Work has started on the final stage of a Hobart City Council project to ‘reinterpret’ the site of the former William Crowther statue in Franklin Square.
The council said the permanent installation near the Crowther plinth is the fourth and final stage of its Crowther Reinterpreted project and is expected to be finished in late October.
William Crowther was a 19th-century surgeon and Tasmanian premier.
His treatment of the remains of Aboriginal man William Lanne, who died in 1869, made the statue contested and ultimately led to a council vote to remove it.
The project began in response to requests from the Tasmanian Aboriginal community to acknowledge and interpret that history.
Taylor & Hinds Architects designed the new installation, which will feature text from three commissioned writers.
The council selected the designer and writers following a public expression of interest in late 2025.
Nunami Sculthorpe-Green will write about Palawa life in the mid-1800s and Lanne, while Alison Alexander will write about colonial life and Crowther.
Andrew Harper will write about how the statue came to be removed, both through the council process and when it was cut down illegally.
Each writer will contribute a 250-word piece for the site and a longer piece of up to 1,200 words online, accessible through a QR code in the square.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the project had been “shaped through extensive engagement” with the Aboriginal community and the wider public.
“This final stage will provide a lasting interpretation that helps people understand the significance of Franklin Square, William Lanne’s story and the legacy of the former Crowther statue,” she said.
The council first approved an interpretation project at the end of 2019.
In 2021, four temporary artworks were displayed around the statue while a public survey asked how the site could be permanently reinterpreted.
The council voted in August 2022 to remove the bronze figure while leaving the sandstone plinth in place.
A planning permit for the removal was granted in August 2023 but the decision was appealed.
The statue was cut down overnight on May 15, 2024, hours before the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal upheld the council’s decision to remove it.
A Tasmania Police spokesperson told Pulse today that no one had been charged over the damage.
“Police will investigate any new pieces of information received in relation to the damage,” they said.
“If anyone has information and they haven’t already spoken to police, they are asked to contact Hobart Police on 131 444 and quote OR743625.”
The damaged statue was placed into storage and was being restored interstate by early 2025.
Some supporters have said they plan to lobby for it to be displayed at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery once repaired.
