New Book Out now
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‘…a Mr. Collins… in partnership with Lieutenant Lord, professedly keeps a Shop, and engross the advantages of Trade to the great injury of the Settlement.’ Governor William Bligh, 10 June 1809.
The shop, opened in August 1805, is the building that has recently been found beneath the Bank Arcade in Liverpool Street Hobart. It was the first private shop in the settlement making it the oldest known building in Tasmania and one of the three oldest still standing in Australia.
It was the first of many firsts for the building as it became a home to government officers, convicts, manufacturers and retailers over the next two centuries.
Whilst I have given numerous presentations over the years to community organisations, historians and researchers, this book is the first time that all of the research has been put together. Discovering floorboards, joists, stonework and nails of this building is only a part of the story, as the life of achievements of its original builder, William Collins, and eight other owners is equally interesting.
For those that enjoy Tasmanian and Australian history, the book will offer something new as the story of the building through 216 years reflects society through boom and depression, hopes and aspirations.
The book is available now from all Tasmanian bookstores and from the Bank Arcade florist. Books purchased from the florist will entitle the purchaser to a free tour of the building in the near future.