WESTBURY

 

1/ Westbury is in central northern Tasmania. It is south west of LAUNCESTON. The St Andrews Anglican Church in Westbury is a classic example of the Gothic Revival style. This style was favoured by the Church of England in the 19th Century to emphasise the antiquity of their faith in comparison to their protestant rivals. Note how the scene could have been taken in England.

2/ Westbury was founded in 1830. The earliest buildings were built by convicts, as was the custom in Van Diemens Land at the time. The Village Green is at the center of the original town and many old buildings are located nearby. This is another view of the St Andrews Anglican Church taken from the Village Green. It presents a view that is typically English.

3/ This building is adjacent to the St Andrews Anglican Church. The old chimneys indicate that this building is probably the old Sunday school.

4/ The Village Green sign gives you a good guide as to how to explore Old English Westbury.

5/ These stocks in the Village Green were once used to punish convicts for minor offenses.

6/ The Return Services League (RSL) club house was built by World War One veterans in the Victorian style of architecture.

7/ The war memorial is in the Village Green. It is directly opposite the RSL House shown above.

7/ The Holy Trinity Catholic Church is a first class example of the Gothic Revival style. It also shows many Medieval Celtic features in its windows and would sit well in any Irish village.

8/ The blue stone construction in the Gothic Revival style gives a real feeling of antiquity to the Holy Trinity Catholic Church of Westbury.

9/ This 19th Century shop has now been converted into a top restaurant.

9/ This old school building of the early 20th Century style is now used as a community center.

10/ This old school had large grounds and a real feeling of antiquity about it. The building to the right is an old class room and the building to the left is probably the teacher's house.

11/ This is one of many fine, old Victorian cottages which populate Westbury.

13/ Lyall Street Westbury was almost completely populated by Victorian era cottages. This street leads to the Village Green.

14/ The Town Hall shows the clean lines of the new Art Deco style of the 1930s.

15/ The Westbury Hotel was a good example of the late 19th Century style of hotel.

16/ This is the third church of Westbury. It is also a great example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture. The presence of three large churches suggests that Westbury was a wealthy town in the late 19th Century.

17/ This unusual Georgian era building is the Westbury Inn. It dates from 1833.

18/ The large windows and central door suggest to me that this is a Victorian era shop.

19/ This is a late 19th Century office building.

20/ This Victorian era shop is now a bookseller.

21/ The Ginger Bread Cottage is a genuine Victorian era cottage that is now available for accommodating visitors.

22/ This derelict building is the old Commercial Bank. It dates from 1887. I included it, so you could appreciated how much repair work has been done on the other heritage buildings of Westbury.

23/ This is building is also called the "Westbury Inn and is built in a very Georgian style. I was pleased to see that it was being restored, when I visited Westbury in early 2016.

24/ This is Fitxpatrick's Inn. It is also built in a classic Georgian style.

25/ This is a long range photo of the Westfield estate near Westbury. It boasts of being built in 1825. It is one of many heritage estates in Tasmania that are still being used by the owners and are not open to the public. Behind it is the massive peak of Quamby Bluff.

 

1/ Westbury in Tasmania celebrates St Patrick's Day with both a parade and a fair with a strong Irish theme.

2/ These gymnasts showed their ability to do somersaults at the Westbury St Patrick's Day Festival.

3/ The Morris Dancing Club showed off this ancient British style of pattern folk dancing at the Westbury St Patrick's Day Festival.

4/ I was enchanted to see my old car, the Corinna, on display at the Westbury St Patrick's Day Festival.

5/ There was also a vintage car display at the Westbury St Patrick's Day Festival.

6/ You could even buy hot spuds (bintjes) from Rory at the Westbury St Patrick's Day Festival..

 

1/ Hagley is a locality east of Westbury. It boasts the impressive, Anglican Church of St Mary's built in 1862 in the neo Gothic style. It is one of the most beautiful churches in Tasmania and it has some impressive artwork inside.

2/ The entrance to St Marys is through a lovely, hedge lined path. To the right is the ancient grave yard. This photo shows the lovely colours of autumn.

3/ This image shows the southern face. In the distance is the ancient rectory. This church has a very "English" atmosphere surrounding it. This atmosphere is the product of the great age of the "English" gardens surrounding it.

4/ This image shows the tastefully decorated front of the church. The stain glass window above the altar is shown in detail in the below image.

5/ This is the stain glass window about the altar. It is the most impressive of the decorated windows of this church.

6/ This is one of two impressive paintings in the church. It shows St Mary being visited by an angel.

7/ This is one of four other lovely, decorated windows each paid for by a local benefactor.

8/ This window illustrates the bible story, where Jesus told the apostles to become "fishers of men".

9/ This window shows the story of how a young Jesus impressed the great rabbis with his knowledge.

10/ This is the last of the lovely, decorated windows.

11/ The tall spire shows fine masonry and looks quite medieval. It is easy to imagine St Marys being situated in 19th Century England.

12/ Behind the church is the ancient rectory. It's large size also attests to the huge patronage that founded St Mary's in the mid 19th Century.

13/ This image shows the southern face of the rectory.

14/ The adjacent grave yard has many fine, ancient grave stones.

15/ St Marys Hagley is perched on a large hill and as you exit, you have this splendid view of the Great Western Tiers to the south.

16/ Just west of the church is the Hagley Farm Primary School. This is a large complex of late Victorian school buildings. They form the best example of a large Victorian era school that I have seen in Tasmania.

17/ This is near the entrance to the Hagley school. Walking inside is like going back in time.

18/ The only thing that spoils the historic vista at Hagley is this modern weather shade. The school has lovely gardens throughout the complex.

19/ The Hagley school is a series of different buildings reflecting slightly different Victorian school styles.

20/ This building at Hagley could have been a two class room primary school in its own right.

 

1/ Exton is a settlement in northern central Tasmania west of Westbury. It is set in beautiful farming lands and has some heritage buildings like this attractive, Victorian gentry residence.

2/ The lovely, old church in Exton has now been converted into a home.

3/ There were a number of Victorian cottages in Exton.

4/ This is a view of the rich farmlands near Exton. Deloraine is on the distant horizon.

 

1/ Quamby Estate is the former residence of Sir Richard Dry, a great 19th Century Premier of Tasmania. Today his old estate is a golf course that is also used for wedding receptions. This image shows one of the former houses. To the right is a modern dining area. To the left is the main residence "Quamby House", which was built in circa 1838.

2/ This is the entrance to the estate. The modern golf course is to the left and the old stables and sheds are to the right. The trees show the rich colours of Tasmania in the autumn.

3/ This old stable has now been converted into an accommodation unit. The main residence is to the right of this unit. Note the age of the old European trees that were planted in the time of Sir Richard Dry.

4/ This image shows the approach to the main complex. To the left is a large house, while to the right are more stables. The estate was progressively added to over the years.

5/ This image looks at the main house to show the large verandah at the front. The flag pole once flew the flag of the Premier.

6/ This image shows the servants quarters and more stables to the rear of the main house. The estate is really a hamlet rather than being just a residence for the Premier.

7/ This image looks towards the main house to show the full verandah. Lawns and verandahs were a sign of great wealth in the 19th Century.

8/ From his verandah Sir Richard had a great view of his vast estate. It is easy to imagine him sitting here with friends discussing the great issues of Van Diemens Land. Sir Richard played a large role in ending the horrendous policy of sending convicts to Tasmania.

9/ This image shows the panoramic view from Sir Richard's verandah. In the distance are the Great Western Tier mountains.

10/ Much of the estate is now a vast modern golf course.