Demolished Homes & Lost Gardens
Part of Sydney Rare Book Week
Demolished Homes & Lost Gardens invites visitors to explore the stories of places that have vanished but endure through rare books, maps, photographs, letters, and archival collections.
This year's theme examines how homes, gardens, and landscapes have been transformed or lost over time, and how rare collections preserve the memories of these places. Through a display of unique historical materials, the presentation offers an opportunity to reflect on changing environments, cultural heritage, and the enduring power of books and archives to connect us with the past.
Presented in association with Sydney Rare Book Week.
Caroline Simpson Library
The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000- Cafe
- Wheelchair accessible
Stories from the Caroline Simpson Library
Exploring the Augusto Lorenzini archive
Assistant Research Curator Anna Stewart-Yates reflects on discoveries and questions raised by months spent cataloguing the archive of Augusto Lorenzini, 19th-century decorator of vanished Sydney interiors. The archive is now fully catalogued and can be explored online
Carpet Manufacturers Limited
Carpet Manufacturers Limited operated one of the first Australian factories to design, dye and weave high-quality carpets locally
Diana Luxton Messara: public interior designer
The Diana Luxton Messara archive, generously donated by the designer herself, contains drawings, plans, textile designs, photographs, correspondence, publications, sample boards and personal papers spanning more than five decades.
Fatshaudi commissioned works
We commissioned a range of musicians to create new compositions for Dream Feast in response to sheet music held in the Caroline Simpson Library Collection. One of the musicians, Fatshaudi (Brisbane-based producer Rachael Ryan), shares her experience