Glenalvon Tour
Glenalvon is open the 2nd Saturday, 4th Saturday and including the 3rd Sunday (Coinciding with Handmade and Homegrown Markets) of every month, February to mid December, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Group tours are not held on open days, but can be arranged for other days. Please contact the Society for date availability, the details of which are found on our contact page.
Objects, images, and information in our collections are a valuable resource for those seeking to learn about Campbelltown’s part in Australia’s history, we take pride in being able to share them with you.
Our collection began in 1947 when The Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society was founded and each room in Glenalvon contains its own unique collection of objects from our history.
Take the virtual tour
The Drawing Room
After dinner, the ladies withdrew from the men’s company to the “withdrawing room” (Drawing Room). There they would have read, sewed and entertained themselves with music and other pastimes.
The green chaise lounge is a classic Georgian piece while the one with the patterned upholstery is a later style from the Victorian era.
The very handsome cast iron fireplace is also a later replacement of the COAD stone original.
The Dining Room
This is the Dining Room where all the adults in the family and any visitors would enjoy their meals together.
Michael Byrne wanted the big house but he had to save some money in its construction – there is no ceiling rose, cornice or inside shutters.
The original fireplaces in the house were a dressed concrete known as COAD stone – the marble one in this room is a later replacement, but you will note the beautiful Georgian design.
The sideboard is an Edwardian piece which stood in local architect, A. R. Payten’s house, Kialba, and is now owned by the Society. The centrepiece on the table is a Victorian style piece which was donated to the Society. The image at the top of this page is in fact a photo of our latest dinner setting.
The Library
The master of the house would have used this room as his study and library.
Please note the cut glass light – there are several similar in the house.
Originally there were oil lights, then gas until Campbelltown had electricity in 1924.
The big wooden Lawyer’s cabinet, desk, and chairs used to be in St Helen’s Park on the Appin Road, and have been loaned to the Society by that house’s previous owners.
The books in this room are all part of the Society’s collection and are available for study, the older books are in the locked bookcase.
The antique filing cabinet houses cards of transcriptions of local gravestones, and the card index for our collection of original photos.
The Strangers Room
Originally this room had no direct access into the main part of the house and was used to accommodate travellers and other “strangers”.
In the early days of the colony of New South Wales, Campbelltown was in the country – about 30 miles from Sydney Town – a long journey by bullock wagon with all your family, farm animals, and other possessions.
Consequently, established homesteads and townhouses provided hospitality for the weary travellers – a welcome break from the bumpy dirt roads, and cooking over an open fire.
At Glenalvon travellers would sleep in the Strangers Room – a forerunner of the “sleepout”.
The Display Room
The Display rooms have been used for a wide range of activities through the years – including a school room, and the Waiting Room and Surgery for a series of Doctors who practiced in Glenalvon until the 1930s.
In our display case we have items belonging to Doctor Ivor G Thomas, the founder of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society.
The Display Room
The last Doctor to rent Glenalvon was Dr William Mawson, the brother of the Antarctic explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson.
Dr Mawson had the disused Kendall’s Mill in Queen Street demolished and converted the mill house into the Milby Private Hospital which functioned as a Maternity Hospital until World War II (when there was no-one to operate the hospital), after this time the building became a Restaurant and is currently in poor condition after a fire.
The Hallway
Notice the quiet and cool interior – a result of the thick stone walls and shaded terraces.
Please look carefully at the walls (but do not touch) – the paintwork is fragile and known as “faux marble” and dates from 1883. The work was carried out by Richard Campion and son who had a business in Queen Street. If you look carefully you will see his signature on the upstairs landing.
The hall stand is an oak piece with an Arts and Crafts motif.
Under the seat is a lead lined bin for dirty shoes, and the adjacent tray is for umbrellas. This piece and some others in the house are on loan to the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society Inc.
The Nursery
In the days of big families there was no such thing as a separate bedroom for each child.
Children had to be “seen and not heard” so they would probably have had a Nursery Maid to look after them.
The Nursery
Enjoy our Nursery display of early cots, books, baby clothes and toys – but please do not touch.
Behind the closed door in this room, is a 1970’s bathroom which is not open for inspection. The nursery originally included this additional space.
The Upstairs Sitting Room
Upstairs Sitting Rooms are quite rare in houses of the Georgian period.
This would have been a family room – notice the wide floor boards made of North American Sugar Pine. Also please note the Georgian painted fireplace.
If you look closely at the floor boards, you may notice a few small squares of board that look like “plugs”, this is where internal dividing walls were installed as needed during the rooms years of use.
If you look through the side window you may be able to catch a glimpse of Michael Byrne’s younger brother Charles’ house – Richmond Villa, which is a much more modest house.
The Upstairs Sitting Room
A view into the master bedroom through the Bursill sitting room.
On display are items of clothing from Bursill family members.
The Upstairs Sitting Room
This room is called “The Bursill Room”.
We honour long time Glenalvon residents from the Bursill family by displaying items from family members.
On the left, drawings of four generations of the family.
The Upstairs Sitting Room
Displayed on the mantel are Bursill family photos.
Servants Quarters
Once the big house was built the original cottage became the kitchen and Servants accommodation.
When Michael Byrne was granted the land in 1831 this cottage housed himself, his wife and three children until the big house was finished in 1840.
Servants Quarters
Please enjoy our displays, before you browse through our publications in the bookshop.
Our staff will be pleased to help you with any enquiries or sales.
The Master Bedroom
This room is furnished in Art Deco style (1930’s) in memory of Dr William Mawson, who served the people of Campbelltown for about 30 years. He lived and practised for some of that period at Glenalvon. Dr Mawson was the brother of Antarctic explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson.
The glass in the windows at Glenalvon is the largest size pane that could be made in 1840. You will notice that some panes appear to have faults in them – these are original and came out in the hold of a sailing ship from England or Ireland.
Look out of the side window and see how tall the Cook’s Pine tree is – this is one of our marker trees – visible from a long distance to direct travellers to the house. There is also a tall palm tree visible from the right front window.
If you look at the line of hills above the modern shops you can imagine what it would have been like to wake up in this room to the peaceful view.
The Master Bedroom
The Master Bedroom
The Children’s Room
Glenalvon had three bedrooms – 2 bedrooms and the Nursery – Michael Byrne and his wife, Jane Warby had three surviving children while they lived here – another three died as babies. The next family, the Keighran’s had 15 children – so the house was quite crowded at times.
You will notice that the maid had to get down on hands and knees to clean the ashes out of the fireplace.
The furniture in this room is from the Victorian period.
Look out of the window – the small square stone construction behind the roses is the well from the days before Campbelltown had running water. The building under the peppercorn tree was actually the smokehouse, for curing meat and fish in the days before refrigeration.
The Children’s Room
The Children’s Room
Agricultural Centre: The Alex Goodsell Rural Exhibition Centre
Campbelltown was, at one time, the granary of the Colony, being a town between two rivers – the Nepean and the Georges.
Our Agricultural Exhibition commemorates well known pioneers such as James Ruse who, in his own words “sowed the forst grain”( sic), as well as many others whose names have faded from memory, but to whom we still owe such a great deal.
The great Australian wine industry had its beginnings at Varroville and Eschol Park House, poultry at the Soldiers Settlement, and of course, beef cattle in the nearby Cowpastures.
Agricultural Centre
Dairying was, for many years, very productive in the Campbelltown district.
Even though Campbelltown is now technically an outer suburb of Sydney, our display pays tribute to the endurance, inventiveness and sheer hard work of the people who worked the land, and those who supplied them with tools, and labour.”
A visit to our “Ag Shed”, as we like to call it, is a great trip back in time. See actual tools used in the colonial days of Australian agriculture, as well as the many other items collected from farming and grazing properties past and present.
Unable to visit but wish to make enquiries regarding our collection? Please submit a request on our contact form and one of our members will help you with your questions and comments.