Historic Blenheim House, the home of Randwick’s first mayor, will be opening its doors to the public for a variety of performances and art exhibitions, bringing the history and culture of the site to life.
Located at 17 Blenheim Street Randwick, the historic two-storey sandstone house was built in 1848 by the first Mayor of Randwick, Simeon Pearce. Pearce served six terms as Mayor, and is sometimes referred to as “Father of Randwick”, for his contributions to the area.
Randwick Council purchased the property in 1984, and has been planning the refurbishment of the home for some time. The arts exhibitions will be on temporarily before upgrades to the house go ahead.
Randwick Deputy Mayor Kym Chapple said that council is “looking forward to people seeing this special place for themselves”.
“Blenheim House is a hidden gem, even locals may be unaware of its existence and how close we came to losing it for good,” Cr Chapple said.
Historic image of Blenheim House, built by Randwick’s first Mayor in 1848. Photo: dictionaryofsydney.org.
The event features a plethora of artists and performers showcasing their craft as they engage directly with the building, its history, and its significance to Randwick. Exhibitions featured in the historic home will include a musical trio with musician Chris Cody, First Nations performer Matthew Doyle, and violinist Susie Bishop.
Other contributors to the project will include designer Sandra Cipriotti and well as several other artists with a variety of specialisations.
“Through their work the house speaks with tales from its construction, the many lives lived in it and the unique rooms and furnishings” Cr Chapple said.
Local composer “honoured” to perform at Blenheim House
Songwriter and composer Christina Mimmocchi, who will be performing at Blenheim house, said to City Hub that she is “honoured to work on this project”.
“I think it’s really great to have local artists work on local events, because I think it builds on the communities culture” Mimmocchi said.
“I hope this will result in people becoming more aware of the importance of preserving these unique, and valuable features of their local area.”
The arts project has been in the works since December last year, when Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker announced plans for the house to become a permanent art centre.
“Our vision is for Blenheim House to become a place where art is created and enjoyed. We’re hoping it will be used as a public space for community art exhibitions, performances, workshops and other cultural events” Cr Parker said.
The arts and culture exhibition at Blenheim house is free to the public, and will be held on select dates from July 30 to August 7.
