The new era dawned at Woolmers when Thomas died in 1850. His wife, Susannah, continued to live on the estate but spent a great deal of time travelling to and from England. The Archers of Woolmers enjoyed the lifestyle of landed gentry, entertaining guests and leasing the land.

A combination of the agricultural depression, Thomas' death and the end of transportation, all contributed to the gradual winding down of the estate.

The most significant highpoints during this period were of social, not farming, significance. In 1868, H.R.H. Duke of Edinburgh lunched at Woolmers with Mrs Susannah Archer and her grandson. The chair used by the Duke was engraved with a small anchor, and is still in the dining room today.

When Thomas Chalmers, for whom the estate had been held in trust, returned from studying in England, he had no interest in farming. Like his grandmother, he spent a great deal of time away pursuing other activities in nearby Launceston, or in Melbourne.