Highfield Historic Site offers a historically accurate vision of a gentleman's home and farm of the 1830s. It sits on a hillside overlooking the lands the manager would have once controlled, with views across to Stanley, the Nut and Bass Strait beyond. The house is being restored over time and its elegant Regency design, convict barracks, barns, stables, and a chapel were once surrounded by a large ornamental garden.
Edward Curr, the chief agent of the Van Diemen's Land Company, started construction in 1832, and later additions were made by John Lee Archer, the colony's first important architect. Archer retired to live out his last days in Stanley and his grave can be found in the protected cemetary at the base of the Nut.
The VDL settlement began in 1826 on 250,000 acres granted under Royal Charter by George IV. Today, the original farm has reduced and covers around five acres, which is open to visitors.
