The National Library of Australia recently announced a major new acquisition—the Eric Milton Nicholls Collection. It comprises over 2500 photographs, maps, plans, presentation drawings, and manuscript items by Walter and Marion Mahoney Griffin (including a profile on gold silk of the proposed city of Canberra). It includes a fair amount of material relating to the Griffins in Canberra and many photographs of Canberra’s early development.

The NLA purchased the collection recently from descendants of Griffin’s architectural partner Eric Milton Nicholls. It was the last major Griffin collection in private hands.

Two free events at the NLA

There will be a public viewing of the collection, which will be spread out over two large rooms on the 4th floor of the Library, on Wednesday 28 June from 10am to 4pm. NLA staff will be on hand to answer questions.

There will also be a talk at 12.30pm by Christopher Vernon on the Nicholls Collection. Vernon is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, at the University of Western Australia. Both events are free and do not require registration.

Catalogue information

Eric Milton Nicholls papers are located in the NLA Manuscript collection – MS9957, while the special map collection is located in the NLA Maps collection – MAP NIC 1-7.

The image collection includes drawings, lithographs, photographs, negatives, transparencies, glass lantern slides and postcards. Parts of the collection have been digitised and are available for viewing at the National Library of Australia website.

Other resources at the National Library

There are a number of other architect-related manuscript collections and oral history recordings at the NLA likely to be of interest to readers of this site.

• The papers of Canberra architect Malcolm Moir
• The Donald Leslie Johnson collection of Walter and Marion Griffin documents
• Papers of architect and NCDC Commissioner Grenfell Rudduck
• Engineer Charles Henry Caswell’s papers relating to the Canberra design competition
• Department of Works architect H. M. Rolland’s scrapbooks and memorabilia
• The papers of architect Walter Bunning 1 and 2
• The papers of architect W. P. Godfrey
• The papers of architect and NCDC Commissioner Sir John Overall
• The papers of architect Bruce Litchfield
• The papers of architect Colin Madigan
• The papers of town planner and architect Oskars Pumpurs
• The papers of Roger Johnson
• The papers of town planner Peter Harrison
• An interview with Peter Harrison
• An interview with the architect Noel Potter