Dinosaur topiary bush south of Launceston on highway
 
 

Red brick bridge built by convicts at Campbell Town approx. 60 km  south of Launceston
 

Foxhunter Hotel, Campbell Town, Tasmania - note the row of bricks set in foot path just in front of wood fence-
and oldest part of building with green roof where there were convict prison cells.

Steps to convict cells under Foxhunter hotel

"Macquarie River, Ross Bridge, Tasmania. It is a monument to the artistic convict craftsmanship. The bridge consists of three perfect symmetry arches, all bearing contemporary patterns of colonial sculptured stone. "

Around 2002 a dairy of this significant Tasmanian  colonial Architect was discovered by a great great grand daughter which details his work-1836-end 1837. There is a new memorial to John LeeArcher at this bridge now.

John Lee Archer  was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1791. He was  trained in London with John Rennie, the architect who designed London, Waterloo and Southwark bridges. He was appointed civil engineer and government architect to Tasmania in 1826. John was the official Colonial Architect and Engineer in Van Diemen's Land [the old name for Tasmania], and he served under two Governors, Arthur and Franklin.
 
 

His works can be see in many places:
Hobart: Anglesea Barracks, Parliament House, Penitentiary Chapel , St John’s Church ,  [St George's, Battery Point, Hobart. Nave 1836 by John Lee Archer,] and Orphan School, in the suburb of New Town, Ordnance Stores in Salamanca Place
Richmond: The Gaol and St Luke’s Church.
In 1832 John Lee Archer added to the existing building at the gaol at Richmond, 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 chief gaoler's house which was two storeys with elaborate 16 pane windows. This gaol  1825,  predates the penal colony at Port Arthur by five years and thus is the oldest penal institution in Australia...
 
 

St Luke's Church, Richmond  - by John Lee Archer  1834-36. [ and another St Lukes at  Campbell Town, Tasmania. c.1834] Other churches: St Peter’s Church in Hamilton, Entally Chapel at Hadspen.

Launceston: the Court House and Launceston Gaol (now a school). and the tower of Saint John's Church in Launceston ,
Evandale :Anglican  white church .
Lighthouses : Cape Bruny and  Low Head lighthouses- the latter has been rebuilt..

As Colonial Architect and Engineer in Van Diemen's Land at that time, he served under two Governors, Arthur and Franklin.
 

He spent his last years in Stanley where he was chief police magistrate for the district of Horton  from 1838.
intertingly he  had a strong connection to this place long befrre this :
"In 1825 Van Dieman's Land Company (London) was granted land for sheep breeding and wool. The grant included the remote area around Stanley. Settlers began arriving in 1826. The company sold land to private buyers by 1840 and in 1842 it instigated the design of a town by John Lee Archer.[There is a colour copy of the map of the town of Satnley  he designed  inlcuding a painting of the church in situ,  at the National Library of Australia web site http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi=nla.map-f228-e ]

It was named Stanley after the Secretary of State for the Colonies". The Chief Agent of this Company  lived at Highfield House which  was started  in 1832 for the  had some later additions designed by  John Lee Archer, and built over two years to 1845.

The Van Diemens Land Company Store,  built  in Stanley, designed by John Lee Archer in 1843-44. It is constructed of bluestone which came to Stanley as ballast in ships and  has a  slate roof.  Archer, who designed and built the Store, also worked in Stanley as the Chairman of Quarter Sessions, the Commissioner under the Electoral Act and the Assistant Commissioner of the Court of Requests.
There is a copy of the map of the town of Satnley he designed and drew-painted for this at the National Library of Australia web site

 In 1852 he died there  and is buried near the Nut,  in North West Tasmania.

Richmond Bridge - The oldest bridge in Australia built by convict about between 1823-1825
to make it faster to move soldiers, police and convicts from Hobart to Port Arthur Gaol.
Richmond is 26 km north  of Hobart.

Old  shop in Richmond.

That great BBQ! Summer  2002 ? I just got this photos from Ann today 17 May 2004
while helping her move into the new house.

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