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

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

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. architecture, hymettus, cottage, ballarat

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 was designed by architect/builder Turton in 1900 following the loss of much of the original cottage to fire. Turton designed many Ballarat buildings and his advertising featured his cottage line, commercial line and mansion line. Hymettus is basically a late Victorian style with Federation elements some of which, like these window shade brackets, were added later.hymettus, ballarat, champion, garden city., architecture, design, federation, late victorian

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.

gardens, horticulture, 1928, ballarat

gardens, horticulture, hymettus, architecture, ballarat, federation, victorian

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

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.

One of many French bookmarks in the large collection at Hymettus Cottage, this being purchased on-line in 1925. The Hymettus Cottage bookmark collection is arguably the largest in Australia at 25,000-30,000 in 2026.One of many French bookmarks in the large collection at Hymettus Cottage, this being purchased on-line in 1925. The Hymettus Cottage bookmark collection, arguably the largest in Australia at 25,000-30,000 bookmarks contains thousands of international examples of bookmarks.bookmarks, wilmart, france, hymettus

1940s china novelty egg cup belonging to the Taffe family in situ in Hymettus Cottage since the 1940s.An example of a popular kitchen object this egg cup is both utilitarian and decorative, being popular with the Taffe children from the 1940scircular stamp to base "KELLE ST POTTERY CO LTD ENGLAND HANDPAINTED with painter's mark.egg cup, porcelain, kitchenware, england, ballarat

Plastic, cased silverplate souvenir spoon from when Hymettus Cottage and Garden, Ballarat was open to the public1985 - 2010.The Taffe family home, Hymettus was open to the public as a tourist attraction and house museum 1985 - 2010 following extensive heritage work with Victoria 150th funding and analysis from Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. The property was awarded Champion Cottage Garden for the City of Ballaarat 1915-1918. Following restoration work it was the only nineteenth century working mans' exhibition garden retaining original layout and plantings from the Victorian/Edwardian era surviving in Australia. The property has been lived in by the same family from 1899 - the present.souvenir spoon, tourism, ballarat, museum, heritage garden, historic house, open garden scheme

One of a series of gilt bookmarks in the large bookmark collection at Hymettus Cottage dating from the late twentieth or early twenty-first century.Bookmarks created more for the tourist market than for the bibliophile.small stamped out framed and gilt figure of Japanese lady with umbrella.bookmark, metal, gold, souvenir items, japan

This Edwardian shower surround remains in situ on its original cast iron claw-foot enamelled bath in the bathroom at Hymettus cottage Ballarat and remains in use in 2026.Nilhymettus, ballarat, household, edwardian, shower, ripple iron, shower surround

This is one of several surviving flower show award cards from the Victorian era won by family members at Hymettus Cottage in Ballarat. Awarded c.1900 to Mrs Taffe.Local flower show award from c.1900 together with others in this collection of Taffe family flower show awards demonstrates the significance of such shows as a form of social activity as well as horticultural science over the decades.ballarat, horticulture, horticultural society, awards, gardening, floristry, hymettus

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

non-fictionCover of 2011 catalogue from Ballarat City Library of small exhibition by local book collector Michael Taffe. Private presses included, Mandrake, Fanfrolico, Windsor, Ancora, Gregynog and Kelmscott and Escutcheon.book collectors, private libraries

This box has been in situ at Hymettus cottage since pre 1920s and used as the family's bread box for the horse and bakery cart deliveries from 1940 into the mid 1950s after which it was retired back to the bedroom.A large circular tin container for hats decorated with woodgraining.hat box, tin hat case

non-fictionIn 1995 Michael Taffe set about re-arranging a bedroom at Hymettus into a study/library where he housed the books of his parents and grandparents together with his own library collection. Michael, an avid reader, commenced collecting books in the late 1950s visiting Ballarat second-hand dealers and later attending auctions. Throughout a career in welfare, tourism, archives and education he amassed many volumes associated with his career and these together with career oriented books from earlier generations of the family were gathered with those from his other interests to form the private library at Hymettus. Open by appointment and with books ranging from the sixteenth century to contemporary works including original manuscript material, others have been given access to the library for research purposes.cicero, aldus, italics, printing, histroy, books, libraries

In the 1970s National Geographic magazine ran a series of articles on the Titanic story and this bookmark was issued to subscribers at the time. The family at Hymettus Cottage have subscribed to National Geographic over many decades throughout the 20th century and this bookmark has been in the collection since that time.titanic, bookmark, national geographic, advertising

This Daisy Pattern iron lace frieze was registered by the Cochrane foundry North Melbourne and exhibited at the Great Exhibition Melbourne in 1880. One of the most popular patterns used in Eastern Australia the actual foundry where this was cast is unknown but this example adorns the return verandah of Hymettus cottage in Ballarat.

The Bicentenary Education medal was produced by the Australian Bicentennial Authority as a memento for distribution to all school students in Australia in 1988. One of the many medals struck to commemorate 200 years of European settlement in Australia and distributed to all school students as part of bicentennial celebrations. This package being that of Glen Taffe of Hymettus Cottage.Cupro-nickel medal commissioned by the Commonwealth of Australia to commemorate the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. The medal was designed by Michael Meszaros and M. Tracey and minted by the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. The obverse was designed by Melbourne artist Michael Meszaros and depicts school children climbing steps with the Southern Cross in the sky and the word 'EDUCATION' below. The reverse, designed by M. Tracey, features the Bicentennial logo, a map of Australia formed by intersecting diagonal lines. The medal was presented to school children in a sealed sleeve with Bicentenary artwork to commemorate the Bicentenary in 1988australian bi-centenary, education, commonwealth of australia