The Keeper's Random Ramblings - Buckets of fun but also for safety

Amongst the quirkiest items to be found in the house are four leather buckets.  What on earth were they originally used for?  The Haywards used them as waste paper baskets and two of them are designed for this as they bear a modern leatherworker’s manufacturing label; so probably made for the purpose but modelled on an original. 

The two originals may well date from the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century and were probably from an English country house where such receptacles were used as fire buckets.  They would be hung in rows in servants corridors filled with sand ready to dump on carpets or floorboards when the open fires spat sparks or candles tipped over causing small conflagrations.  Water would have caused too much damage although leather buckets and other receptacles made from this material were commonly used for carrying liquids in households long after the Middle Ages. After the industrial revolution metal buckets were more cheaply produced and became common. 

Carrick Hill has an interesting metal bucket, which is coated with black paint and bears a coat of arms on the outside. Quite whose they are we have not yet deciphered to date and it looks like the bucket was used for fuel for the fires. 

The whole of Carrick Hill house was heated with open fires mostly with wood grates.  The threat of fire was always great in any country house in Britain and the Haywards did not take any chances either. However; rather than rely on their bucket collection they had a beautiful copper fire extinguisher ready to do the job which is now a collection item reflecting the working side of the house’s history.

The Keeper's Random Ramblings - Faience dinner service

These are French made, slip cast tin glazed plates with lively hand painted designs of fruit and vegetables.  It is a charming service with a Mediterranean feel and probably used for informal lunches at the Haywards Port Willunga beach house

The Haywards Port Willunga beach house

Carrick Hill’s Hayward Bequest is what is called a closed collection and is not normally the subject of acquisition except under exceptional circumstances, as in this case.  The were three plates from the set in the ‘vault’ (the underground room where all the silver, china and ornaments surplus to use are stored) so imagine our delight when a call from Small &Whitfields Auctions informed us of 47 pieces were being sold from the private collection of one of Adelaide’s leading antique dealers who had recently died. 
The Friends of Carrick Hill agreed to finance the purchase of the missing ceramics and I successfully bid for the lot to bring home this wonderfully rustic dinner service.  Research is still being carried out into exactly who the French manufacturer is - their mark is clearly on the reverse of every piece.

Makers mark on the reverse of the recovered Faience dinner service.

The Keeper's Random Ramblings - What's in a name and a photo?

A couple of weeks ago I visited Brisbane to see our son and he suggested an excursion to Mount Tambourine.  It was a wonderful trip to a charming township with delicious rewards from the micro-brewery(Mt Tambourine) and local cheese company (Witches Chase) based there.  Sadly there was not time to travel on to visit the interestingly named town Beaudesert but as you can see from the photo – I got close to going there!

You may ask why I wanted to visit this French sounding place in the Queensland Hinterland beyond the ranges. The answer is that the 400 year old interior at Carrick Hill was purchased by Bill and Ursula Hayward from the demolition sale of BeaudesertHall in Staffordshire.  They were motoring the shires of England on their honeymoon in 1935 when they came across the this country seat of the Marquess of Angelesy that he could no longer afford to run ( he had a second house on the Isle of Angelsey ‘Neu Plas’ now owned by the National Trust).  The full story of what they acquired (it included a staircase, windows, doors, fireplaces and oak panelling) can be read in the recently published book: Carrick Hill: a portrait.

Whilst on the Royal Collections Studies course last September  held at Windsor Castle, I learnt from Jonathan Marsden, the Director of the Queens Collections, that the Paget family who owned Beau Desert did not pronounce it with a French styling but as two words sounding like: bow desert (the dry sandy variety not a pudding).  This was quite upsetting to some of our guides when I told them as they had been told by visiting locals from Litchfield and Cannock Chase near Beau Desert that it was given a French sounding pronunciation.

I was also told by Jonathan that Tudor bricks from Beaudesert were used to repair WWII bombing damage to St James Palace in London.  So fancy Carrick Hill sharing a source of materials with a palace – a brush with a royal building?

The photo shown here is in the Carrick Hill collection but it's subject has long been a mystery.  That is until I was doing some research into the Beaudesert garden to see if Ursula had borrowed any ideas for her Adelaide garden as well as collecting an interior!  It was a vast house with extensive garden and grounds (99 employees to work the estate and run the house).  I discovered that the photo is taken from an unusual position which the great article in Country life book (also in the collection) did not use.  From the stamp on the reverse of the print we know the photograph was taken by The Times but what for? Was it to report the demolition of the great house and its forthcoming architectural salvage sale on 18 & 19 July, 1935?

The image presents a wild fore ground which enables us to imagine the forests that the Bishop of Lichfield hunted in when Beaudesert was their hunting lodge in the fifteenth century.  This was before the Paget’s had risen to prominence as Elizabethan lawyers and been given the property for services to ER I.  Then we see the back of the house in the distance with the oldest window range and formal gardens with banks and terraces.

A quiet word from the List Mistress - ‘Lancashire’ dining chairs

Three Carved oak ‘Lancashire’ dining chairs (from an unmatched set of 11), England, late 17^th century

Carrick Hill house is actually quite modest in size and visitors are often very surprised when they walk into the house to be confronted by the vision of a grand oak staircase, dark oak panelled walls and rooms filled with old English and European carved oak furniture.   This becomes even more remarkable when you hear the story of how in 1935 the Hayward’s, then on their honeymoon in England, purchased interior fittings and furniture from the  extensive demolition auction of a mid-16th century Staffordshire mansion named Beau Desert hall. 

It was around these purchases that the Haywoods  had shipped back to South Australia, that the local Adelaide architectural firm of Woods Bagot Laybourne -Smith and Irwin designed and had constructed the house they would then live in for the rest of their lives.  To complement the oak panelling in the west facing dining room the Haywards acquired a collection of so called ‘Lancashire’ carved oak chairs that date from the period 1680-1700.  There are eleven of these heavy and impressive chairs (six forming a set plus another five to complement)- they are also referred to in the furniture trade by the term ‘joined back-stool’.  Their distinctive style and carving make it possible to locate their construction specifically to the Lancashire district in England and to date them to the late 17^th century although similar chairs were made at the same time in the neighbouring area of Yorkshire.

Although each chair looks similar each has its own individual carved back panel which features a decorative design of bold stylized oak leaves with motifs such as acorns, thistles or the simple 4-5 petalled Tudor rose.  Two larger carved carver style armchairs make up the suite of chairs that surround the large, simple, oak refectory table.     

Photo: Mick Bradley

References:

Carrick Hill: A Portrait edited by Richard Heathcote, pub. Wakefield Press, Adelaide 2011

Oak Furniture; The British Tradition by Victor Chinnery, pub. Antique Collectors Club Ltd, 1986

A quiet word from the List Mistress - SURPRISE!

The Carrick Hill ceramics collection has many unexpected objects in it but this group of English mid-19^th century Frog mugs is definitely one of the more eccentric.   We don’t really know much about how this collection was assembled or even who collected them – were they just quirky items that Bill and Ursula Hayward found and brought back from their many trips to England or were they inherited from a parent or grandparent?

Frog mugs were also known as ‘Surprise’ or 'Toad’ mugs and they were originally designed as a rustic practical joke as the interior of the mug contains a full-size pottery frog or toad which is revealed to the drinker as the liquid is consumed.  The earliest examples of mugs containing frogs date from about 1775 but they continued to be produced throughout most of the 19^th century.  An unsuspecting guest would be startled as he drank from the mug to see a frog emerging from the beverage as it was consumed and the frog would appear to spit at the drinker through the hole in its mouth as the mug was tilted.

Frog mugs often feature transfer-printed designs with pictorial images and moralistic verses, sayings or patriotic inscriptions and some are inscribed with individual names, an indicator that the cup may have been given as a gift to mark a wedding or special event.  Some of these mugs feature hand-painted relief moulded designs, some have patriotic verses commemorating the Crimean War and the English and French victory over the Emperor Napoleon. Several of the larger cups were made in the style of a ‘loving cup’ with two or even three handles and two of the more unusual mugs are modelled with satyr face masks.  Some mugs contain more than one frog nestled at the base while a couple even include a lizard!

Frog mugs can be found in many museum collections in Australia and around the world.

http://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/collections/browse_collections/ceramics

My Most Interesting Thing:Epstein's Standing Mother and Child Statue

1.) What is it?
Epstein's standing Mother and Child Statue

2.) Why have you chosen it?
A stricking pose and beautiful sculpture that looks great at it's current location

3.) When did it first catch your eye?
Everytime I walk down the stairs or enter Carrick Hill house.

4.) If it was yours, what would you do with it?
Display it in my garden

5.) What stuff do you (or did you) collect?
Shoes!

Chosen by: annonymous, Carrick Hill Volunteer

Musings from the Backwater Blogger

It is becoming increasingly apparent as we work our way through the collections at Carrick Hill that the paintings are not just an eclectic gathering of modernist works collected by a discerning eye interested in modern thought, or an inheritance from a culturally aware upbringing. They also form a Hayward travelogue.

A fascination for me is to look at the works not just as the outstanding pieces that so many of them are, but as markers of Ursula and Bill’s frequent movement through the world and within Australia. Of course works by artists like Stanley Spencer and Jacob Epstein relate to regular visits to England. The provenance and history of much of the major modernist collection is recorded and most works were purchased from a London dealer or directly from the artists with whom the Hayward's had contact. But there are other works which have no such associated records and when this happens it is from the item itself that the story must be extracted.

One such work is a small painting titled in oil by the artist on its face Beche de mer lugger. There is absolutely nothing else on this work that would indicate who that artist might be, or where on earth (literally) the painting might have originated.   A lugger is a traditional style of shallow-draft fishing boat with a simple double masted rig, and beche de mer means sea cucumber, a creature that is considered a delicacy in many cultures. This painting shows one of these luggers moored in a tranquil bay. The crew sit in a relaxed group on the foredeck. The paint handling is fluid and the palette muted. Stylistically it fits loosely with the other modern works in the collection and the painting and its original frame probably date from the late 1930s or early 1940s.

Like a couple of other pieces in the collection, this painting seems almost like a souvenir. Did these ‘souvenirs’ work as reminders for the Hayward's of enjoyable stays? Were they gifts to each other or to them from other people? Beche de mer lugger has a price written in pencil on the back – £8-8-0 – is that around about the right price if it was purchased by Ursula or Bill during the war?  If it was acquired then, where might they have got it from? Ursula lived for a time in Brisbane (1942); perhaps she travelled further north to Cooktown where these luggers had at one time been in use? Bill served in Papua New Guinea, Borneo, Morotai and Labuan; perhaps he picked it up during that time? Did they ever visit Vanuatu, another sea cucumber fishing location?

So many questions unanswered and a mere nibble around the edges of knowledge concerning this charming painting. Maybe the archives will divulge something as the search continues.

My Most Interesting Thing: The wooden Monk

1.) What is it?
A small wooden monk - you will find it in the vault

2.) Why have you chosen it?
It is small enough to hold in your hand, and Sir Edward, after entertaining guests for dinner would pass it to someone at the table for an 'appriasal'.  When the guest held it the monk's habit drops down and his member pops up.

3.) When did it catch your eye?
I was given the task of displaying all of the exhibits in the vault by Alan Smith.  It was a thing that surprised me and made me laugh.  It shows that Sir Edward had a great sense of humour.

4.) If it was yours, what would you do with it?
Have as much fun as Sir Edward did!

5.) What stuff do you collect?
Small frogs from all of the countries I have visited overseas.  The sit on my kitchen windowsill and give me lovely thoughts as I do the washing up.  I would love Edwards collection of frog mugs.

Chosen by: Jill Argent, President of the Friends of Carrick Hill

My Most Interesting Thing: Rene Lalique Opalescent dish 'Trepied Sirene' - Water Nymph

1.) What is it?
Rene Lalique Opalescent dish 'Trepied Sirene' - Water Nymph

2.) Why have you chosen it?
It's very beautiful - simple yet elegant

3.) When did it first catch your eye?
The first time I saw it about 10 years ago

4.) If it was yours, what would you do with it?
It would be on display - pride of place, next to my small pin dish (also by Lalique - featuring the Water Nymph design).

5.) What stuff do you (or did you) collect?
I have a few Lalique pieces.  Hope to have more in due time!!!

Chosen by: Ilonka McInnes, Carrick Hill Volunteer

My Most Interesting Thing: Trestle Table in the Dining Room

1.) What is it?
Trestle Table in the Dining Room

2.) Why have you chosen it?
Because I have always liked old oak refectory style tables.

3.) When did it first catch your eye?
On my first visit to Carrick Hill

4.) If it was yours, what would you do with it?
Use it!

5.) What stuff do you (or did you) collect?
Pewter, perfume bottles, patch boxes, fruit wood/oak furniture, 18th/19th century caricatures

Chosen by: Jan Murray, Carrick Hill Guide

Musings from the Backwater Blogger - From the artist's window 1938

Stanley Spencer, Great Britain, 1891-1959

From the artist’s window 1938

 I can’t help it with Stanley Spencer’s work, I am intrigued. How could one not be? He was eccentric, intense, apparently had a wonderful sense of humour, and was obsessed until death by his first wife Hilda. He maintained contact with both his wives (he never consummated his second marriage to Patricia Preece) and loved his village, Cookham, were he was born and spent virtually all his life.

The Haywards purchased four flower paintings by Spencer in 1938. I am drawn to them all but the one that fascinates me the most is From the artist’s window, Cookham 1938.  It seems so fresh and celebratory that it is hard to believe that at the time he painted it Spencer was struggling with so many demons which were manifesting themselves into a series of erotic paintings. This painting engages more than just my visual sense. I can feel the clean spring breeze that makes the lace curtains move gently and I can imagine the heady perfume of the jonquils (when they flower in my garden their rich smell always make me sneeze). That smell is mixed with the delicious odour of linseed oil, turpentine and oil paint. The jonquils are simply plonked into the enamel basin with some water and the space at the window seems ambiguous and precarious. Are the flowers just dropped there because Spencer is busy on one of the other flower paintings that is in the Carrick Hill collection? Or have all these flower paintings provided some kind of creative relief from the intensity of working on the erotic pieces? Maybe, as I look out the window past the bowl of jonquils onto the charmingly ordered world of Cookham’s rooftops, there is one of these great works behind me –  open, raw, alarming, confronting – as hard to look at as this still-life is easy.

Like so many works at Carrick Hill, the Stanley Spencer paintings hold a personal connection to the Haywards. The flower pieces link to Ursula’s garden, glimpsed from the windows of her home, and the blooms that regularly filled the house with their scent or rose up in a blaze of seasonal colour in the grounds around the house. Spencer was one of a number of British artists patronised by the Haywards, and Carrick Hill holds nine of his works - eight paintings and a lithograph. He is the most represented British painter in their collection, one of the largest groups of Spencer’s works outside Great Britain.  At the time that the Haywards collected these works (and at one time they also had at least one other) it would have been among the most significant private collections of this major artist’s oeuvre. How astonishingly forward-thinking they were.

Jane Hylton the Backwater Blogger



A quiet word from the List Mistress - Redoute Rose

Pierre-Joseph REDOUTE  (1759-1840), Weeping Rose, watercolour and pencil on parchment, mounted on paper.  Carrick Hill Trust, Adelaide, Haywood Bequest

 You may not know his name, but chances are you have seen his work as it is now mass produced and appears on decorator items around the world.  It is to be seen on millions of greeting cards,  decorates your daily tea or coffee cup, or hangs as a print or poster on your walls - you might even use these images as your computer screen saver. 

I am talking about the exquisitely drawn images of old roses that are the work of the Belgian born artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté, (1759-1840).  Most people consider him a French artist but he was actually born into a family of painters and decorators who lived in a little village in the forest of the Belgian Ardennes.  Pierre-Joseph’s unique artistic talents took him to the very height of the 19^th century French court where he became attached to the circle that surrounded the Empress Josephine and the court of Emperor Napoleon.  Over a period of fifty years he became one of  the world’s greatest botanical artists and although he is now more commonly known as the ‘man who painted roses’ he actually painted all types flowers and his meticulous studies of primula, iris and lilies are all just as detailed and beautiful as his more familiar ‘old’ roses. 

Redouté also produced some of the earliest known botanical studies of the then strange, and newly discovered, Australian flora that Empress Josephine grew in her extensive gardens at Malmaison on the  outskirts of Paris in the early 1800s and some of these exotic antipodean plants were actually grown in France many years before they appeared in English gardens.  During his lifetime, Redouté’s drawings were published as hand-coloured engravings in expensive, limited edition publications and it was not until the later years of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries that his work became more widely available to the general population as cheaper, mass produced prints.

Carrick Hill has a small but significant collection of French paintings that includes this delicate original watercolour by Redouté.  It was acquired by Lady Ursula Hayward and as far as we know, is the only original work by this artist in an Australian collection.  Little is known about this painting except that it was painted for Redoute's friend, the French novelist and playwright, Honoré de Balzac.

The rose, still with a droplet of early morning dew on its petals is a 'cabbage' or Centifolia rose called Grand Choux Hollandais, originally grown, as the name suggests, in Holland.  The accompanying blue-violet auricular primula is equally beautiful and, at that time was just as exotic and desirable a plant to grow to demonstrate wealth and privilege.   

References:  The Man Who Painted by Roses: the story of Pierre-Joseph Redouté by Antonia Ridge,  pub., Faber & Faber Limited, London, 1974.

Napoleon, the Empress and the Artist: the story of Napoleon, Josephine’s garden at Malmaison, Redouté & the Australian Plants by Jill, Duchess of Hamilton, pub., Kangaroo Press, Australia, 1999

The Keeper's random ramblings - Collecting Klee & Cloves

I am currently working on an exhibition of Jeffrey Smart’s paintings (1940-51) as part of the Master of Stillness joint exhibition with Samstag Museum this coming October. It’s the first Adelaide generated retrospective of this South Australian trained artist curated by Barry Pearce. Research always heightens your senses whether you are searching generally or specifically; so imagine my delight as I cleaned out a cupboard at Carrick Hill and found a Smart related artifact – sadly there are no works of his in the collection.

In a clutch of art booklets my eye alighted on The Faber Gallery monograph on Klee, with an introduction and notes by Herbert Read.  Inscribed on the inside cover, in Smart’s hand, was a dedication to Bill and Ursula Hayward (see illustration). 

This was given as a gift by Jacqueline Hick and Jeffrey Smart probably in recognition of the hospitality, support and encouragement the Haywards had provided for the young Australian artists who were living a fairly down and out life style in post war London ( see Smart’s autobiography Not Quite Straight – pp190-200).  The book cost six shillings which would have been a fair old whack for the two artists at the time but more than this, it was a gift worthy of their generous patrons.

My second encounter with serendipitous research results came from a bottle of Hall’s Cloves Flavoured Cordial (locally manufactured by George Hall & Son Ltd, Norwood, SA) recently donated as part of the education/display collection at Carrick Hill. 

I had travelled to Port Willunga to interview Judith Anne Barraclough (nee Ingoldby) who had been Smart’s student and girlfriend when he was teaching in Adelaide around 1946-47.  She provided a wealth of detail and talked colourfully about what was going on in Adelaide at the time.  When I asked her what Jeffrey and she would drink when they visited hotels she replied that Jeff drank a hideous mixture – Rum and cloves!

My Most Interesting Thing: Emroidered Trifold Screen

1.) What is it?
Embroidered Trifold Screen

2.) Why have you chosen it?
Superb example of needlework.

3.)  When did it first catch your eye?
When I first visited Carrick Hill

4.) If it was yours, what would you do with it?
Display it with pride!

5.) What stuff do you ( or did you) collect?
China

Chosen by: Anonymous, Carrick Hill Guide

What jogs the mind to seek things for the eye?

Well - Adelaide Writers’ Week is on with a vengeance here in Adelaide and earlier in the week two authors with an interest in the 1930s came to visit Carrick Hill.  Both fascinating and knowledgeable people, both British: Selina Hastings is a biographer of literary figures such as Somerset Maugham and Nancy Mitford; and Paul French writes on China both fiction and non-fiction.

I love taking people through the house as I am able to see the place through their eyes and thereby adjust my perception of the meaning and significance of the collection.  Both writers were delighted with the British modernist artists and became so absorbed in the Stanley Spencers', Augustus Johns', Derwent Lees' and Jacob Epsteins' that I forgot to quiz Paul on his China tastes.

 We did have a brief moment on Chinoiserie when we came to the lacquered cabinet in the drawing room (created in England in the 1820s), but I realised too late that Paul might have much more to tell.  His talk on the story behind the detective story of Midnight in Peking (Bejing) and observations on Shanghai (where he lives and works as  Market Strategist)were intriguing.  So on returning to my desk that afternoon I thought I’d check just how many references to China our Mosaic Collections program would throw up as I could not think of a single object from China – it was 26.  These included books, furniture and ceramics.

The most outstanding item is a turquoise glazed pottery jardiniere (30cm high with 54cm diameter) modelled with good luck symbols and sat on a gilded wooden stand.  I believe it’s a fish bowl, but that is only my conjecture, as I can see the golden shapes swimming round.  When I first arrived I had it filled with water and floated camellia flowers in it after the annual Camellia Show held at Carrick Hill each August left us with blooms to die for.  However it leaked and therefore only orchids are occasionally displayed in it now.  It is a glorious object, only roughly dated in the catalogue 17^th/18^th century so much more work required as there are no provenance details on record.

A quiet word from the List Mistress - the beginning of the collection

The Library, Carrick Hill, Adelaide, photo Mick Bradley

Documentation of the Carrick Hill collection has finally entered the 21^st century with the recent installation of the MOSAIC Collection Management System that will allow us to electronically catalogue and digitise the collection.  On the 31 January 3837 records were uploaded into the database, these records currently contain minimal information but they give us base records that will be improved with information from the old hand-written catalogue worksheets and research files.  At this stage, the project is being run by just one person on a part-time basis but in the first month two weeks over 800 records have been edited and in a few months, a group of trained volunteers will be ready to assist project by entering enhanced research information and digitised images.  Our goal is to have a 100 of our most significant objects fully documented and added to the Carrick Hill website by early 2013.

For the first time the large personal library of books that were owned by Sir Edward and Lady Ursula Hayward will be included in the new centralised database.  This will allow us to directly link the books to the paintings and sculptures that form the core of the Carrick Hill collection.  These books provide a window into the private life of the Hayward’s and include a range of first editions and popular novels; there are the expected gardening, farming, sporting and business books plus a significant number of art, design and architecture reference books that informed the Hayward’s interests and collecting tastes.    

Two of the eight Jacob Epstein bronzes from the collection with some of the many art books owned by Lady Ursula Hayward.  Collection Carrick Hill Trust, Adelaide, Hayward Bequest

The 'List Mistress' Caroline Berlyn

My Most Interesting Item - Order of the Thistle

My most interesting item: Richard Heathcote 'The Keeper'

Order of the Thistle – carved in wood

This coat of arms carved in wood and painted black, hangs over the doorway at the end of the servants passage.  The Order of the Thistle is the highest Scottish honour usually awarded to heads of state and appointed solely at the prerogative of the reigning monarch.  Only one Australian has ever received it and that was Bob Menzies, Australia’s longest serving Prime minister from 1949-1966.

Why on earth is this large object hanging at Carrick Hill?  It is somewhat of a mystery which is I suppose why I like it.  Its motto Nemo-me Impune Lacessit (Latin for ‘No one provokes me with impunity’) is another reason why I like.  It says: don’t pick a fight with me or you’ll pay for it.

Both Ursula Hayward’s (nee Barr Smith) father and Scottish grandfather were offered knighthoods and declined them.  Her father said he had done nothing to earn it and therefore it was against his principles to accept the honour.  On the other hand Bill Hayward, Ursula’s husband, accepted an English honour of Knight Batchelor (CBE) in 1961 for his philanthropic work (St John’s Ambulance Service & creating the Christmas Pageant for the enjoyment of Adelaide families).  Ursula when asked how it felt to be Lady Hayward said it was: ‘worse than having the measles!’

The item is a consummate piece of carving but more importantly for me it represents the two attitudes in one house towards honours and rewards for service etc.  However; both Ursula and Bill were united by their patriotism and support for the British monarchy. Such facts are what I find interesting about the arms of the Thistle with its two rampant unicorns standing on top of the plant symbol for Scotland which is at the same time a weed in our gardens!  It is my most interesting object in the house and a symbol that most visitors would barely give a glance towards as they walk along the servant’s corridor to the café .

What's in a Ton?

The Carrick Hill collection and the Ton of Stuff project.

Australians love to collect stuff and they also like hearing about collecting as the popularity of the ABC TV Collectors program tells us.  Museums take the approach a bit further than private collectors as they hold collections in trust for the public and have to operate under certain rules and a code of ethics. 


When the museum is a historic house and the stuff has all belonged to small number of people that lived at the place, the story for me grows more interesting.  Our stuff at Carrick Hill belonged to Ursula and Bill Hayward from 1935 to 1970, and in that 35 years the main body of their collecting was done - then sadly Ursula died.  But before she died they both agreed that the collection should be kept together and that after his death it should all be given to us - the people of South Australia.


This is why I chose to work in house museums and revel in what the objects in the house can do to bring the stories of those who lived and worked in the place alive.  Whether its a chipped cup the cook used for her morning tea or the little black french dress that madam wore to her cocktail parties (Yes! Ursula Hayward was dressed by Dior and its in the collection!) - the objects hold the mysteries and reveal all kinds of information about time, place, people and their style. The other wonderful aspect of working in house museums is that they have nooks and crannies where things get lost, and then years or decades later come to light. 

So every month we are going to ask you a collection related question as part of a poll - as we are keen to find out about what you collect, why and what you think of our collection here.  And should you happen to visit us here at Carrick Hill, there will be an opportunity for you to let us know what you would choose to put in our 100 Most Interesting Items - which could appear here on the blog...so keep watch!

My name is Richard Heathcote  and I am known as the Keeper - the old fashioned name for the role of looking after the physical and intellectual material that comprises the items in a collection whether its a chipped tea cup, a Gauguin fan painting or a Dior by dress.

We have some wonderful stories to share with you over the next fifty weeks of the journey to discover the most interesting one hundred objects in the Carrick Hill collection - the Ton of Stuff.