Heritage, architectural and conservation services

The murals that line the Main Hall at Melbourne Town Hall are by renowned Australian artist Mervyn Napier Waller (1893-1972). They date from the hall’s reconstruction in 1926-28 following a fire. Waller described the murals as depicting figures ''about four times life size in keeping with the heroic scale of the Hall''. The restrained palette is a result of the nature of surfaces on which they are painted — Celotex tiles, which are made of a material called ‘bagasse’, essentially a compressed sugar cane fibre that provides acoustic qualities.

Long-term water damage had stained five of the 12 murals. Working with art conservator Artcare, in 2022 we completed conservation works to them, reversing the water damage and fixing the roof as part of wider repair works. The conservation works also involved localised plaster repairs to fibrous plaster cornices and pilasters, undertaken by Vision Ornate Plaster.

In an earlier phase of works undertaken in the mid-1990s, we investigated and documented the reinstatement of the 1920s colour scheme to the main hall, a beautifully muted scheme that supports and highlights the delicacy of the mural artwork.