Education has changed a lot over the years and, in 1888, a good education was all about observation or ‘learning by looking’. That was the year instructor John Lyon Gardiner built his double helix staircase model and took that idea to the next level.
It’s probably a bit difficult to see the size of the object on screen, so it should be emphasised that Gardiner’s double helix staircase is not your average small-scale model. It is actually a full-size staircase – 2.73 metres in height to be exact, although the way the two sets of stairs wrap tightly around the central column means there’s no head room to be able to climb up.
Instead, the purpose of the model was to demonstrate the principles of stair construction to Gardiner’s evening classes in carpentry and joinery at the Sydney Technical College. This also explains a couple aesthetic differences between the two sets of stairs. For example, the underside of one has a smooth surface constructed from a series of planks whereas the underside of the other has panelling. You can see this in the photos on the left and right.
As well as being an impressive feat of engineering, the double helix staircase model also has some pretty significant connections to place. The Sydney Technical College was located right next door to the Sydney Technological Museum, which was home to the Powerhouse Museum between 1893 and 1988. The Sydney Technological Museum was where objects like this staircase model were displayed to teach lessons at the Technical College that ranged from veterinary science and geology to more mundane things like house painting and sign writing. In addition to sitting in the Sydney Technological Museum, the staircase featured in the Centennial International Exhibition Melbourne in 1888.
The staircase model is also one example of the role the Sydney Technological Museum played in showcasing the use of local timber in commercial applications. Specifically, this object is constructed from cedar, a sample of which is visible among other local timbers in a photograph of a room at the museum on the right.
More than a structure, the double helix staircase model tells a narrative of innovation, education, and heritage. It stands as a symbol of the methods of learning of a past era and the elevation of trade skills to an art form, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire to this day.
