--- title: "Centuries-Old Architectural Text Returned to Kiama Library After 150-Year Absence" url: https://projectchintan.com/article/overdue-book-returned-kiama-library-fireplace-discovery-cpbrd publisher: Project Chintan author: Project Chintan Newsroom section: World published: 2026-08-07T18:06:58.000Z modified: 2026-08-08T16:45:39.625Z language: en-IN --- # Centuries-Old Architectural Text Returned to Kiama Library After 150-Year Absence A long-lost edition of Antiquities of Athens has surfaced in a sealed fireplace decades after vanishing from an Australian library collection. Researchers believe an apprentice stonemason who worked on London’s Houses of Parliament originally borrowed the volume in the mid-1870s. ## Key takeaways - A copy of Antiquities of Athens was returned to Kiama Library after being missing for 150 years. - The book was found in a tea chest hidden behind a boarded-up fireplace during home renovations. - The library waived an estimated AU$28,000 in late fees accumulated since the mid-1870s. - The likely borrower was a stonemason who helped build the UK Houses of Parliament before moving to Australia. A rare volume on classical Greek architecture has finally returned to the shelves of Kiama Library, ending a borrowing period that spanned approximately one and a half centuries. The book, titled Antiquities of Athens, was discovered hidden inside a tea chest behind a walled-off fireplace. Ross Simmons, the 77-year-old descendant of the suspected borrower, recently identified the library’s original stamp inside the cover while examining family artifacts. ## The Connection to Westminster Family records suggest the book was likely in the possession of John Simmons, a London-trained stonemason who emigrated to Australia in 1857. Before his arrival in the Sydney region, Simmons participated in the construction of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster between 1839 and 1844. After relocating to the seaside town of Kiama to lead the building of a local sandstone church, he presumably used the text as a professional reference for his architectural work. ## Discovery and Condition The book spent decades concealed within a tea chest alongside other family documents. This chest remained undisturbed in a boarded-up fireplace until a renovation project approximately 30 years ago brought it to light. Despite its long stint in storage and minor water damage, the cloth-bound volume remains largely intact. It features intricate fold-out illustrations detailing precise measurements of ancient Greek monuments. ## Why It Matters The recovery provides a rare glimpse into the early operations of the Kiama Library, which was established in 1872 with a grant of £200. The book is marked as item number 506 in a collection that originally totaled fewer than 1,000 volumes. Due to its age and the unique circumstances of its return, the library has moved the text into a special collection for restricted viewing only. ## Key Facts - The book was originally borrowed sometime during the mid-1870s. - If enforced, the accumulated late fees would total roughly AU$28,000 ($20,000 USD). - Original 19th-century borrowing rules limited households to one book unless six members were literate. - Library officials have waived all fines associated with the 150-year delay. - The library's original borrowing records from that era are no longer in existence. Source: BBC — World --- Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/overdue-book-returned-kiama-library-fireplace-discovery-cpbrd Reported from: BBC — World