Burdekin House columns
Burdekin House was once described as one of the finest buildings in New South Wales and one of the sights to see when visiting Sydney.
It was a grand 3-story house built in 1841 for wealthy merchant Thomas Burdekin and located on Macquarie Street, across the road from Parliament House. When demolished in 1933, several architectural elements were saved including the columns that adorned the front verandah. These columns then went on a journey, enduring two demolitions and several changes of ownership. Their story tells us much about heritage in 20th century Sydney and the extreme pressures associated with a growing city.
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Burdekin House - St Malo columns
If the fluted timber columns made for Burdekin House now look a little battered and perhaps not as elegant as they were in the mid-19th century, it is hardly surprising after surviving two house demolitions
Talks & webinars
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Murphy Wallpaper Collection
The recent donation to the Caroline Simpson Library of thousands of wallpapers in the John and Phyllis Murphy Collection means that Museums of History NSW now has the largest holding of historical wallpapers in Australia
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Phyllis Shillito and her colour curriculum 1945–1979
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