After a quiet period, interest in bookplates in Australia began to increase in the early 1970s, This example was commissioned from Andrew Thomas a Ballarat photographer and designer by Michael Taffe owner of Hymettus at Ballarat in the 1990s and is a computer assisted design. It incorporates the generational family home, Hymettus and the family coat of arms with the owner's signature.Bookplate depicts "Hymettus", a weatherboard cottage behind a paling fence.Signature of M. J. Taffe.ballarat, bookplate, hymettus, taaffe, taffe, andrew thomas

Hymettus won the Caulfield Cup in 1898 and the owners built this house, near Lake Wendouree, with the winnings. It won the title of Ballarat's Champion Cottage from 1915-18. The cottage contains many of the original furnishings and fittings and has beautiful gardens. Two digital images of Ballarat's hymettus Cottage. .1) The garden as it was before the 1980s drought. .2) The Cottagehymettus, hymettus cottage, garden, flower, taffe

Ballarat's Hymettus Cottage boasts a lovely formal private garden featuring geometric flower arrangements. The house was built in 1900 from monies gained when the owner laid a successful bet on 'Hymettus' in the Caulfield Cup.Cream bookplate relating to Hymettus Cottage in Ballarat. A black and white representation of the cottage is depicted on the bookplate, along with the latin 'in hoc signo spes mea' (this is a sign of hope).hymettus, hymettus cottage, taffe, michael taffe, bookplate, ballarat

Colour image of Hymettus Cottage, Ballarat. architecture, garden, hymettus cottage

Colour photographs of the formal garden at Hymettus Cottage in Ballarat.hymettus cottage, garden, horticulture, taffe

Colour image of the interior entrance of Hymettus Cottage, Ballarat. architecture, hymettus cottage

Colour image of the repousse name plaque on Hymettus Cottage, Ballarat. architecture, garden, hymettus cottage, repousse

Colour image of a stained glass window at Hymettus Cottage, Ballarat. architecture, hymettus cottage, stained glass window

Colour image of a stained glass window at Hymettus Cottage, Ballarat. architecture, hymettus cottage, stained glass window

Postcards produced for visitors to Ballarat and Hymettus as souvenirs and for posting. These postcards were produced as promotional material for the then Heritage listed house and garden's centenary in 1998.Following receipt of Government Grant for restoration of this historic cottage and garden in 1998-99 the postcard was produced to mark the centenary of the family's purchase of the property and continuous domicile for a century.souvenir, postcard, ballarat, hymettus, heritage listing,

Photograph of Hymettus Cardigan Street Ballarat. Awarded Mayoral trophy for Champion Cottage Garden City of Ballaarat 1915 - 1918 in a city renowned as The Garden City.hymettus, ballarat, champion, garden city.

Photograph taken by Michael Taffe of Hymettus, family property at Ballarat since 1899 on the centenary of it being awarded "Champion Cottage Garden" for the City of Ballarat in 1918.

Hymettus Historic Garden and its cottage museum were opened to the public in 1985 after two years of garden restoration work. The interpretive work was undertaken by Mr and a team from Melbourne's Royal Botanical Gardens and the Taffe family. Plans were drawn up by Peter Lumley and Michael Looker of the Royal Botanical Gardens and the work of restoration undertaken by the family with financial assistance from Heritage Victoria and The City of Ballaarat. historic garden, ballarat, hymettus, postcard, royal botanical gardens melbourne, restoration, city of ballaarat.

This simple rear cottage door at Hymettus built 1900-1901 has been the back door since the early 1900s. Photos in the family collection however, reveal that it was originally the return front verandah door to the dining-room and the transition seems to have occurred about 1910 when a new door was installed for the front verandah to complement the art-nouveau lead light transom and surrounds to the main front entrance. A similar simple glass and two panel cottage door closes off the passage from main passageway to the kitchen and service end of the home so that the home presents as more simple in the service area fittings with more decorative features to the more important front rooms of the home reflecting the progression of style as the family had more money to spend on the home.

After a quiet period, interest in bookplates in Australia began to increase in the early 1970s, Entrepreneurial art and book collectors such as Edwin Jewell and others commissioned multiple Bookplate designs from a range of well known fine artists. At a 1997 meeting in Melbourne of the Ephemera Society of Australia Edwin Jewell and others announced the formation of the Australian Bookplate Society. The society was instrumental in promoting the art of the bookplate through establishment of the Australian Bookplate Design competition. The competition includes a design award for secondary schools students.Bookplate depicts a weatherboard cottage behind a paling fence.Signature incorporated within platebookplate, printmaking, hymettus cottage, ballarat, michael taffe

This example of a late 1920s valance retained in the front parlour at Hymettus is a part of the period decoration and still fills its purpose of over a century ago in concealing the curtain rails. of the room. Although the house was built 1900 -1901 the room was redecorated in the late 1920s.A rare surviving example of a silk patterned and machine embroidered valance in situ since the 1920s.valance, window, parlour, hymettus, ballarat

A small group of lace bookmarks handmade for sale through the craft shop at Numurkah in Victoria and purchased in April 2025 for the collection at Hymettus, at the time, the largest collection of bookmarks in Australia. Example of the quality of craft work being made in Victoria, 2025. Made by Shona Thomas of Numurkah in teaching herself tatting. Tatting is a form of knotted lace making using thread and a small shuttle. Twisted threads are tied around or through small, pointed shuttles producing a stable, strong lace using simple knots to make rings and chains embellished with picots.a sleeve containing four handmade cotton bookmarks.N/Acraft, numurkah, tatting, cotton, dyes, hymettus, bookmarks, lace

One of many items found in the garden and around the property at Hymettus during restoration works in the 1980s. Hymettus has been in the tenure of the same family since 1898-99.ceramics, pottery, writing

Journal of the Australian Horticultural Industry for November - December 1991 front cover image of Michael Taffe (III) in the garden at Hymettus Ballarat. Feature article on the restoration of Hymettus Historic Garden Ballarat by Nancy Brewer.hymettus, historic garden ballarat, horticulture, magazine, hournal, nancy brewer.gardening, floral.

Michael and Patrick Taffe in their father's prizewinning garden at Hymettus, Ballarat circa 1920s.

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Found in old retaining wall during restoration work in 1980s together with some original earthenware chimney pots that are now restored to chimneys at Hymettus. The presence of such items discarded in garden areas and fill, indicates that these imported bottles were a common utensil in the area. Bourne's Denby pottery was a prolific producer of such items in the nineteenth century and Denby remained a notable British pottery into the late twentieth century.damage to top from spade otherwise undamaged with glaze to all sides.Impress stamp lower side of bottle.denby, vicrorian, ballarat

Small book press with rectangular pressing surface driven by worm wheel thread and turning handle. This press is still used in the Hymettus library for book repairs.ballarat, books, book repair, covers, hymettus cottage, library.

The third Michael Taffe to live at Hymettus cottage Ballarat was dux of his class at the local parish school, St Patrick's Drummond St in 1958 and 1959. These mass produced premium plates were a popular insertion for such awards from their inception in Europe in the eighteenth century until the late twentieth century. The library collection at Hymettus includes examples from several Catholic schools, Wesleyan Sabbath Schools, Ballarat's McBains' High School, Ballarat College, Fintona in Camberwell and this from the Christian Brothers school at Drummond St Ballarat.Printed Awarded to and infilled with Michael Taffe Dux Second Year 1959.bookplates, premium plates, ballarat, christian brothers, fintona, weslyan sabbath schools,

19th century iron and nickel plated brass bed formerly in the Catholic Bishop's Palace Ballarat. Originally purchased for the palace in the 1870s and bought at auction to replace similar bedstead that was broken at Hymettus.A recorded piece with history of only two owners, marketed from Ballarat manufacturer and retailer Tunbridge & Sons in the late 19th century.Nickel plated iron & brass three quarter bed. Base stretcher stencil label of Tunbridge & Sons manufacturer Ballarat.On timber matress base/frame stamped Tunbridge & Sons Ballarat.bishops' palace, ballarat, bed, iron furniture,

See image.fictionSet in tenth century England in the time of Aethelflaed of Mercia and the consolidation of Mercia, Wessex and other regions prior to the rise of Edward 1st. The work relates the story of a girl who is subjected to a hard father and suffers from the devastation of Viking raids before advancing through her maturity and independence from male domination. mercia, wessex, england, aethelflaed, the peak district

This chair and its five companions form part of a complete suite together with chaise lounge, grandmother and grandfather chairs all with original matching uphostery are rare in their originality and having been in situ since being purchased for the Taffe family of Hymettus Cottage 1901.taffe family, ballarat, hymettus, furniture, parlour suite