Franklin House

Franklin House is a heritage-listed historic house museum at Youngtown on the southern outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania. Built in 1838 for former convict Britton Jones in Georgian style, it was later a private school and is now operated by the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania). The property preserves period-furnished rooms, outbuildings and gardens, illustrating colonial domestic life and education in early Van Diemen's Land.

Visitors can explore a two-storey Georgian brick residence with period-furnished rooms, original outbuildings and landscaped gardens. The interior displays colonial furniture, textiles and domestic objects from the National Trust collection. Guided tours explain the house, former school use and daily life in the 1830s-1840s. Grounds include lawns, heritage plantings and picnic areas. A small gift shop and interpretation displays are on site.

Built in 1838 for Britton Jones, a former convict who became a successful brewer and landowner. Named Franklin House after Sir John Franklin, Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land. From 1842 to 1866 it operated as a private academy for boys under William Keleher. Later a private residence and farm, it was acquired by the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) in 1960 and restored as a house museum representing colonial Georgian architecture and early education.

Listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register and classified by the National Trust, Franklin House is a significant example of colonial Georgian domestic architecture and 19th-century school life in Tasmania. It preserves collections and interiors illustrating early settler society in Van Diemen's Land.