Recycled Renovations
Next time you are building or renovating, think about adding an historical focal point to the property. There are several ways you can go about it. Check your own attic first, especially if you have a family member like Jim Pike, who never throws anything away! It’s possible that something you’ve been hanging onto for years – maybe that you’ve even forgotten about – would add the perfect finishing touch to your home.
Another way of finding some reusable treasures from old churches, hotels, theatres and buildings of all sorts is to go to a place like Architectural Heritage in Sydney. They offer items like lamps from Central railway station priced from $20 to $150 each, doors from the Queen Victoria Building for $6000 a pair, or a whole boardroom setting for $150,000.
Jim visited a house where leadlight doors had been recycled from the Sydney offices of Yates & Company, the seed merchants. The same property also featured doors from the First & Last Hotel, an historic old pub down at Circular Quay. Those old doors brightened the place up, adding colour, history and interest. So next time you’re doing up your house and you want to give it an individual style and a look that’s unique, remember Jim’s motto – never throw anything away.
Contact information:
Architectural Heritage, 62 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, NSW, 2037.
Graham Geddes Antiques and Antiquities, 873-877 High Street, Armadale, VIC, 3143. Phone: (03) 9509 0308. Email: [email protected]
Queensland Antique Dealers Association, Jill Phillips, 812 Sandgate Road, Clayfield, QLD, 4011. Phone: (07) 3862 2155.