The striking fabric of this wall hanging was recovered from the sinking Schomberg. It was originally one of the many curtains adorning the captain’s cabin and ladies’ saloons that attracted first-class passengers to this luxury vessel, built for comfort and speed. The clipper ship was on its maiden voyage, full of passengers emigrating to Australia in 1855. Its commander was Captain James Nicol Forbes, who had been selected by James Baine & Co for his navigation skills, experience, and reputation for breaking sailing records. However, on December 26th, 1855, the vessel became stranded and sank west of Cape Otway, not quite reaching its destination of Melbourne. A reporter explored the Schomberg before its journey; the following detailed description is an excerpt of his article published in a newspaper after the disastrous voyage was announced. “ … descending by a flight of stairs, covered with carpet of a very rich pattern, we came to the saloon passengers’ cabin. This is a noble place, and all that refined taste would suggest has been done to make each berth a miniature palace. The bedding is of the very best material, and the fittings are replete with every convenience. The carpets are of various coloured velvet pile, and the curtains are of satin damask, lined with white satin … The fronts of the berths are highly decorated, and festoons of flowers are painted on the panels … No two berths are furnished with the same-coloured material … the visitor is, therefore, much pleased with the variety which he has to inspect….” (Trove: Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade, 31 Dec 1955, p. 283) The curtain material, ‘folded into a single piece and parcelled for protection’, has been passed down through generations of Captain Forbes’ relatives, starting with his half-sister Isabella Jeffrey Nicol. The curtain has remained with the family, although some transition details are incomplete. About a century later, Isabella and Blakiston Robinson’s great-grandson and his wife had the fabric professionally mounted as a wall hanging to showcase the beauty of the woven brocade. Eventually, the custodianship of the curtain was transferred to the donor, who is also a great-grandson of Isabella and Blakiston. He and his wife hung the curtain on the wall of a high-ceilinged room in their home, away from direct light, making it visible for all to appreciate its beauty and significance. In 2024, they donated the curtain for inclusion among the collection of artefacts that help tell the story of the Schomberg and those who sailed on its first and last voyage. The donor’s aunt was highly involved in the family’s history. She had collected and recorded information that dates back to pre-1341. A footnote included in a handwritten letter dated April 20, 1959, from the late Arthur William Rudd, OBE, MA, LLB, husband of another of the donor’s aunts, states, “The curtains you mentioned came from the Schomberg. AWR.” CAPTAIN JAMES NICOL FORBES (1821-1874) and the donor’s family: - Captain Forbes was born in Aberdeen. In his late teens, he moved to Liverpool, a hub for international trade and an emigration port. By the age of 25, he was master of the Prince of Waterloo and later, the Wakefield. He then commanded the Cleopatra for the James Baines Co., which, two years later, transferred him to command the Maria, providing fast and lucrative passage to the gold fields in Ballarat, Australia. James Baines Co. and shipbuilder Thomas Mackay formed the Black Ball Line of clipper ships in 1852. Forbes was appointed master of the largest ship in the fleet, the marvellous Marco Polo. He broke the record time for the passage to Australia, taking only 68 days at sea, and the return journey in only 76 days, a total of 5 months and 21 days. On his second voyage to Melbourne in the Marco Polo the following year, he took 75 days, and 95 days on the return trip. His accomplishment made him famous. James Baines reported that the Marco Polo was the only ship, sail or steam, to do the round trip within 6 months, and it had done it twice. Captain Forbes then took command of the American-built clipper Lightning, one of four built for the Black Ball line. His 19-year-old half-sister, Isabella Jaffray Nicol, was also onboard when he sailed for Melbourne in 1854. During the 77-day voyage, Isabella met Blakiston Robinson, and not long after the ship arrived in Melbourne on July 31, the couple married, with James Nicol Forbes as a witness, on August 16. When Forbes returned to Liverpool, he took a record-breaking 63 days, which has never been bettered. James Baines Co. ordered a new luxury emigrant ship from Alexander Hall of Aberdeen; the Schomberg was the largest sailing ship ever built in Britain. On October 6, 1855, the vessel departed Liverpool commanded by Captain Forbes, with 430 passengers on board, 54 of whom were First Class. It had almost completed its voyage to Melbourne when, on the night of December 26, it ran aground west of Cape Otway. Captain Doran, master of the steamer Queen, responded to the distress signal while on its way to Portland and, with the agreement of his passengers, rescued as many as possible from the Schomberg and returned to Melbourne with them. Captain Helpman, master of the steamer Champion, rescued most of the remaining Schomberg passengers on December 27. On Friday, 28th, Captain James Lawrence was on his way to Adelaide in the steamer Burra Burra, and called past the Schomberg. He reported that the remaining crew were all doing their duties, but the Schomberg was deteriorating on a sand spit and had about 16 feet of water in its hold. That same day, the schooner Jane Elizabeth collected 220 packages of passengers’ luggage to deliver to Melbourne on the 29th. Two steamers also arrived on the 29th with 20 men to collect passengers’ luggage and valuable ship’s cargo items. They were accompanied by water police, customs agents, company representatives and a Lloyds agent. The decision was made to abandon ship on the 30th due to rough and unsafe conditions. The officials and Captain Forbes voyaged to Melbourne, while the seamen remained behind awaiting rescue. Evacuation by sea became too risky, so on January 2, 1856, while the first Mate and Steward remained at the wreck site, the rest of the crew began the 70-mile march to Warrnambool, led by the band. They arrived on January 5th and left for Melbourne on the steamer Champion on January 10th. Parts of the Schomberg wreck ended up in New Zealand. The curtain is important for its connection to the Schomberg, which was unique for being designed and built in Aberdeen, and commanded by an Aberdonian who was the most celebrated clipper captain of the age. The ship was the largest sailing ship ever built in Britain, and reported as the largest vessel that sailed to Australia. The curtain is an example of the rich decorative furnishings available in 1855. The preservation and respect the donor and his family have shown towards the curtain over many decades reflect its important role in telling the family’s history; the journey, the romantic attachment, the family connection to the sea, and travel in gold rush times. The curtain is significant for its connection to James Nocol Forbes, a famous sailing ship commander who broke several sailing records, one of which has never been bettered. This wall hanging, also known as the Schomberg Curtain, was created from a curtain recovered from the stranded luxury ship Schomberg in December 1855. The woven satin damask fabric in blue and cream has been meticulously joined to blend the intricate pattern. The reverse features a soft cream lining. The hems at the top and bottom of the fabric hold wooden rods. The side edges feature decorative braid that has been hand-stitched in place. On the reverse, the bottom hem includes the same braid, which remains unseen from the front, and the centre of the top hem has a hand-worked, unused buttonhole. Each of the hems varies in depth. The curtain was tastefully mounted later to highlight the beauty of the original saloon curtain. A decorative twisted cord of cream silk threads, accented with gold highlights and decorative tassels, was coiled and attached to the ends of the top rod. The elegant display was completed with an ornate gold hook, chosen to complement the wall hanging.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, shipwreck artefact, memorabilia, curtain, saloon curtain, schomberg, wall hanging, decorative object, domestic item, warrnambool, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, maritime history, shipwreck, stranding, schomberg curtain, schomberg wall hanging, luxury ship, 1855, damask, silk damask, blue and cream, captain’s cabin, ladies’ saloon, clipper ship, migrant, emigrant, liverpool to australia, captain james nicol forbes, james forbes, captain forbes, bully forbes, james baines & co, james baines, cape otway, aberdeen, prince of waterloo, wakefield, cleopatra, maria, thomas mackay, black ball line, marco polo, sailing record, lightning, isabella jaffray nocol, blakiston robinson, alexander hall, steamer queen, captain helpman, james lawrence, steamer burra burra, steamer jane elizabeth, water police, customs agents, lloyds agent, ship’s band, walk to warrnambool, march to warrnambool, steamer champion, agnes nicol robinson, arthur william rudd obe ma llb

Model of HMS Kashmir built by Shipwright Charles Axiak. He originally trained and worked in British dockyards during WW2. Emigrated to Australia in 1955 and finished working in Williamstown dockyards building the River Class Destroyers K Class Destroyers built in UK in 1930's.1. Model of K-class Destroyer UK. Grey in colour above water line and brown below water line with black stripe dividing. Model has complete details of deck, guns and screws. 2. Wooden stand tailor made to hold the model of the ship. Brown in colour with long flat board. Small individual pieces of wood glued to the top to form the cradle for the boat. Also 4 felt footings at bottom of cradle.G.12 painted on side.ships model, hms kashmir

Item in the collection of Arthur Thomas MANLY No 431130 RAAF. Refer Cat No 3710 for his service details.Australian civilian aircraft magazine. Front cover has a colour photo of a V Bomber (UK) taking off. Printed at top in yellow: AIRCRAFT Printed at bottom on L in white: TWO SHILLINGS Printed at bottom on R in white: JULY 1959magazine, aircraft

Plane Grooving type maker A Mathieson and Son, UK wooden body, thumbscrew adjustment and stamped W Worrallflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, plane grooving, grooving plane, plane, a mathieson and son

Issued to Service Personnel whilst on leave to enable them to obtain rationsPaper card rectangular orange with black printing with name issued to and registered number on bottom of card and squares indicating what food may be redeemed to one side of the card.Westerman T.A. SIGMN VX15450. Signals AIF (UK), Serial No. ZK 050614rations, food

Print, portrait of Queen Victoria wearing a blue dress and sash. Printed by Alf Cooke, Queens Printer, Leeds, UKflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. Commonwealth Institute, Kensington, London, UK, 1962. (Architects: Robert Matthew Johnson-Marshall & Partners.)Made in Australia / 36 / AUG 64Mlondon, slide

The Kew Historical Society’s collection includes a wide range of leisure objects. Many of the items are European-made, generally of British origin, however there are a number that were made for the Australian market by Australian manufacturers. In the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries, there were large numbers of games produced for children and adults. These included: arcade games, board games, playing cards and puzzles. A representative sample, many now rare survivors, can be found in the collection."Flower Lotto". UK, circa 1950s. Flower Lotto was a product of J.W. Spear & Sons, founded in 1879 in Nuremberg, Germany, but also based in UK after 1932. Spear & Sons were a significant manufacturer of board games from the 1900s. The company was bought out by Mattel in 1994. Missing original box. flower lotto, games and puzzles, j.w. spear and sons

Leather purse with hand written note to "Mrs. Steele" from "Mrs Wright". Also old coins and tokens insitu. Brass clips. Coins; UK 1943 threepence, 2 X UK 1907 halfpenny (one with hole in it), French 1952 twenty franc, USA one cent, UK 1906 one shilling. Card -presented to Miss Steele by her old shop mates. "Bush" March 27, 1907. Newspaper cutting - in back pocket, T.W. Bull, disease reader and herbalist - advertisement. Card: Presented to Miss Steele, by her old shop-mates on the occasion of her leaving for the "BUSH". March 27, 1907. Card: Dear Miss Steele, Please accept this small gift with best wishes for your happiness in your new home. With love N. Wrightleather purse, coins

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. Coventry Cathedral Plan, Coventry, EnglandMade in Australia / Encircled 21 (Handwritten)uk, slide

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. Jacob Epstein's bronze statue of St Michael and the Devil (1958, unveiled in 1961), New Coventry Cathedral 1950, Coventry, England. (Architect: Jacob Epstein.)Coventry Cathedral / Epstein's bronze statue of St Michael and the Devil / Encircled 25 (Handwritten)uk, slide

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. Carved prayer panels, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry, England. (Architect: Basil Spence.)Coventry Cathedral / One of the carved prayer panels / Encircled 21 (Handwritten)uk, slide

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. Mural in Chapel of Christ in Gethsemane, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry, EnglandCoventry Cathedral / Mural in Chapel of Christ in Gethsemane / Encircled 22 (Handwritten)uk, slide

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. Coventry Cathedral, Coventry, England, 1962. (Architect: Basil Spence.)Made in Australia / Encircled 20 (Handwritten)uk, slide

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. New Coventry Cathedral 1950, Coventry, England. (Architect: Basil Spence.)Made in Australia / 19 / AUG 64Muk, slide

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. Coventry Cathedral Tapestry (1952), Coventry, England. (Architect: Graham Sutherland.)Coventry Cathedral / The Tapestry- Graham Sutherland / Encircled 23 (Handwritten)uk, slide

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. Magazine image of link between the old and new Coventry Cathedral, 1950, Coventry, England. (Architect: Basil Spence.)Made in Australia / Encircled 22 (Handwritten)uk, slide

A Slazenger (UK) 'Victory' tennis balls box. Contains four of six original balls. Materials: Ink, Cardboard, Rubber, Felttennis

A souvenir of a ship that brought returned servicemen, including JB McLean, home from World War 1 in 1920. The Ceramic departed Tillbury, UK 12th March and docked in Freemantle on 27th April 1920 and then went onto Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The Ceramic was a transport vessel built in Belfast in 1913 for the White Star Line to transport frozen produce and apples from Australia to UK. It was taken over by the Australian Government for troop transport in October 1914 and could carry over 3,000 troops. This trip in 1920 there were 1467 on board, there were women and children as well as 439 soldiers returning home, one of whom was John 'Basil' McLean. Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. There was a large collection of postcards so he may have been collecting them as souvenirs. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving Portsea in 1920.Postcards were a very common form of communication in the first World War. This postcard also records a trip home for a returned soldier. This type of experience would have been familiar to the first Legatees as they had served in World War 1.Postcard of the ship Ceramic of the White Star Line.Printed on the back. 'Post Card / Universal Postal Union / this space may be used for correspondence / The address only to be written here. / If posted in the UK for inland use 1d. stamp. If posted in Postal Union, 1d. stamp or its equivalent.'souvenir, world war one, ship

wooden Plaque 15cm x 13 cmThe NationalMalaya and BorneoVeterans Asn. Presented to this RSL for support of Gurka Trust UK from NMBVAA the nationalmalaya and borneoveterans asn. presented to this rsl for support of gurka trust uk from nmbvaa

Olive Green Steel Helmet, RBR PasgtDate July 2000, Lot No 3664, made by RBR International Ltd, Made in the UK

Robin Boyd travelled to the USA and Britain for several weeks. He attended the opening of the new Australian Chancery in Washington DC, where he had designed an innovative exhibition with cylindrical display cases and sound recordings.Colour slide in a mount. South Bank, London, UK, 1968 . (Architects: Norman Engleback, Ron Herron, Warren Chalk and John Attenborough .)Made in Australia / 20 / MAY 69M2 / Encircled 16 (Handwritten)london, slide

Press Kit: Pilkington Glass Ladies Championships (UK). Contains Official Program, Fact sheets and blank notepad. Materials: Paper, Inktennis

A Slazenger (UK) 'Demon' tennis balls box. Contains six unbranded balls, probably originals. Materials: Ink, Cardboard, Rubber, Felttennis

A Dunlop (UK) Wartime tennis balls box. Contains one Wilson 'Matchpoint' ball. Materials: Ink, Cardboard, Glue, Wool, Rubbertennis

Notebook - comprising heavy card covers, with preprinted (18) sheets for use as a wages sheets. Use by Wal Jack to record notes of people, events and negatives and photographs. The sheets have been side stapled and then were bound within the heavy brown cardboard sheets with a blue cloth binding on the left hand side. Book was made by 'F. W. Wright Print Ballarat" Has notes from Murray Hood of the Chief Civil Engineers Office WAGR about events and happenings in Perth, WA. Diagrams of stations on the Benalla to Yarrawonga rail line - dated 14/10/1954. Photos received dated 1953 - 1954 - steam. Photos sent to Norm De Pomeroy and received back Photos sent or received from John Radcliffe Wal Larsen - SAR Photos Notes on Wal Larsen's UK, Europe to India trip - 1963 - daily mileage and towns visited - likely to link to albums of photographs. List of Alwyn Marshall photos - Nov. - Dec 1960 - Asia, India Wal Larson photos - 1961 - QR, VR, CR etc - 1957 as well. All hand written notestrams, tramways, europe, uk, notebooks, diary

Set of 9 loose tickets 1 - British Railways platform ticket for LlanfairPG - the station with the longest name in the UK. 2 - two yellow tickets for the "A Cavalcade of Transport" 30/1/1978 - Nos 1823 and 5362 3 - set of 8 orange tickets in a block - The Melbourne Pageant 29/1/1979 - nos 5644 to 51. 4 - Set of two TMSV zoo horse tram tickets - Adult and Child - 0505 and 0005. 5 - NSW Railways ticket - Circular Quay to Bondi Junction - machine issued dated 26 Jul. 6 - Two tickets on cardboard for a SPER tour on the Glenelg tram 24/3/1974 and AETM 23/3/1974.trams, tramways, tickets, nsw, sper, aetm, tmsv, cavalcade, uk