In brief
For more than a hundred and fifty years a book was hidden inside a sealed fireplace in Kiama, Australia. It was discovered by a family member, traced back to a 19th‑century apprentice stonemason who worked on London’s Houses of Parliament, and is now back in the town’s library where it began. The return sparks curiosity about 19th‑century book‑borrowing customs and the heritage of local families.
A mysterious book, borrowed from a Kiama library in the 1870s, was found buried inside a sealed fireplace. The tattered volume, on Greek architecture, was hidden in a tea chest that sat in the hearth for decades. After a family member discovered it during a renovation, the book was traced back to a 19th‑century stonemason who helped build the Houses of Parliament in London before moving to Sydney and then Kiama.
The book, titled "Antiquities of Athens," was a reference for the deed of the family’s great‑grandfather, John Simmons, who apprenticed with stonemasons in Westminster. After emigrating to Australia in 1857, he built a sandstone church in Kiama and continued to use the book for architectural design.
Library records from the period were lost, so it is unknown who borrowed the book or when. Once returned, the library has decided it will not be lent again to avoid another 150‑year wait.
The Kiama Council library manager, Michelle Hudson, said visitors from far away have come to see the book in person. The relatively well‑preserved volume contains illustrations of Greek monolithic structures, many flipping open to show detailed measurements.
The book will now be part of the library’s special collection and can only be viewed by request. The family feels the return will bring closure to a story that began in 1872 and spanned continents.
