Historical information

Overall, the wallpapers in the building are a rare surviving example of interior decorations used in educational institutions in Australia. They reflect changing tastes and fashions throughout the twentieth century and serve as evidence of wallpapers that were available and in use in a regional area of Victoria from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Significance

The wallpapers present in Rooms 143 and 148 hold historic significance as a rare surviving example of interior decoration within Victoria during this period within an educational institution in Australia. They reflect changing tastes and fashions throughout the twentieth century. Additionally, these wallpapers serve as evidence of the styles that were available and used in a regional area of Victoria from the 1920s to the 1970s.
Of particular importance are the four layers of wallpaper remaining on the south wall of Room 148, as they represent the most complete sequence of wallpapers used during these fifty years. The wallpapers in Room 143 are also significant; they not only provide further examples, including frieze papers, borders, and wall body papers, but they also contextualise the assortment of wallpapers used in both rooms.
To a lesser extent, the wallpapers found in Rooms 144 and 146 offer additional context for the collection of significant wallpapers utilised across this suite of rooms.

Physical description

Wallpaper samples found in the upper six rooms of the front wing of the Creswick Campus Library. The upper-level rooms of the library comprise six spaces, including a WC, a stair landing, and a short hall. Overall, the wallpapers in the building are a rare surviving example of interior decorations used in educational institutions in Australia. They reflect changing tastes and fashions throughout the twentieth century and serve as evidence of wallpapers that were available and in use in a regional area of Victoria from the 1920s to the 1970s.