Caroline Simpson Library

A specialised resource centre

The Caroline Simpson Library is a specialised research library open to anyone with an interest in the history of house and garden design, interior furnishings and domestic life in NSW. Its collection features a wide range of formats, including architectural pattern books, architectural fragments, wall and floor coverings, trade catalogues and sample books, garden ornaments, hardware and fittings, soft furnishings and trimmings, personal papers, manuscripts, pictures, photographs, books, periodicals and oral histories.

Stories from the Caroline Simpson Library

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A chair with curved timber arms that bend to become legs with a white abolstered seat.

An extraordinary collection

The Caroline Simpson Collection has become Australia’s leading source of information on the history of houses, interiors, furnishings, gardens and domestic life

The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Phone +61 2 8239 2233

Caroline Simpson Library

The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Phone +61 2 8239 2233
  • Cafe
  • Wheelchair accessible
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On display

Eirene Mort (right) and Nora Weston, Gate Manor, Dent, Cumbria, photographer unknown, c1912. Photograph © Rob Little
Featured display

Queering the interior: London, New York, Sydney, 1882–1929

An exploration of the creative worlds and design practices of figures from queer history

2023 Annual Appeal

Help us preserve our past. All funds raised will allow us to accelerate our work to digitise the significant collections in our care.

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