A Bearbrass group of 15 enjoyed a morning’s history tour of Melbourne’s superb State Library, led by our guide Graham, who’d been a high school history teacher for more than 40 years. He led us through the gorgeous main rooms of the Library while educating us about its social and architectural history. We finished the morning lunching at the Library’s Mr Tulk Café.
The Library was established in 1854, barely 20 years after the city was settled. It opened as one of the two earliest free public libraries in the world. Anyone over 14 could use it, although there was a wash-basin to ensure all visitors had clean hands! For periods it was also home to Museum Victoria, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Public Records Office.
Graham told us how the original design competition was won by recently-arrived architect Joseph Reed, whose firm went on to design the Town Hall and Exhibition Building. His successor firm still exists as Bates Smart.
Governor Hotham laid the foundation stones of both the Library and Melbourne University on the same day July 3, 1854. The first book collection totalled 3800; the Library now has more than 4 million items including the diaries of John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner, the folios of Captain James Cook, and the armour of Ned Kelly.
Graham led us to the awesome domed Reading Room, which for decades had its overhead glazing dimmed with copper sheathing because of water leaks. It’s now radiant with light but the pretty green reading lamps continue to add pastel color. The strange octagonal shape enabled a librarian to perch at the centre and keep an eye on all users, including via a rear-view mirror. He was known as the “Shoosh-er” for obvious reasons.
We loved the new exhibition of Ned Kelly’s plough-share armour, which we were told weighs 44kg. All around the exhibit are facsimiles of his self-justifying 8000-word Jerilderie letter.
We learnt a lot – including how little we knew…