State Library of South Australia

'Gilberton House', Walkerville [PRG 742/5/21] • Photograph

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Summary

'Gilberton House' Walkerville, with family in front garden. Also known as Elbury House. Torrens Observatory written on brick pillars at entrance gate to house. According to a researcher, Clement Lindley Wragge (1852-1922) was a meteorologist. In 1885 he rented and then purchased this house still standing at 128 Stephen Tce Gilberton. He kept weather records from the Torrens Observatory behind the house (can be seen on the left of the picture) and another on Mt Lofty until 1890s. According to another researcher, Mr and Mrs Clement Lindley Wragge returned to Adelaide from Britain, arriving on 6 December 1883. Wragge was determined to set up, as soon as possible, a fully professional meteorological and astronomical observatory. 'Just after Christmas I secured a two-storey-house, with land ... and forthwith christened it the "Torrens Observatory". On January 1st, 1884, I commenced observations ... .' (Clement Lindley Wragge, Experiences of a Meteorologist in South Australia, reprinted Adelaide 1980, p. 5.) In December 1886 Wragge was appointed Queensland Government Meteorolgist and commenced duties there on 1 January 1887. He left his wife at their house in Walkerville, where she bore their 8th child. Some time after that she moved to Queensland. To the left of the house can be seen the edge of his circular astronomical observatory, then closer to the house, one of two Stevenson's screens supported by extra, oblique supports. Wragge conducted experiments there to prove the validity of Stevenson Screens in Australian temperatures, as a result of which South Australia has one of the longest, continuous accurate temperature records in the world—accurate enough for modern climatological research. An outstanding feature of the weather garden was the hygrometer, an electric self-recording instrument, whose readings were triggered by wires from a three cell Le Clanché battery in the study. It was the first one in the colonies. The man near the front fence is almost certainly Clement Wragge.

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Physical description

Photograph (albumen print); 15.9 cm x 20.9 cm

Dates / Publication details

Approximately 1885

Photographer

Sweet, Samuel White

Subject

Gilberton House (Walkerville, S.A.)
Architecture, Domestic -- South Australia -- Walkerville
Walkerville (S.A.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.

Catalogue record

Return to catalogue

Digitisation information

Date

15/10/2013

Format

image/tiff

Resolution

5,147 x 3,919 pixels (20.2 MP)

Size

60.54 MB

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