NSW·BCW·001
Abercrombie House
Historic House
About
50-room Scottish-baronial mansion of the 1870s on Ophir Road, Bathurst, built by the pioneering Stewart family and home to the Morgan family since 1969, who have spent five decades restoring it. Open for guided and self-guided tours, exhibitions and special events including concerts, jazz nights and high teas.
The collection
The mansion displays period furnishings, exhibitions and collections across its 50 rooms, with outbuildings and 18 hectares of grounds and gardens interpreting the life of Bathurst's pioneering Stewart family and the Morgan family's 50-year restoration.
Objects of note
- The ballroom with gold-leaf pressed metal ceilingState significanceBuilding / Structure
1890; restored by the Morgan family from 1969 · Mansfield Brothers (architects of the house)
The magnificent 1890 ballroom of Abercrombie House, built over a former courtyard with an orchestra gallery and an 8.6-metre-high ceiling in an early form of pressed metal. During the Morgan family's restoration, close to three months were spent painting and applying 6,800 one-inch squares of gold leaf to the ceiling.
A grand 1890 ballroom interior within an outstanding Victorian Tudor mansion, restored with 6,800 hand-applied gold leaf squares.
- Materials
- pressed metal, gold leaf
- Dimensions
- ceiling 8.6 m high
- Provenance
- Part of Abercrombie House, built 1870-78 for James Horne Stewart; owned and restored by the Morgan family since 1969.
- Grandfather clock formerly owned by King Edward VIINational significanceFurniture
19th-early 20th century
A grandfather clock formerly owned by King Edward VII, among the notable objects displayed in the lived-in Morgan family home. It forms part of the eclectic collection of antiques and curiosities assembled by the family over more than 50 years of stewardship.
A documented royal provenance (King Edward VII) for a longcase clock in a Bathurst private house museum.
- Materials
- timber, brass
- Provenance
- Formerly owned by King Edward VII; part of the Morgan family collection at Abercrombie House.
- Roman-era 'crucifixion' nailInternational significanceArchaeological
c. 1st century AD (attributed)
A nail thought to be about 2,000 years old, found at a Roman site near Bethlehem, displayed in an upstairs cabinet alongside a glass sphere hand-painted from inside by a Beijing artist in 1993. It is one of the most unexpected objects in the house's collection of curiosities.
An attributed 2,000-year-old Roman nail from near Bethlehem held in a regional Australian house museum.
- Materials
- iron
- Provenance
- Found at a Roman site near Bethlehem; part of the Morgan family collection at Abercrombie House.
- Flower from Lord Mountbatten's graveLocal significanceOther
1979
A flower taken from a bunch placed on the grave of Lord Louis Mountbatten by Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, hanging on a wall of the house. It is displayed with other royal memorabilia including the Royal Certificate awarded to Rex Morgan AM MBE, the educationalist who bought and restored Abercrombie House from 1968.
A documented royal memorial keepsake reflecting the Morgan family's half-century of public heritage stewardship.
- Materials
- dried flower
- Provenance
- From the grave of Lord Mountbatten; part of the Morgan family collection at Abercrombie House.
What's on
- Strawberries & Cream Saturdays in Spring at Abercrombie HouseOther
14–28 Nov 2026 · Saturdays · 10:30-12:30
Spring Saturday morning visits to Abercrombie House with strawberries and cream, running through November.
More at the museum's what's-on page · checked 2026-11-01
Programs & courses
- Group bookingsGuided TourBook on request
All ages · Adults
Group bookings to visit the 1870s Morgan family mansion, its reception rooms, ballroom and gardens.
- High Tea at Abercrombie HouseOtherBook on request
Adults
Bookable high tea events at the house, including themed editions through the year.
Provenance
Record verified 2026-10-10 · Confidence: high · Coordinates: derived from OpenStreetMap
- Abercrombie House - Accommodation NSW attraction listing — accessed 2026-08-29
- Heritage Map - Central NSW — accessed 2026-08-29
- Plan Your Visit - Abercrombie House (official site) — accessed 2026-10-10