The Heritage Precinct connects our community with the rich history of Brisbane Grammar School.
Visitors can explore an extensive collection of artefacts, photographs, literature, sporting awards, military honours, and interactive displays.
Three original 1881 classrooms have been thoughtfully repurposed into:
- An Archives Preparation Room
- A School Museum
- A Reading and Research Room, named in honour Stuart Stephenson, the School’s fourth Headmaster and respected historian.
Located on the ground floor of E Block at the Spring Hill Campus (near The Gun), the Heritage Precinct is open for general visits on Wednesdays, between 1.00pm – 4.00pm.
Comfortable seating throughout the space encourages visitors to pause, reflect, and share stories - honouring the contributions of our community, both in Brisbane and internationally. The Precinct is a link to our past, present, and future.
Visitors are welcome by appointment.
The Heritage Precinct is in the oldest part of the School on the ground floor of E Block, near the Gun and the Great Hall. Three original classrooms, which first opened in 1881, have been converted into an Archives preparation room, a School Museum, and a Reading and Research room.
The Archives collection includes trophies and artefacts, academic and military medals, school magazines, photographs and books, oral histories, and architectural plans. Material is recorded, restored, and used for educative purposes and prepared for display.
The Museum displays a remarkable collection of objects and print material. It is organised around the four themes of: Foundations - time and place; Honours - academic and military; Masters and Servants; and Sports and Games.
The collections here preserve the records and the intellectual history of the school. School histories, registers, school magazines, prize books, books by old boy authors and the Golden Books are all available to read. It is named after Stuart Stephenson, the School’s fourth Headmaster and great chronicler of our history.
Notable displays in the Heritage Precinct include:
- The original fireplace - not long ago dusty and full of debris - is now a splendid mantelpiece for dug up antiquities like an original Angus and Co. 1920 school ink bottle. It sits quaintly beneath a large screen which cycles through a sequence of poignant images, starting with an illustration of the first ever BGS site at Roma Street, 1869.
- The School Registers: (notably the heftiest books in the room) containing handwritten notes from the Headmasters about each student from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
- The ‘Our Place’ map: a unique visual representation of the Indigenous history of Spring Hill by proud Gunditjmara woman, Kaitlyn Boyer, and the bespoke essay that complements it, written by Old Boy and Jagera man Professor Benny Wilson, alongside Dr Ray Kerkhove.
The Museum is open is open for general visits on Wednesdays, between 1.00pm and 4.00pm. and at other times by appointment. Research enquiries are welcome.
Brisbane Grammar School is committed to retaining, preserving, and expanding the School’s collection. This will ensure the Archives remain a valuable and relevant resource for the school community of Old Boys, their families, and current and future generations of students and staff. Offers of donations to the collection are always welcome.
For all enquiries, please contact the School Historian and Archivist
The map and essay are some of the most important assets of the room, recognising that the history of the land goes back way beyond BGS and is absolutely imperative to acknowledge. It is a really special addition.
Chris Price, School Historian and Archivist
