Montefiore Hill is a small hill in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, which affords a view over the

Adelaide city centre Adelaide city centre (Kaurna: Tarndanya) is the inner city locality of Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "the City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Ade ...

Location and description

The hill lies within the northern

Adelaide Parklands The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the surro ...

, within the area known as Park 26: Adelaide Oval/Tarntanya Wama park. It is at the northern end of Montefiore Road, near its junction with a small road known as Montefiore Hill. The site is well known as the location of

Light's Vision William Light (27 April 1786 – 6 October 1839), also known as Colonel Light, was a British- Malayan naval and army officer. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site of ...

, a statue of founder and planner of Adelaide

William Light William Light (27 April 1786 – 6 October 1839), also known as Colonel Light, was a British- Malayan naval and army officer. He was the first Surveyor-General of the new British Province of South Australia, known for choosing the site o ...

, positioned in such a way that his finger points towards the

. The view across the city has been somewhat impeded by the development of the

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...

in 2012–2013. The statue is surrounded by paving, lawns and garden, after the statue was moved there and the surrounding area developed as a

lookout A lookout or look-out is a person in charge of the observation of hazards. The term originally comes from a naval background, where lookouts would watch for other ships, land, and various dangers. The term has now passed into wider parlance. ...

in 1939. It offers a vantage point over the Oval, Memorial Drive Tennis Courts, the northern sections of the parklands, and the city.

History

1837: Naming

The name given to the hill by the local

Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...

people is no longer known, but its current name was given in 1837 to honour

Jacob Barrow Montefiore Jacob Barrow Montefiore (1801–1895) was a member of the South Australian Colonization Commission in London from 1835 to 1839, a body appointed by the British Government under King William IV to oversee implementation of the ''South Australia ...

(1801–1895), one of the Colonization Commissioners for South Australia and a cousin of British philanthropist

Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, afte ...

. It was named by the committee of prominent colonists in the

South Australian Company The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the '' South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834'' had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the So ...

who had named all of the main streets and squares of Adelaide on 23 May 1837.

1936: Development

The lookout was developed as part of the 1936 centenary celebrations, a project in which the top of the hill was levelled, and the area landscaped with gardens and paving with a curved

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

on its southern side.

1938: Light's Vision

A larger redevelopment was suggested in 1938, when Sir

Henry Newland Henry Newland ( – 7 March 1862) was an Anglican clergyman in the Church of Ireland. He was the incumbent at Gorey and Dean of Ferns from 1842 until his death at age 66."Births, Deaths, Marriages and Obituaries" ''Freeman's Journal The '' ...

proposed redesigning and expanding the levelled area, as well as moving the statue of Light from its position at the northern end of Victoria Square in the city centre, and renaming it Light's Vision. The redevelopment plan was not proceeded with, but the moving and renaming of the statue was carried out in May 1938. The name Light's Vision is now sometimes applied to the whole lookout.

Location and description

History

1837: Naming

1936: Development

1938: Light's Vision

References

Further reading

Jacob Montefiore