The Blue Mountains' oldest guesthouse
Explore
a masterpiece of late Victorian architecture and discover for yourself why Balmoral House is
so important to the history of Katoomba and the Blue Mountains.
 If you are fascinated by late 19th century period architecture, this is truly a house worth visiting for its treasure-trove
of internal and external ornamentation and interior design.
Original corrugated iron, bull-nosed roofs to the ornate iron lacework (designed for the house by AT Rees in
1883) to the original chimneys, fretwork, bargeboards and facia and intricate joinery. Balmoral House is the last surviving
example of this style of Victorian guesthouse still to be seen in Katoomba.
If your tastes run more to the interior design of such a splendid mansion, you will not be disappointed. Inside you will
find ornaments, photographs, carved mantels, convict brickwork and even an original wood-fired stove used by one of the former
owners at the turn of the last century.
 The rooms are painted
in traditional late-Victorian colours and the walls are adorned with a curious mixture of colour and monochrome photographs,
framed watercolours, oils and printed posters; winged cherubs perch on the ornate mirrors.
As you wander the hallways, you may sense the friendly presence of Molly, a young girl who lived in the house in the 1920s. Her spirit rarely appears when people are around. But if you do happen to catch her, there's no need to be frightened. She leaves a lingering sensation of calm and joy throughout the house.
In winter, there's always a fire roaring in the vast marble fireplace in the dining room and in the smaller, tiled fireplaces
of the parlour and bar. In summer, the height of the ceilings helps keep the rooms comfortably cool.
Browse through a complete set of the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica for a fascinating glimpse of the world before World
War I. Marvel at the amazing "futuristic photograph" of Sydney created early last century.
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