Colonel Light's plan of Adelaide

Details

ProvenanceIn 1837, the Colonial Commissioners used the watercolour map so investors could buy property "off the plan" around Adelaide. Colonel William Light was South Australia's first Surveyor General, and a city has developed around his blueprint in the years since then. The plan, originally drawn by a 16 year-old draftsman Robert George Thomas, acting under Light's instructions, is an item of major cultural and historical significance in the colonisation and settlement of South Australia by England. The streets were named by a Street Naming Committee that met on 23 May 1837, indicating that this plan must have been completed after that date.SignificancePart of the Historical Relics collection. The Plan of Adelaide is a major settlement icon relating to the surveying that took place in the early months after the arrival of the first colonists. It shows the innovative ideal exhibited by Light that even today is hailed by town planners as a fine example of enlightened planning. The plan is an object that transmits a sense of experiencing the past, and inspires the historical imagination.DescriptionLarge watercolour map plan, in portrait manner, which displays the city of Adelaide's square mile (originally known as South Adelaide) and the nearby area of North Adelaide. The detailed illustration show each individual numbered allotment that were used prospective buyers to select the land they wanted to buy. The River Torrens is shown clearly running horizontally between the two sections. The top left corner indicates "Provisional Survey 'A'" and the top right shows "Plan of Adelaide, South Australia". The hospital, police barracks, Government House and other features are pictured, as is the site of West Terrace Cemetery.Creator (person)Colonel W. LightCreator (organisation) Acknowledgement Keywordssurveyingcity planningDate of Creation1837Date of Usage1837MaterialPaper - unspecified
DimensionType: total
Height: 1690.5
Width: 1210
Unit (Lengths): mm
Accession NumberHT 2001.0166

Connections

PlaceAdelaide, South AustraliaCollectionA Great Southern Land

Image Credits

Image FilenameHT2001-0166_CI5850.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0

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