Making Home: Collections on Tour
Published on Thursday 04 September 2025
MHNSW was proud to present Making Home: A Short History of Houses, Interiors and Gardens in NSW in 2025.
Participants had the opportunity to learn from MHNSW curators and Caroline Simpson Library staff about the history of houses, interiors and gardens in NSW, and explore material from the library relevant to their locality – including wallpaper, trade catalogues, tiles, architectural pattern books and historical garden sources. The events, part of our Collections on Tour series, were enjoyed at Cooma Cottage, Yass (19 March); Grossmann and Brough Houses, Maitland (30 April); Retford Park, Bowral (20 May); and Orange City Library (17 June). MHNSW was delighted to collaborate with the National Trust of Australia (NSW) to deliver the first three events at National Trust properties.
At Cooma Cottage, visitors viewed original wallpapers from the house, including rare examples dating from the mid-19th century. This event returned the wallpapers to the house for the first time since their removal during conservation works in the 1980s.
Collection items from the Caroline Simpson Library that relate to the Hunter Valley were highlighted at Grossmann and Brough Houses. These included photographs taken by Harold Cazneaux that show Tinagroo homestead, near Scone, shortly after it was built in the mid-1920s for wealthy graziers Bill and Muriel Mackay.
At Retford Park, visitors were introduced to the collection of interior designer Leslie Walford. Media businessman and art collector James Fairfax, the owner of Retford Park from 1964 to 2017, was Walford’s friend, commissioning him over many years to work on the house’s interiors.
The visit to Orange City Library enabled participants to see material relating to the Orange district. Highlights included stories of the local marble and goldmining industries at the turn of the 20th century, and the evening ended with the discovery that the home of one of the participants features a Borenore marble fireplace. Borenore is a rural community located near Orange.
This collaboration is another way we are sharing our stories and collections with the people of NSW. Plans are underway to deliver the program in other NSW regional towns in 2026. Keep an eye on our website for more details.
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Collections on Tour 2026
Museums of History NSW is on the road again, sharing our stories with the people of regional NSW