In 1855 William Charles Chandler immigrated to Van Dieman's Land from Middlesex, England. After working at a nursery in Enfield north of London, he commenced work as a gardener at Mona Vale in Tasmania's Midlands. He eventually moved to what was then called Hobart Town and gained employment as a gardener at Government House. He eventually became head gardener. His eldest son William Chandler II gained an apprenticeship at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and at the age of 25 years in 1888 he established Chandlers Nursery in Park Street, New Town. Several years later he leased a neglected orchard in Queen Street, Sandy Bay and moved the nursery to it's present site. William had three sons all whom joined the nursery when they left school. William III (Bill), who managed the business from 1924, Harold, who left the business to work as a superintendent for Forestry, and Albert (Percy), who managed the propagating side of the business. Between 1899 and 1953 the nursery maintained a city shop in Liverpool Street, Hobart, selling plants, seeds and cut flowers. During the 1930's depression adjoining land was purchased to increase the size of the Queen Street nursery. When Percy's son, William IV, left school he too commenced work at the nursery while also studying botany part time at the Tasmanian University. Following the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the RAAF in 1942 and was eventually posted to England and sadly did not return from a bombing raid over Europe in 1944. Bill's son (Ted), commenced work at the nursery in 1945. There he stayed for the next 65 years and still visited the nursery daily following his retirement. Gregg, one of Ted's three children started at the nursery in 1975 after exploring different fields and decided he would continue the family business. Gregg still runs the nursery today with two of his four children Lauren and William V (Will). Chandlers Nursery is one of Australia's oldest nurseries and still in original family ownership.
