Robert Barr Smith

A life of Power, Passion and Philanthropy

Presented by Cheryl Hoskin, with a screening of award-winning short film, The Magic of Auchendarroch, introduced by Director Carolyn Corkindale.

A South Australia’s History Month 2024 event - presented jointly by the Friends of the University of Adelaide Library and the Friends of the State Library of South Australia.

Event details

When: Monday 27 May 2024, 6:30pm
Where: Lecture Theatre G04, Napier Building Ground Floor, University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus
Cost: $15 per person (incl GST). Students Free.
Bookings: Get tickets

Details

Robert Barr Smith (1824-1915) was a prominent businessman and entrepreneur. In 1855, he joined Elder and Company in Adelaide and became a partner in the business, which from 1863 was known as Elder Smith and Company, now Elders Limited.

Barr Smith was also a legendary philanthropist, and the Barr Smith Library is named in recognition of his founding endowment. In 1856, Barr Smith married Joanna Elder, sister of Sir Thomas Elder, and they established several stately homes - including Auchendarroch in Mount Barker. Through their homes, they influenced taste in Adelaide - especially for the work of the Arts and Crafts designer, William Morris.

"The Magic of Auchendarroch", was winner of the Best Short Documentary award at the 2021 New York International Women Festival (NIFF). The film brings together the lives of two women, Joanna Barr Smith and Michelle Wallis, who, separated by over a hundred years, are consumed with creating a nexus of beauty through the designs of William Morris.

The house was meticulously restored in 2002 by the Wallis family with the consultant direction of Adelaide architects Walter Brooke.