Immerse yourself in the history and luxury that make Como Melbourne’s most glamorous stately home.
Built in 1847, Como House and Garden is an intriguing mix of Australian Regency and classic Italianate architecture.
Como offers a glimpse into the privileged lifestyle of former owners, the Armytage family, who lived there for nearly a century.
The Armytages became famous amongst Melbourne high society and equally famous for their many elegant dances, dinners and receptions. Those elegant dining and reception rooms are still furnished with Armytage family heirlooms and even the servant’s areas, kitchen and laundry have been preserved.
Como House
Guided tours of the house operate on Wednesdays (2pm only), Fridays (2pm only), and Saturdays and Sundays (11am, 12.30pm and 2pm).
Join us for a guided tour of the house for a glimpse into the opulent lifestyles of former owners, including the Armytage family, who lived there for over a century. Famous among Melbourne high society for its elegant dances, dinners and receptions, the Armytage home remains furnished with original family heirlooms.
Book a guided tour of Como House.
Como Gardens
The gardens at Como are open from Monday to Saturday 9am – 5pm and Sunday 10am – 5pm.
Paul Bangay Garden
The Como perennial border has undergone rejuvenation works. Renowned designer and Como Ambassador Paul Bangay has worked with the National Trusts’ garden team and designed an interpretation of a classic perennial border, befitting a garden of the scale and significance of Como. Paul’s design comprises over 900 plants and draws on varieties listed in Willaim Sangster’s 1862 diary notes of plants growing at Como during Sangster’s time as head gardener. The design was implemented by the National Trust’s garden team and Como garden volunteer group.
The Stables of Como
Open Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 10 am to 5pm.
Make a reservation for The Stables of Como.
The Stables will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. They will open on New Year’s Day from 10am.
Como Shop & Gallery
Open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
National Trust Bookshop
The National Trust Bookshop has a carefully curated collection of quality secondhand books. Shop from a variety of genres including Australian art, history, furniture and gardening books, whether you are an ardent bibliophile with an eye for rare books or just an avid reader.
Learn more about the National Trust Bookshop.
Upcoming Events
Artist in Residence Clare Whitney
Showing until 31 March 2023
Clare Whitney is a full-time professional artist living and working from her home studio in Melbourne’s Northern suburbs. As a painter and print-maker, Clare’s passion for colour and illustration crosses over many different mediums. Practising her art form of oil on canvas to traditional etchings, it was an easy move to push the boundaries of mark making onto found ceramic forms.
Formally studying Fine Art at Melbourne’s RMIT (1993), where she majored in Painting and Printmaking, Clare’s etchings and hand painted ceramics have been widely exhibited from the National Gallery of Australia to The Melbourne Museum, an extensive private collection of etchings can be seen at Melbourne’s RACV clubs and Canberra’s famous Ovolo Art (Nishi) Hotel.
Clare’s paintings are well sort after for private collections and commissions for interior styling. Having lived and worked throughout Australia and abroad, Clare’s work expresses a freedom of interpretation using colour and forms found in nature to capture colourful landscapes open to your own interpretation.
See Clare’s work on display at the Como Shop & Gallery until 31 March 2023, Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
Shoes – Footsteps in the House of Discovery
February 3rd to April 23rd 2023
An activation featuring selected shoes from the National Trust collection of historical fashion, as well as footwear-related decorative arts and idiosyncratic curios.
The experience will be a dreamscape of installations in the rooms of Como House & Garden, South Yarra, Melbourne. This work is part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program.
Shoes – Footsteps in the House of Discovery Curator Talk
Dates: Sunday 12 February & Sunday 2 April at 10.30am & 12.30pm
Learn about the Trust’s collection of strange and wonderful shoes with Senior Curator Elizabeth Anya-Petrivna in the fabulous Ballroom at Como House.
This talk runs for approximately 45 minutes with time for questions at the end.
Purchase Tickets to the Footsteps in the House of Discovery Curator Talk
Catwalk Masters: A Claringbold & Weymouth Retrospective
4th March 2023
This show, facilitated by Tom McEvoy, will take place in the Como House and Gardens Ballroom and will offer a deep dive into the fashion legacy of John Claringbold & Ross Weymouth.
Discover the fascinating fashion legacy of John Claringbold and Ross Weymouth at CATWALK MASTERS – A Retrospective Exhibition. Join us at the National Trust’s Como House and Gardens Ballroom for an intimate, storytelling experience featuring a curated selection of significant vintage garments from the award-winning and at times controversial designers’ archives.
