The Library’s 2022 Preserving Marvellous Melbourne Appeal raised funds to conserve architect William Butterfield’s original architectural drawings of St. Paul’s Cathedral. In 2026, this conservation work was completed.

To celebrate, we invited Library Cultural Members and donors to join us for an in-depth presentation on our largest ever conservation project.

Butterfield’s drawings were to-scale – some up to 6 metres long – and were provided as plans for local builders as they brought Butterfield's distinctive Gothic Revival designs to life. The collection is made up of 154 drawings, with the earliest design delivered in 1878. When the Library received them they were in a perilously fragile state and in urgent need to conservation work.

Enjoy presentations from Conservation Manager, Marika Kocsis, and Digital Production Manager, Anne-Marie De Boni, as they take you on a behind-the-scenes journey to learn how a collection of this magnitude is conserved, digitised and safeguarded for future generations.

Originally presented on 23 April 2026 in the State Library Victoria Theatrette. 

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