Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. 23 RUG 19611 , 1964 by Daniel Thomas EARLY Houses of Northern Tasmania" is a magnificent new book on colonial archi- tecture. Although it was published only a few weeks ago, and although the price of 16 guineas is high, the publisher (GP:agion House, of Melbourne), has already sold out. Those who don't hurry to catch present booksel- lers' supplies will be per- manently disappointed. There are two volumes. The text is by Edith N. Craig, and the 264 photo- graphs are by E. Graeme Robertson, the author of the same publisher's two books on cast-iron decora- tion in Melbourne and Sydney. Mrs. Craig happens to live in Northern Tasmania but the choice of subject is not an arbitrary matter of convenience. The great valley of northern Tas- mania with its rich pas- toral and farm land pro- vides by far the largest number of early houses to have survived (without too much mutilation) in the whole of Australia, The region has nothing so splendid as Camden Park, but then it has not des- troyed the many buildings that New South Wales bas lost, like Sublaco or Bun- garibee And' even more import- ant the country houses re- tain beautiful landscape settings, A handful of churches The emphasis in the book is on country houses, though quite a few town houses or cottages appear, and even one or two shops. There is a good number of barns and stables, and clearly these handsome structures should one day be given a book to them- selves. A handful of churches creeps in and a few pure landscape photo- graphs. So even without bridges and public build- ings the book gives tome - thing of the total atmos- phere of the place, Besides the fertile region from Launceston to Delo- rains to Tunbridge, the book embraces some east coast buildings near Swan- sea and extends its inter- est to James Cox's sea- side Regency villa at Georgetown. And besides the Regency and Early Victorian periods a few palatial Victorian Italian - ate houses to about 1870 are included, especially if they were the seats of im- portant families, Here one misses Edward Archer's "Northbury," for the text is as much social and historical as architec- tural, and the Archer fam- ily's houses are otherwise very well covered-Pan- shauger being the most famous. Unlike much local and family history, Mrs. Craig's text has a sense of respon- sibility. Where facts are not know they are omit- ted. Even so there is a great deal of useful infor- mation, and one figure to emerge clearly for the first time is that member of the Archer family who himself became an a.ztil- tect and built houses for his family and friends in 1854)e and 1860s It is tempting to incrense the attributions: the editions Woolmers, and perhaps the houses built for the Fields. Another important con- tribution is the architect for that very elegant Re- gency villa "Hythe": it was Samuel Jackson who later became a founder of the /settlement at Mel- bourne and builder of some early churches there. "Hythe" and several other buildings incidentally have cast Ironwork of a kind unknown in New South Wales - very open, very Greek, and exactly like that used by Nash in Re- gent's Park. Unfortunately neither Hythe's unusual and in- teresting plan, nor any other plans are given. Nor are there many interior photographs. The book therefore disqualifies it- self as a professional architectural history (so do the two architectural chapters to some extent). But the book, though less than architectural history, is also more; its mixture of topography, social and family history, bushrangers, and gooseberry wine -mak- ing, as well as building, succeeds in bringing to life a whole place and a period. Dr. Robertson's superb photographs (taken over many years) are, like Mrs. Craig's text, nicely balanc- ed between factual respon- sibility and attractive pic- ture making. Less striking - glamorous than Max 15 s in the recenit, National Trust "Georgian Architecture in Australla"-frankly a pro- Karrfisaonbsook gainvraym-g; more information about the buildings, and reveal patient waiting for the best light. The result is a book in praise of sparkling sun- shine and racing clouds and shadows as much as one about houses and their inhabitants. It's worth every penny Not absolutely all the early houses of northern Tasmania are illustrated - Longford could have given more-but a vast number of little known buildings, most of them charming, a few very beautiful (Doug- las Park for example), and all very precious in their Australian 'context have been published for the first time.