the mid 1970s.
Inspections of this historic mill can be
arranged by contacting (03) 6259 5663.
St Michael and All Angels Church
The town's Roman Catholic Church of St Michael
and All Angels, at the intersection of Patrick
Street and Market Place, was built out of local
stone in 1891. Built by the stonemason Thomas
Lewis the church has a particularly attractive
stone staircase and stone seats in the porch.
Perhaps its most appealing aspect is the fire
place on the western wall which is used to heat
the church on cold winter nights.
St Luke's Presbyterian Church
St Luke's Uniting Church, which is further up
Market Place, was designed in 1828 and completed
in 1831. This simple stone chapel has interested
carvings above the doorway which may depict a
Celtic god and goddess. They have been
attributed to the convict sculptor, Daniel
Herbert who was also responsible for the
excellent work on the bridge at Ross. It is
typical of the errors that are often made by the
self righteous that these possibly pagan images
still exist while there is a story that Governor
Arthur ordered the architect, John Lee Archer,
to change the rounded windows because they were
'unchristian'. The church was used by both
Presbyterian and Anglican worshippers for over
60 years.
Other Buildings
Over the road from the church is Rock Cottage
which was built in 1864 by Thomas Lewis.
Alexander Street, which runs from St Luke's
Church towards the Clyde River has a number of
interesting buildings including Twin Cottages,
White's Store (continuously owned by the White
family for over 140 years before it was closed),
the Literary Society (this remarkable building
was occupied in 1837 by the Bothwell Literary
Society which, under the patronage of the
remarkable Sir John Franklin, established the
first public library in Tasmania), the 'Original
Bothwell Store', the Crown Inn (first licensed
in 1846) and the charming and elaborately carved
Post Office (1891) which has a hitching rail and
ring for customers who arrive by horse.
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| Bothwell Post
Office |
The Castle Inn, in Patrick Street, dates from
1829. There is a record of Tasmanian Aborigines
actually dancing a corroboree in front of the
hotel in 1832.
About midway between Alexander and Patrick
Streets is the 'Coffee Palace'. This two storey
brick and stucco building which was constructed
around 1850. This attractive Georgian building
operated as The Young Queen Hotel from 1851-77.
Slate Cottage in the High Street (1835) was
built by Edward Boden Snr. It has been restored
to its original condition with suitable
furnishings from the period and is open for
inspection. Contact (03) 6259 5554
Ratho and Wentworth
There are two elegant 'gentlemen's residences'
in the district. 'Ratho', which lies to the west
of the town on the A5, is a single storey stone
house with wooden Ionic columns at the front.
Built in the 1830s it was the home of Alexander
Reid.
'Wentworth', on Wentworth Street across the
Clyde River from the town, is a two storey
dwelling built in 1833 and originally known as
Inverhall. It was built for Major D'Arcy
Wentworth, brother of William Charles Wentworth.
Although the home now bears his name, Wentworth
had only lived in it for a short time (and it
was much smaller than it is today) when he was
replaced as the local police magistrate. He duly
sold the house and left the area.
In season Bothwell is known as the gateway to
some of the best trout fishing in Australia.
