Historical information

Built between 1882 and 1884 for the banker William Greenlaw and with interior decoration by the Paterson Brothers, a number of elements of the the interior design scheme reference Greenlaw’s Scottish origins. Following his death in 1895, from 1897 the house was leased and owned by a succession of owners including the Fripp family, the Royal Women’s Hospital and the Mount Royal Hospital before being sold to the Society of Jesus for Xavier College. In 2004 the title was transferred to Villa Alba Museum Inc., and the western section of the garden leased to Xavier College for 99 years.

Significance

The photograph is one of a series of views of the interior commissioned from the photographer Russell Winnell by the Board of Management of Villa Alba Museum in 2011.