Historic West Hobart house a treasure trove

AN 1845-built West Hobart house has valuers and auctioneers excited by its history and possibilities.

JESSICA HOWARD

The front exterior of 351 Liverpool St, West Hobart

The overgrown cottage in the back yard has a separate title with access from Forest Rd.

It is not just the beautiful original Victorian features of the house itself that have caused excitement, but its historic contents.

Some of the artefacts in the home include 16th century furniture, an original invitation to the Jane Franklin Museum in Lenah Valley and a 16th century bible found in one of the bookshelves.

These, along with about 500 other items from the house, will be auctioned off next month.

One of the executors of the estate Jo Thalmann, of Kettering, in the living room.

Having lived there for more than 50 years, Rosemary Stilwell passed away in July this year, with her second cousins Jo Thalmann and Georgie Stilwell appointed executers of her estate.

“There had been a bit of private interest in the property, but we thought it needed to go to the open market because it’s such a unique property and hasn’t been on the market for such a long time,” Mrs Thalmann said.

A circa 1900 portrait of John Pakenham Stilwell, great grandfather of Geoffrey Stilwell, hangs in the downstairs dining room.

Architectural historian and valuer Warwick Oakman, who knew Mr Stilwell before he passed away in 2000, said there were a lot of rare finds in the home.

One of the most exciting discoveries was a pair of old cedar sidetables, he said.

“Geoffrey always thought they were English mahogany, but when we went to look at them we sent core samples to a wood technologist in Melbourne and they came back as being cedar from about 1810 in Hobart,” he said.

The home at 351 Liverpool St is for sale by expressions of interest.

The auction of the contents will be on November 22 at the Henry Jones Art Hotel by Mossgreen.