TURNS out, van Gogh isn’t the only famous artist who’s work was hidden under the stairs at the Old Teachers’ College.
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Shakespeare shared the space too.
During World War II, collections from the State Library of NSW were transferred to the college for safe keeping, when it was feared Australia would be invaded by Japan.
Confidential files detailing the secret movement of the collections to Armidale don’t name the actual collection items, likely as a security precaution, a State Library spokeswoman said, but the State Librarian at the time was William Ifould, and the deputy John Metcalfe.
“Metcalfe was involved in travelling to Armidale for the planning and later the transport of collections,” she said.
“What we do with our books has nothing whatever to do with the public. I will not discuss the matter at all.”
- The Daily Mirror, 1944.
A letter, written by the principal librarian in 1941, shows the cases were demanded to be put under high security.
“I don’t like the idea of these things being at Armidale without continual watching, that is that there shall be on duty a day and night watchman,” he writes.
“It is obviously impossible for such a large number of cases to go to a country town on the railway and be carted from the railway station without local people knowing of the occurrence.
“It will get right through the district, although they might not know exactly what is stored they will have an idea that there is important government material and possibly of considerable intrinsic value.”
It appears at the time there was some suggestion the principal librarian should join the Board of Trustees once he retired, which the librarian accepted under the belief that “my successor will not have an easy spin and is likely to be sniped at on the board”.
The truth of the Old Teachers’ College history all began to be unearthed when a tourist discovered a van Gogh tag under the stairs.
And, New England Conservatorium of Music director Russell Bauer believes it’s just the beginning.
“I had heard people talk about collections and paintings that had at one point been hidden in the storerooms underneath the building,” he said.
“I think because of the intense secrecy 65 to 70 years later, it must have been quite a collection that ended up in the Old Teachers’ College.
“I truly believe there are people who know exactly what was stored here, and wouldn’t I like to find out.”
Two safe locations were identified during WWII, one was the newly built vault in the Bank of NSW in Barmedman, where the stamp collections were sent, the other here in Armidale.
In December 1941, 255 cases of manuscripts including the first folio of Shakespeare were sent to either safe house.
The watchman had a bed set up downstairs at the Old Teachers’ College outside the room the precious works were kept in for two years, a secret that was kept even three years later when the Library was questioned by the Daily Mirror.
‘Asked about the Mitchell Library’s literary and historical treasures, a spokesman for the library said: “What we do with our books has nothing whatever to do with the public. I will not discuss the matter at all.”’
It’s the secret that keeps on giving, if you know more email madeline.link@fairfaxmedia.com.au