One of the jewels of the NSW State Archives Collection, a selection of volumes of the exquisitely handcrafted Carrington Albums, is making its way around regional NSW and will be on display at the Orange City Library on Tuesday 14 March at 5.30pm.
Visitors will be able to view the albums and enjoy a talk led by an expert from Museums of History NSW.
Dated from 1885, the Carrington Albums are a series of 14 leather bound volumes of illuminated addresses, each one gifted to Lord and Lady Carrington from the regional communities they visited throughout their 5 year term as Vice Regals.
Orange City Council Services Policy Committee Chair, Cr Mel McDonell said that Lord Carrington Archives on Tour gives visitors an opportunity to go back in time to a period filled with grandeur and formality.
Illuminated album (01b) presented to Lord Carrington by the Municipal Association of New South Wales, September 1890. State Archives Collection, Museums of History NSW.
"The NSW State Archives Collection is an important part of our cultural heritage, and the Lord Carrington Archives on Tour event is a wonderful opportunity to see unique pieces from the collection," Cr McDonell said.
"This exhibition throws a spotlight on the tradition, which was very popular around the early 1900s to present an honoured guest to a town with a document which included words which showed the high esteem in which the visitor was held."
The collection of addresses are now precious artworks, with finely detailed illuminated borders, hand painted illustrations, greetings, and well-wishes. The addresses, representing hundreds of residents, town and associations, were later bound together into the Carrington Albums and presented to Lord Carrington at the end of his term in 1890. He took the albums back to England where they remained with the Carrington family for many years.
"The Archives on Tour is a rare opportunity where you can marvel at a snapshot of a bygone era and learn about the history of the albums as they travelled around the world," Cr McDonell said.
Given the significance of the albums to the state of NSW, the volumes were brought back to NSW in 2014 to be cared for in the States Archives Collection.
The NSW State Archives Collection documents the daily work of the NSW Government and its agencies from 1788 to today.
Lord Carrington
Lord Carrington Archives on Tour event will run from 5.30pm to 7pm at Orange City Library on Tuesday 14 March. This event is free, but bookings are required. You can book online via
Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lord-carrington-archives-on-tour-talk-and-display-tickets-556222104287 or directly by phone on 6393 8132.
