Narryna was built in 1836, only 33 years after the first British settlement of Tasmania. It was built for Captain Andrew Haig, a seafaring gentleman, and is a fine example of a Merchant's residence of that period.

The house stands on part of 2 acres of land which extended from Salamanca Place, where Captain Haig first built his warehouse, to Hampden Road, and was purchased from the original grantee, the Reverend Robert Knopwood, chaplain of the First Fleet, for 150 pounds in 1824.

The House, which is of simple English Georgian design, is built of brick, faced with stone brought from Scotland as ship's ballast. The 12 paned windows downstairs can be shuttered and barred from inside as a protection from the attacks by bushrangers and Aborigines which occurred in the early days of the settlement.

The downstairs rooms have trap doors leading to an under floor refuge and escape route to the garden. The original floors are of New Zealand Kauri and Baltic Pine, with local pine in the rear of the house. The doors and architraves are of pine, and some cedar was used in the skirtings and staircase. The cornices and plasterwork are also original.

The beautifully proportioned building consists of eight main rooms - four on the ground floor and four inter-communicating rooms upstairs. On the ground floor, descending four steps, is the lower hallway where the backstairs to the servants' quarters and the kitchen can be found.

From here an external floor leads to the pantry and larder and the flag stoned courtyard enclosed with its high brick walls and heavily locked and bolted door.

The stone sink which can be seen in the courtyard was originally placed along the end of the scullery. An open gully ran through the courtyard from this point, which also served to take the waste water and slops from the lean-to wash house which occupied the right hand corner, the window of which may still be seen.

Narryna opened in November 1957 as a social history museum to house items used in the colony from 1803 until 1900, and is possibly a more comprehensive collection of items from this period than can be found in any other "house museum" in Australia.

The following pages provide some information on the different rooms in the house, and some details of their very special contents.


The Hall

Through the ornate front door with its multiple fastenings the visitor finds rooms as they were lived in the 1840s. The hall itself contains an oil painting of the "Sir John Rae Reid", the sailing ship which was the last command of Captain Andrew Haig, a barometer once belonging to Governor Arthur, a 1790 mahogany grandfather clock and a chair originally the Magistrate's chair from the Courthouse of Franklin. The converted 3-arm gaslight came from St David's Cathedral.

The Drawing Room

On the left of the hall, the drawing room contains one of the original articles of furniture owned by Captain Haig, a handsome mahogany "teapoy" used for storing and mixing tea, an expensive item in the early 19th century. Notable also are the elaborate cast iron grate, the mantle and table drapes embroidered in silk with Tasmanian wildflowers.

Among family treasures brought by settlers from their British homes were the William and Mary cabinet with fine oyster inlay (1860) and the extensively inlaid German made bureau.

The Dining Room

On the right of the hall, the dining room with its mahogany table and sideboard and cedar and blackwood chairs illustrates the ways of a household with numerous servants. Massive silver plated dish covers helped keep food warm as it was carried from the distant kitchen. A bell summoned the maid to clear away. Knives were stored in their special box.

A tiny spirit lamp kept the copper kettle on the boil near to the mistress's hand. the Worcester tea and coffee set, the silver plated candelabrum and the massive cruets are typical of an affluent Victorian household.

The Study

Among the contents of the study one may note Captain Haig's portable desk (with handles on the side for carrying it), a seaman's telescope, the terrestrial globe from the Meredith House at Cambria on Tasmania's east coast, the Sheraton carpenter's toolchest with its collection of shaping planes brought to Tasmania by Edward Casson Rowntree in 1830, the Regency bracket clock, Captain James Kelly's large Windsor type chair and a "Jimmy Possum" chair made by an early craftsman, probably in northern Tasmania.

The Morning Room

Where the ladies of the house spent their leisure hours. Here is the square piano by G. Wilkinson of London from 1800, a violin made by S. Wiggins of Sorell, Tasmania in 1840, and an embroidery frame.

The unusual cedar bookcase (c1830) now displaying early children's story and lesson books came from the Degraves House at the Cascades, Hobart.

The Kitchen

Past the lower hallway and the narrow stairs to the servants' quarters, the kitchen contains a collection of every day china and utensils, bright copperware, a well scrubbed pine topped table, two large Huon Pine dressers and a cedar settee - but no sink or taps. Water was brought from outside when required.

The Coachhouse and Smithy

Originally used for vehicles and as the coachman's quarters, this building now houses a unique set of brewery equipment, as well as whaling and other industrial relics. The smithy, with its anvil and forge reminds visitors of its importance in the age of horse drawn vehicles.

First Floor exhibits include the Top Landing, The Huon Pine Bedroom, the Cedar Bedroom, the Nursery and the Museum Room which contains various whaling memorabilia, personal artefacts and other items of interest.

Narryna is just a short walk up the hill from Salamanca Place. The house is open weekdays from 10am to 5pm, on weekends and public holidays from 2pm to 5pm. The house is closed on Christmas Day, Good Friday, Anzac Day and for the month of July.

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