Updated September 4 2023 – 4:16pm, first published in St George Leader August 26 2023 – 10:00am – Acknowledgment to the St George Leader
St George Historical Society has received the keys to historic Lydham Hall at Rockdale after Bayside Council signed the Deed of Licence this week.
It will allow St George Historical Society access to their archives, memorabilia and other items in their collection which have been stored in Lydham Hall after it was closed for renovations in 2020.
Built in1860, Lydham Hall is on the State Heritage Register and is one of the oldest houses in the St George region. It is also famous as the residence of Australian author Christina Stead.
Located at 18 Lydham Avenue, it was purchased by the Rockdale Council in 1970 and operated as a museum until its closure in 2020 for renovations. It now owned by the Bayside Council,
Bayside Council’s August 23 meeting was to consider allowing the signing of a Licence Agreement to allow the society access to the building to continue its operation as a museum.
A staff recommendation was that the council endorses the council’s general manager to sign the Deed of Licence that has already been signed by St George Historical Society.
Society spokesperson Tina Workman told the council meeting that society was extremely grateful for the council’s generosity and assistance in negotiating the terms of the Licence Agreement.
But she implored the council to allow the agreement to be signed so the society could have access to the building.
“Bayside has one building dedicated as a museum in the entire LGA and that building is Lydham Hall historic house,” Ms Workman said.
“The building is owned by Bayside Council and has been faithfully maintained and open to the public by the St George Historic Society since 1971.
“But for the past four years Lydham Hall has been closed. One year of the closure was due to COVID and renovations but that leaves almost three years that the museum has stood there empty. It has remained closed not only to the public but to the St George Historical Society. Despite the repeated requests for access we are still waiting for the return of our keys. While the council owns the building, everything inside that building belongs to the St George Historical Society.
“Inside the building are our files, our local history archives, photographs and memorabilia and our collection which is made up of furniture, objects and fragile textiles.
“All this has been locked away in the building and has deteriorated through water leaks, damp, dust and insect infestations.
“The society is a small, volunteer organisation and conservation is extraordinarily expensive. We will never recover what we have already lost. We actually don’t know entirely what we have lost yet but we need to get in there in order to save what we have left.
“We hope to receive our keys so we can get on with the job of caring for our collection and opening up the museum to the public.
“The society has been very patient despite our growing concerns about the state of our collection and the frustration of seeing the museum neglected.
“We implore you to resolve the issue of the Licence Agreement by allowing the general manager to finally sign this document as per the officer’s recommendation and for us to attend to our collection and start the long and arduous process of opening the museum to the public.”
Bayside Mayor, Dr Christina Curry said the council has to exercise due governance.
“We have a responsibility that we are all acting in good governance and I believe we have undertaken that to get the best outcome for everyone involved,” she said.
The councillors voted to allow the signing of the agreement.
Anne Field, member of the historical society and the Lydham Hall Advisory Committee addressed the council on the need for heritage landscaping of Lydham Hall.
“The St George Historical Society had asked that the landscaping be fixed immediately as it is overgrown and engulfs the facade of the building,” Ms Field said.
She said the Advisory Committee minutes stated that the society would draft a proposal for landscaping
“But we had asked the council’s landscape architects to work with the society in order to develop a holistic approach that would hence the significance of the site,” she said.
“For 10 years prior to closing in 2020, Lydham Hall made approximately $400 to $600 a year from visitors. Council paid the ongoing costs at this stage but the new licence agreement will require the St George Historical Society to pay these outgoing costs and that is likely to add to $1,000 a year. Obviously we will have to increase our income well above $400.
“To reactivate the museum we need to hold events and exhibitions. Some of these will be held in the garden and some inside the house. We estimate that would cost an additional $5,000 to do so and to break even. Events could include Christina Stead Day, Local Government Week, History Week, Heritage Month, afternoon teas and school visits. Exhibitions could include the History of Lydham Hall, the origins of street names in Bayside, and lost heritage houses in Bayside.”
Councillor Curry said the council always appreciates the work of local volunteers,
“I’m sure some of these matters raised will be dealt with at the next meeting of the Lydham Hall Advisory Committee,” she said.
