Goulburn's St Clair Villa reopens for a weekend

Goulburn Mulwaree Council, in conjunction with History Goulburn, reopened the 1840s State Heritage Listed property on November 18 and 19 and plenty of people attended.

"I was impressed with the number of people who went through," History Goulburn president Jennifer Lamb said.

"Everyone responded well to the building too."

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A month was spent preparing for the exhibition and Lamb said not everything was put out on show.

"We chose themes for each room and the original idea was to have no more than three to five items in each of them," she said.

"We didn't want to bring out too many things, so we brought out things that were easier to take out, just as a little bit of a teaser."

The villa had been undergoing conservation works and council's business manager of marketing, events and culture Sarah Ruberto said stage one, which focused on the structural integrity of the building, was completed before the reopening.

"We spent a lot of effort, time and money on reroofing the whole villa and have had to deal with ventilation issues," Ruberto said.

"We've also had to redo all the floors and ensure the place was up to modern building codes."

Throughout the building, asbestos and mould were removed and the toilet was upgraded to provide an accessible bathroom.

The entrance floor didn't need much attention, but work on the area included an electrical upgrade, new light fittings, new emergency lighting, new stairs and a new integrated smoke alarm system.

Modern steel and glass were installed in the courtyard which opened up the rear of the building, removed a significant pigeon problem and made the view of the wings more visible.

With the villa now closed again, Ruberto said stage two of the conservation works would begin soon.

"Stage two, which will be completed by the end of this financial year, will focus on addressing the rising damp and salt attack in the building," she said.

"There could be more stages after that, but it will depend on the funding available."

The works aim to ensure the villa is available for many generations to come.

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