King’s Hall is of major significance in the history of this National Heritage Listed building for its role as the main reception hall and central meeting place in the Provisional Parliament House. It served as the key meeting place between parliamentarians and members of the public, and was the venue for exchange of information, lobbying, and discussion of Parliamentary issues by journalists, public servants, Parliamentary staff, lobbyists, constituents and visitors.

The parquetry floor in King’s Hall was laid in 1959. It is a repeat of the timber and pattern first laid for the opening of the building in 1927. The darker timber is jarrah and the lighter timber is mountain ash. In 1959 the jarrah would have had a warm red/brown colour and the mountain ash would have been almost white. Over time, the floor has become much darker through use and the reaction between the layers of wax used to protect it and the light that pours into the Hall. Today the jarrah is dark brown, the mountain ash appears yellow and the entire floor has a high gloss finish.

To keep the floor in the best condition for as long as we can, we examined the current conservation method against other techniques. A conservation assessment determined that a water-based polyurethane finish will be the best long-term method to protect the floor. This new surface will mean that the floor won’t have to be sanded every time the protective finish needs to be reapplied, as it does at present. The result will be that the heritage flooring will last well into the future—so that many future generations of Australians will continue to enjoy it.

The new coat on the floor will look very different from now. In fact, it will look very similar to when it was originally laid in 1959.

To allow this important conservation work to happen, Kings Hall will be closed to the public from Friday 13 May until mid June.

The majority of the museum and its exhibits will remain open during this time, with the only significant change that the main reception will move from the top of the main stairs to entry via the terrace at the front of the building. Our friendly Visitor Services Officers will be there to assist visitors with questions or directions.