St John’s Schoolhouse Museum

During the 2022 ACT Heritage Festival the Schoolhouse will be participating in “Kids’ Week” from 18-22 May. It will be open daily in that week, from 10-4 pm. For more details of our planned activity, see the official festival program.

St John’s Schoolhouse was Canberra’s first school and school master’s residence. It opened in 1845, to provide elementary education for children from the Campbell estate of Duntroon and surrounding farms. Many family names of former pupils can be seen on gravestones in St John’s Churchyard.

In 1907 the School was closed, and the building was facing demolition. Fortunately, the historic little structure was rescued from this fate. In 1969 the restored Schoolhouse was re-opened as a museum of Canberra’s early history and education. St John’s Schoolhouse Museum is proud of its 52-year service to the community as one of Canberra’s first museums.

The Schoolhouse displays and early photographs of the district enable visitors to imagine the very different scene world of rural Canberra before it became the Federal Capital. They can also sit at an old desk, write on a slate, or play old-fashioned games.