Ayers House is named after its original owner Sir Henry Ayers, distinguished politician, financier and Premier of South Australia, who lived in the house with his family during the latter half of the 19th Century. Originally it was quite simply known as "288 North Terrace".
Constructed of local bluestone, the house is attributed to the work of colonial architect Sir George Strickland Kingston. Built on the site of a small cottage, the house evolved in several stages from a nine-roomed brick house built by William Paxton, a chemist and early Adelaide entrepreneur who returned to England in 1855. At that time he leased the property to Henry Ayers, a fellow businessman poised to become one of the colony's most wealthy and influential politicians and businessmen. From 1855 to 1897, when Sir Henry died, the house was central to Ayers' family life and entertainment for Adelaide's social and political scene.
Ayers House is a prime example of colonial architecture and contains many important decorative features. Of major interest are the ornate painted finishes and examples of trompe l'oeil on the walls and ceilings of all rooms, the large reception rooms designed for entertaining and the external symmetry of the house with its two matching bow windows.
Today, Ayers House Museum is managed by the National Trust of South Australia. It houses a large collection of antique furniture, silver, paintings and costume, mostly dating from the nineteenth century, and corresponding to the period of Henry Ayers' occupancy of the house. Although the Museum holds several items in the collection which were owned by Sir Henry Ayers, the majority of it has been brought together to create an accurate representation of the time, reflecting the lifestyle led by members of Adelaide's wealthy upper-middle class.
Ayers House provides an important illustration of the life lived by both the wealthy and servant classes in nineteenth century Adelaide. The reception rooms display the necessity of entertaining on a grand scale for those in prominent positions. A kitchen has been recreated in the old basement of Ayers House and portrays the work of the female servants of the house.
