Sir Henry Parkes Memorial School Of Arts Tenterfield

Sir Henry Parkes "The Father of Federation" stood on the site that would become The National Trust's first museum where in October, 1889 he delivered a speech that in the words of Sir Robert Garran; "turned a vague ideal into a practical working program for Federation". The property not only stands to commemorate the memory of one of Australia's great statesmen but to provide a centre of interest to perpetuate the meaning and purpose of Federation. The property itself was founded as a working man's institute in the 1870s. Its lifetime and associated events have earned it the title as 'birthplace of the nation'. Architecturally the School of Arts is a prominent building reflecting the society and era, comprising of many styles ranging from its gothic outline to the Edwardian addition of 1913.