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| Richmond Arms
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Richmond
Major tourist attraction full of gift shops,
craft shops and eateries
There must have been a time when Richmond was
one of the most charming places in Australia.
Set in gently undulating country on the banks of
the Coal River it has no fewer than 45 buildings
listed on the National Estate and, in many ways,
it is a town which has been held in time.
Unfortunately its proximity to Hobart (which is
only 27 km away) has ensured that it has become
one of the most popular tourist attractions in
Tasmania. This has meant that old Georgian stone
houses, commercial buildings and hotels have
been converted into gift shops, Devonshire tea
places, restaurants, craft shops, and museums.
Perhaps the best symbol of the change is the
fact that the local gaol sells plastic balls and
chains. Given that the original convicts were
forced to wear balls and chains which weighed up
to 20 kg and which were sometimes welded onto
their ankles for years, it is hard to see this
commercialisation as anything other than a
disregard for the suffering of the people who,
through their unwilling labours, made this
tourist town possible.
Add to this the fact that most of the
buildings in the town have been painted and
scrubbed and you are left with the overpowering
feeling that what you see at Richmond is not
historic buildings but tea rooms and gift shops
in the shells of old buildings. There is little
doubt that people wanting to experience what
these beautiful old villages were like in the
early nineteenth century would be much better
served by a visit to Ross or Oatlands.
The Richmond area was explored within weeks
of the establishment of the first European
settlement at Risdon Cove in 1803. Lieutenant
John Bowen and a small party crossed the hills
from the Derwent Valley and entered the valley
where the Coal River and Richmond are now
located. Members of Bowen's party found small
deposits of coal in the river and it was
appropriately named.
Soon afterwards land was granted and settlers
moved into the district. The success of wheat
crops in the area was almost immediate and as
early as 1815 a flour mill had been built to
process the harvest. Until the 1830s the Coal
River valley was known as the granary of Van
Diemen's Land
It wasn't until 1824 that the settlement of
Richmond was named by Lieutenant Governor
William Sorell and a 36 ha site was set aside
for the development of the town. By this time
the bridge across the Coal River (one of the
most photographed bridges in Australia) was
already under construction.
For some years Richmond had been used as a
crossing point for people travelling by land to
the Tasman and Fleurieu Peninsulas. The need for
a bridge across the Coal River was obvious as
early as 1820 when the Royal Commissioner John
Thomas Bigge recommended it. When the Coal river
was in flood access to the East coast was
greatly restricted. The bridge was completed in
1825. Major repairs were needed in 1828 and
1884.
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| Richmond
Bridge |
Reputed to be the oldest bridge in Australia,
Richmond Bridge has more than its fair share of
mythology. It is suggested that one convict,
tired of his lot, committed suicide by hurling
himself from the bridge. Another story tells of
the murder of a particularly cruel overseer
named Simeon Groover. The convicts, tired of his
maltreatment, turned on their tormentor, beat
him, and threw him to his death.
The construction of the bridge saw the town
expand rapidly. By the 1830s Richmond was Van
Diemen Land's third largest town and had grown
into an important military outpost and convict
station.
In spite of the reservations about its
over-commercialisation, there is little doubt
that Richmond is a remarkably well preserved
Georgian township which offers a rare insight
into the types of buildings which some of
Australia's earliest settlers lived in, were
incarcerated in, prayed in and drank in. The
reason that so many of the buildings remain in
good condition is largely a result of the
construction of the Sorell Causeway. In 1872,
when the causeway was completed, Richmond's role
as a major staging post on the way from Hobart
to Port Arthur disappeared. It was by-passed and
mercifully the historic buildings remained
largely intact.
Things to see:
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| The main
street of Richmond |
Richmond Gaol
The Richmond Gaol in Bathurst Street was built
in 1825 probably to a design by the Colonial
Architect David Lambe. The original building,
now the northern side of the complex, was
designed to house convict work gangs and locals
who had committed minor crimes. In 1832 John Lee
Archer added to the building converting it into
a 'square' by adding the gaoler's house and the
east and west wings. The east wing contained the
cookhouse and the women's quarters while the
west wing had men's solitary cells and the
turnkey's office. The most impressive part of
this building was the gaoler's house which was
two storeys with elaborate 16 pane windows. The
gaol is now open to the public from 9.00 a.m. -
5.00 p.m. Its importance is that it predates the
penal colony at Port Arthur by five years and
thus is the oldest penal institution in
Australia.
Court House
Around the corner in Bridge Street is the Court
House which is part of a complex of public
buildings including the watch house and the
Council Chambers. It is thought that the
buildings were designed by the Colonial
Architect, David Lambe. Certainly they were
built in 1825-26 and gave notice that the town
was to become an important centre.
Historic Buildings
In spite of accusations of
over-commercialisation there is no doubt that
Bridge Street is a superbly integrated street of
interesting historic buildings. The free
brochure, Let's Talk About Richmond, details the
history of most of the inns, shops and houses on
the street and provides a useful map. The most
interesting buildings include Ivy Cottage at
number 12, the brick cottage at number 15,
Bellevue House at number 16, Oak Lodge at number
18, Lilac Cottage at number 20, the
Congregational Church at number 25, the Village
Store (1836) at number 29, the Old Store and
Granary at number 36 and the cottage and former
shop at number 41, the Richmond Arms at number
42, the shop and house at number 46, the
cottages at number 47 and 49 and the bridge
itself. All are listed by the National Estate.
Richmond's Churches
The town's churches are equally interesting. St
Johns Church, beside the Coal River and across
the bridge from the town, is the oldest Roman
Catholic Church in Australia. The church was
designed by the ex-convict architect, Frederick
Thomas, and the nave was completed in 1836 and
opened on 31 December 1837. The church was
greatly enlarged in 1859 and the spire was added
early this century. The infant son of the Irish
rebel leader, Thomas Francis O'Meagher, is
buried near the church's doorway. O'Meagher was
one of those larger than life characters who was
transported to Australia but managed to escape
to America where he became the Governor of
Montana.
St Luke's Church of England at 26 Torrens
Street is listed in the National Estate Register
which records that 'This Georgian stone church
was designed by Colonial Architect John Lee
Archer, and erected in 1834-36. The foundation
stone was laid by Governor Arthur, and the
clock, made in England in 1828 and previously
installed in the tower of St David's, Hobart,
was installed in St Luke's in 1922.'
Historic Accommodation
One of the great attractions of Richmond is the
large and interesting range of historical
accommodation offered in and near the town. Of
particular note is Prospect House (1830s) which
was built by local convict labour for James
Bascombe, a local businessman who owned a pub,
flour mill and grocery shop. It has a reputation
for excellent food and the accommodation is
located in modern units at the rear of the
building.
The accommodation at Laurel Cottage (1830s)
is for one family only. The cottage has been
excellently restored and furnished with antiques
and heirlooms which recapture the period.
Laurel Cottage is one of a large number of
dwellings in the town which are named after
flora. The others include Rose Cottage (1840) at
12 Bathurst Street with its fancy brickwork over
the lintels, Ivy Cottage at 12 Bridge Street,
Oak Lodge at 18 Bridge Street which is a
handsome two storey Georgian building built for
Henry Buscombe - brother of James who built
Prospect House, Lilac Cottage next door at 20
Bridge Street and Maize Cottage at the end of
Blair Street.
Another particularly interesting place to
stay is the Old Dispensary in Edward Street. Now
used as family accommodation, it was built in
the 1830s for Dr John Coverdale who was
appointed Assistant Surgeon servicing both the
town and the nearby gaol. It was also used as
the local mortuary for a time.
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| The Richmond
Arms Hotel |
One of the town's highlights is the gracious
Richmond Arms Hotel at 42 Bridge Street which
dates from 1888. It replaced the Lennox Hotel
(1827) which had been burnt down two years
earlier. The elegant cast iron lacework is a
symbol of how the confidence and flair of the
Victorian era. It contrasts sharply with the
rather ascetic Georgian buildings which dominate
in the town.
