Ancanthe Park Master Plan

Ancanthe Park Master Plan

Hobart City Council

Inspiration

Ancanthe is a small temple-like museum built in 1843 at the direction of Lady Jane Franklin to enrich the cultural life of the fledgling colony. Ancanthe has been a gift and burden for Park managers since coming into Council ownership. As a gift, Ancanthe represents the high ideals of an earlier era, when Lady Franklin sought to create a “cultured centre within the wilderness”. This sentiment has conflicted with the urbanisation of the site’s surrounds and requirements for activation of the museum in support of its use and conservation.  

Outcomes

Recognising these dilemmas, Council engaged Inspiring Place, supported by Kristal Buckley of Deakin University, to prepare a master plan for Ancanthe and its surrounds.

The master plan provides Council with a ‘blue print’ to guide use and management of the Park.
The plan has been prepared with respect for Lady Franklin’s vision, the natural values of the Park and the community’s interest in the site as a place of significant heritage value. The master plan promotes informal uses that respect the serene atmosphere created by the ‘temple’. In doing so, the plan addresses the need to upgrade the Park’s infrastructure, refine the Park’s landscape, link it with the wider setting and enhance its usage. A central tenet of the plan is to identify mechanisms to heighten the presence of the museum in the landscape, particularly through the removal of discordant elements.

Recognition

“What a great job Inspiring Place did on the master plan - the research so thorough, the writing so clear, and all the issues precisely skewered...”
- Local Resident

Photography: Inspiring Place