THE HISTORY
1832 – 1848 RICHARD BENT AND JAMES BROWN
Richard Bent and James Brown came from different backgrounds and different parts of the United Kingdom and it is likely that they first met at the Methodist Chapel in Hobart. Brown had come to Hobart Town as a free person and Bent as a transported convict.
Bent and Brown combined their resources to purchase the Liverpool Street property in 1832, then immediately commenced alterations to the building structure. Brown had the need for warehouse space and saw the potential of the site. Bent was abuilder with the necessary skills to convert the existing timber structure into a brick and stone building that extended to Liverpool Street and the south-western boundary of the property. In 1848, Brown successfully applied for the official title to the land and buildings, the first time that such a document had existed for the site.
The basement window in 1832 looked out towards a rear timber workshop and just beyond that to the Hobart rivulet and harbour. By 1848 the workshop remained, but taller buildings on Collins, Argyle and Elizabeth streets obscured the wider view.
