At the southern end of Hobart is one of the most popular The Runnymede Estate is one of the city's most popular attractions. Built in 1837, this historic building now attracts hundreds of of tourists. The two-storey elegant bungalow, which overlooks the urban neighbourhood of New Town is a fine example of colonial architecture. Surrounding the house is a lovely garden of flowerbeds and trees, some of which are over a hundred years old. Here you can see fruit trees and marvellous. roses, fuchsias, cerise and various bulbous plants.
Runnymead Manor was built for Robert Pitcairn, a lawyer who played an important role in the early 19th century in the campaign against the expulsion of prisoners from England to Australia. In those days the estate was known as Cairn's Cottage. In 1850, Tasmania's first Anglican bishop, Francis Nixon, settled here and added music halls to the house, where religious services and other events were held. Then, in 1864, the house became the property of sea captain Charles Bailey. He changed the name of his home from Cairn's House to Runnymede, in honour of the ship he'd once sailed on. The Bailey family lived in homestead for 100 years - it wasn't until 1967 that the Tasmanian state government acquired the house and handed it over to the National Trust, the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Extensive restoration work began immediately, restoring the house to its early 19th century appearance.
Today, the Runnymede Estate houses a rich collection of items, of seafaring and whaling artefacts and works of art, belonging to the Bailey family and some of Bishop Francis Nixon's possessions. Of particular interest is the collection of carvings on shells.
