Lydham Hall Historic House Museum

Visit us: The museum is located at 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale NSW 2216. On-street parking is available or a short bus trip from Rockdale Station takes you within a 5-minute walk of the museum.

Opening Hours: first Sunday of the month, 10am – 4pm
Next opening: Sunday, 3 August 2025

Back by popular demand, the St George Sutherland Scottish Pipe Band will be performing at 12pm for two 45-minute sessions.

Since 1946, the St George-Sutherland Scottish Pipe Band has played for marches, dances, tattoos and general entertainment.
The band plays traditional Scottish marches, strathspeys, reels, and airs as well as modern tunes and Australian favourites.

In the house, meet our volunteer guides and learn how the 19th century residents of Lydham Hall kept warm during winter without electricity and air conditioning.

Admission Prices
Adults $8
Concession and Seniors $5
Children $5
Free entry for SGHS members , Companion Card holders, and children under 10.

Buy tickets in our online shop or at the door.

Cafe
We’re serving a delicious range of Scottish fare:

• Lorne Sausage: One of Scotland’s favourite breakfast foods. A square sausage prepared to a traditional old family recipe, barbecued and served on fresh bread roll with brown sauce.
• Tattie Scones with Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream and Chives: A flavourful homage to our Scottish culinary heritage, combining the simplicity of ingredients with the richness of tradition. Made primarily with mashed potatoes (or “tatties,” as they are fondly called in Scotland), these light and fluffy scones showcase a perfect balance of texture and taste.
• Scottish Pies, made with a traditional Scotch Pie Press to create double crust pie with the highest quality meat and spices.
• Haggis: This wee beastie is not to be feared! Whilst still a traditional favourite, our Haggis is made from a modern recipe with a blend of herbs to give that good spice this savoury pudding needs. Grilled and served on a bread roll.
• Shortbread: Choose the traditional family recipe with sugar, butter, and flour, or the Nut Shortbread with Ground Mandolé Orchard Almonds.
• Whisky Orange Marmalade Cake with Thick Cream: A warm and wonderful winter dessert.

Our traditional Devonshire Tea (freshly baked scones, clotted cream, jam, tea or coffee) is always on the menu.


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About Lydham Hall

One of the oldest homes in the St George area, New South Wales State Heritage-listed, Lydham Hall Historic House Museum is a sandstone villa built in the late 1870s for businessman Joseph Davis, his wife Ellen and their family. The house was originally part of a 67-acre estate that Davis called ‘Lydham Hill’, built on the highest ridge in the area and with commanding views of Botany Bay. Davis had a butchering business in Newtown and used the property to fatten up his cattle before slaughter. It was built for Joseph Davis and his family.

When Davis died in 1889, the property was subdivided and a smaller parcel of land was sold to local oyster farmer, Frederick Gibbins, who leased the property to a succession of wealthy tenants.

In 1890, the house stood on three and a half acres surrounded by outbuildings, paddocks, orchards and with rugged vegetation beyond. In 1907, Gibbins’ daughter, Ada, married renowned naturalist, David Stead. Stead was a widower with a young daughter, Christina, and the family occupied the house with their growing brood of children, Stead’s sister and her daughter.

Christina Stead would go on to become an internationally acclaimed author who included references to ‘Lydham Hill’ and the surrounding area in a number of her books and short stories. The Stead family lived in the house until the death of Frederick Gibbins in 1917.

Rockdale City Council purchased Lydham Hall in 1970 as a headquarters for the St George Historical Society and its collections and archives. To commemorate the centenary of Rockdale City Council, the building opened to the public on 20 February 1971.

The building closed in 2020 for repairs, remaining closed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Lydham Hall reopened on Sunday, 4th February 2024 with a wonderful day of celebrations.

The President of St George Historical Society, Wesley Fairhall, invited the Mayor of Bayside, Councillor Bill Saravinovski, to the community.

“This State heritage-listed building is home to a wonderful collection of fine antiques and period objects,” Bayside Mayor Bill Saravinovski said.

Bob and Laurel Horton, Society members, were dressed in Victorian costume to invite visitors to inspect the house.

Today the house sits proudly surrounded by manicured, modern gardens and is regularly open to public and group tours. The interior of Lydham Hall is presented in the style of a late Victorian residence, with a fine collection of antique furniture and over 1,500 objects of local and historical interest contained within the rooms and in the museum upstairs. The museum also has a library and archives which contain a broad range of books, photographs and documents on local places, people, events, and institutions.

(photograph: Kristi Archer, Laurel and Bob Horton at the opening of Lydham Hall, 4 February 2024. Courtesy of John Veage, St George & Sutherland Shire Leader)