The Lady Franklin Gallery and Ancanthe Park is a historic sandstone museum and parkland in Lenah Valley, Tasmania, Australia. When it opened on 26 October 1843, it became the first privately funded museum in Australia.

History

In 1836,

Lady Jane Franklin Jane, Lady Franklin (née Griffin; 4 December 1791 – 18 July 1875) was a British explorer, seasoned traveller and the second wife of the English explorer Sir John Franklin. During her husband's period as Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's La ...

and her husband

Sir John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and thro ...

relocated to

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

when he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the colony. In 1839, she purchased of land in Lenah Valley with the intent of building a museum and botanical garden, which she named ''Ancanthe'',

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

for "blooming valley". Built at her own expense in the Greek revivalist style with convict labour, the sandstone museum opened to the public on 26 October 1843. The museum displayed Tasmanian memorabilia, books, botanical specimens, sculptures, and other items from Lady Franklin's personal collection. Her hopes for the parklands to be transformed into a botanic garden never materialised. When the Franklins departed Tasmania in 1853, the museum and estate were entrusted to the nearby Queen's College, which itself was purchased by the

Hutchins School The Hutchins School is an Anglican, day and boarding school for boys from pre-kindergarten to Year 12 in Hobart, Tasmania. Established in 1846, Hutchins is one of the oldest continually operating schools in Australia. Hutchins is a founding-m ...

in 1893. During this period, Lady Franklin's artefacts were dispersed, large portions of the parklands were sold for housing and the museum became a storehouse for apples. The museum and parklands remained privately owned and in a state of disrepair until they were purchased by the

Hobart City Council The City of Hobart is a local government area in Tasmania which covers the central metropolitan area of the state capital, Hobart. The city is governed by Hobart City Council and led by the Lord Mayor. The local government area has a populat ...

in 1921. The Art Society of Tasmania located to the premises in 1949. The Lady Franklin Gallery is designated on the

Tasmanian Heritage Register The Tasmanian Heritage Register is the statutory heritage register of the Australian state of Tasmania. It is defined as a list of areas currently identified as having historic cultural heritage importance to Tasmania as a whole. The Register is k ...

Ancanthe Park development

In 2013, the ''Saving Ancanthe Action Group'' unsuccessfully petitioned for the Hobart City Council to facilitate the purchase of former parkland surrounding the gallery on the merits of its historical and environmental value as a means to save it from housing development. The group further hoped to establish a Cultural Landscape and Historic Centre in the Vicinity of Ancanthe Park. In 2014, author Alison Alexander, who won the

National Biography Award The National Biography Award, established in Australia in 1996, is awarded for the best published work of biographical or autobiographical writing by an Australian. It aims "to encourage the highest standards of writing biography and autobiography ...

for her book ''The Ambitions of Jane Franklin, Victorian Lady Adventurer'' opposed the subdivision of sixteen allotments of Ancanthe Park. Since at least 2015, the Ancanthe parkland has been further subdivided, with allotments sold for housing development. This resulted in the extension of Ancanthe Avenue, which runs directly through the former estate.

References

{{Hobart landmarks Art museums and galleries in Tasmania Convictism in Tasmania Culture in Hobart Landmarks in Hobart Museums established in 1843 Museums in Hobart Tasmanian Heritage Register Neoclassical architecture in Australia

History

Ancanthe Park development

See also

References