A 150-Year Delinquency: The Architectural Relic That Survived by Being Stolen

Public libraries operate on a foundation of trust, a social contract routinely broken by patrons who misplace paperbacks. Yet, there is a certain grandeur in a theft that spans centuries. A copy of 'Antiquities of Athens' has finally found its way back to the municipal library in Kiama, a coastal town south of Sydney, a mere century and a half after its due date. The borrower, having long since escaped the jurisdiction of local librarians, left his descendants to face the music.

The culprit was likely John Simmons, an immigrant who traded the damp scaffolding of London for the colonial prospects of Australia. Having apprenticed as a stonemason on the Houses of Parliament between 1839 and 1844, Simmons arrived in New South Wales in 1857. By the time he settled in Kiama to oversee the construction of a local sandstone church, he evidently required reference material. Rather than purchase his own architectural texts, he indefinitely borrowed the town's copy of 'Antiquities of Athens'. The volume, catalogued as number 506 from the library's initial 1872 collection, featured precise measurements of Greek monuments across fold-out pages—presumably vital intelligence for a 19th-century builder.

For decades, the purloined cloth-bound volume sat in a tea chest behind a boarded-up fireplace, surviving alongside other family records. Unearthed during renovations some three decades ago, it was handed down to Ross Simmons, the architect's great-grandson. It took another thirty years for the 77-year-old to actually open the cover, revealing the original Kiama Library stamp and a rather stringent set of 19th-century borrowing conditions. These rules stipulated a strict quota of one book per member, permitted three only if a household contained six literate residents, and explicitly barred intoxicated individuals from the premises.

The financial penalty for this prolonged delinquency was theoretically severe. At a historical rate of three pence per week, the accumulated fine amounted to £97. Adjusted for inflation, local authorities calculated the debt at roughly AU$28,000. Unsurprisingly, the Kiama Council opted for clemency, waiving the astronomical fee. According to local libraries manager Michelle Hudson, the volume is now restricted to a special collection, accessible only upon request. Hudson confirmed the book is permanently retired from circulation, citing a distinct lack of institutional patience to endure another 150-year borrowing period.

The recovered text, slightly water-damaged but remarkably intact, has transformed from a practical builder's manual into a municipal curiosity. Patrons are reportedly travelling considerable distances simply to view the relic. One might argue that the elder Simmons did the library a favour. Had the book remained in circulation, it would likely have been discarded or destroyed decades ago. Instead, an act of petty 19th-century larceny perfectly preserved a piece of local history, proving that occasionally, the best way to protect public property is to steal it.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com