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175 Years of Launceston Horticultural Society Print Page Print this page

16-October-2016 (Peter Williams)
16-October-2016 (Peter Williams)

Photographs supplied by John Huth / Peter Williams

The plaque commemorates 175 years of the Launceston Horticultural Society from 1838 to 2013.

The Launceston Horticultural Society is believed to be the oldest society of its type in continuous existence in Australia. It was a direct outcome of the great horticultural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Britain coinciding with the development of the Australian colonies. More indirectly, it owes its origins to Sir Joseph Banks who, with William Jackson Hooker, set up the Royal Horticultural Society in London. Hooker (Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew) persuaded Ronald Campbell Gunn and Robert William Lawrence to collect Tasmanian plants for London herbariums and gardens.

Encouraged by the then Governor, Sir John Franklin (and Lady Franklin), Gunn decided to form a similar society in Launceston. The first meeting was held on 4 July 1838, R C Gunn becoming the first President, and the first show followed on 19 December the same year. The Society had 48 members initially, but by the end of the 1840s there were 122 subscribers. In January 1868 it amalgamated with a rival group, the Gardeners and Amateurs Horticultural Society (established 27 December 1849), and the new organisation had its first flower exhibition on 18 February 1868.

Location

Address:Tamar Street, Hart Conservatory, City Park, Launceston, 7250
State:TAS
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -41.432874
Long: 147.142667
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Plaque
Monument Theme:Culture
Sub-Theme:Community
Approx. Event Start Date:1838
Approx. Event End Date:2013

Dedication

Front Inscription

Commemorating 175 Years of the Launceston Horticultural Society 

1838 - 2013

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au