Historical Connections
Forebear of the present owner, Louisa Anne Meredith was an early
settler in Tasmania and an author and illustrator of note. Many
of her books are found in the Islington Library.
 Louisa
Anne Meredith (1812-1895)
Early author, artist and botanist, who was the first woman to
write a description of life in Tasmania
Louisa Anne Meredith (Twamley) was born in Birmingham in 1812.
Despite her lack of formal education she had became an extremely
competent writer, artist, botanist and naturalist by her teens.
Her first book of poems, which she illustrated herself, was published
when she was 20 years old.
In 1839 Louisa married and moved to Oyster Bay, Tasmania where
she continued to write and paint. Notes and Sketches of New South
Wales was published in 1844 and My Home in Tasmania in 1852.
Louisa was an active participant in the production of plays,
concerts and poetry readings in Hobart.
As an ardent conservationist Louisa lobbied to have an act of
parliament passed to protect Tasmania's wildlife and also helped
found the Tasmanian branch of the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals. Her love of flora and fauna was clearly
illustrated in her publications Tasmanian Friends and Foes, Feathered
Furred and Finned, published in 1880 and Bush Friends in Tasmania,
published in 1891.
Louisa was a prolific author with many and varied publications
to her credit. Her remarkable collection of writing and painting
give us a clear picture of the life of white Australian settlers
spanning 50 years of the pioneer era of Tasmania.
In 1884, four years after the death of her husband, Louisa was
awarded £100 per year by the British Government in recognition
of her work in literature, art and science.
(Copyright Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet/Significant Tasmanian
Women)
 The "Central
Medallion" Chintz Quilt (1810-1825) by Marianna Lloyd
Marianna Lloyd was the great grandmother of the current owner.
The chintz quilt was made by her in England and brought with
her when she married and emigrated to Van Diemens Land with her
husband William Button, who was to become a future Lord Mayor
of Launceston.
 Andrea Morucchio
Water & Glass Installation
'Percer Voir' (to perceive - lit 'pierce to see') comprises
14 satin blown Murano glass crystal points each more than a metre
long, floating on a 54 sq metre pond against a backdrop of Mount
Wellington
"The glass points spring out of earth and water. The natural light permeates
the glass points giving them dynamism, shape and essence and as the light changes
through the course of the day so too does the appearance of the points"
Morucchio was the first recipient of the Claudio Alcorso Foundation artist
in residence programme at The University of Tasmania School of Art. The installation
previously appeared in the Hobart Botanical Gardens as part of the 10 Days
on the Island 2003 programme and on a grassy verge in a monastery in Reggio
Emilia, near Venice.
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