The Tooth & Co collection, a historical archive of one of Australia’s most prominent brewing and hospitality companies, has been officially inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register.

Housed at the Noel Butlin Archives Centre at The Australian National University (ANU) Archives and the Powerhouse Museum, the collection was acknowledged as “an outstanding representation of the major Australian industry of brewing and hotels” at the 2025 Inscription Ceremony held at ANU by the Australian National Commission for UNESCO on 27 March.

Established in 1835, Tooth & Co was one of the largest beer brewing and hotel companies in Australia during the 19th and 20th centuries. The archival collection held by ANU Archives and Powerhouse documents details of Tooth & Co’s business and trade activities, presenting the company’s business operations, hotel management, architecture, and design, marketing and advertising.

The collection also shows changes of towns and cities, trends in architectural design and commercial art, the shifting attitudes toward alcohol consumption, and the diverse roles of women in business in Australia.

The inscription of the collection recognises its significance in documenting Australia’s social, cultural, and industrial history, and celebrates its complete accessibility for public research.

“The Tooth & Company collection is one of our most widely used,” said Abbey Turrell, archivist at ANU. 

“Professional historians, first-time family history researchers, heritage consultants and hotel owners have all consulted this collection.

“It is one of the most visually appealing collections with a range of photographs, architectural plans and advertising ephemera.”

Kathryn Dan, ANU University Archivist, said the ANU Archives is honoured to have another collection inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register.

“The Tooth & Co collection tells the story of business, regional communities, architecture and society in Australia that connects with many Australian communities - it is critical that we preserve it," she said.

“We hope this inscription attracts more researchers to use the extensive archives of Australian businesses and trade unions held at ANU Archives in their work.”

Roxanne Missingham, former University Librarian and Chief Scholarly Information Office at ANU, welcomed all newly inscribed archives at the ceremony.

“The stories inscribed through the work of Australian Memory of the World Register are important for preserving the past that have shaped our national identity and helped people understand diversity and all aspects of life in Australia.”

The UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Program, founded in 2000, is part of a worldwide system of registers under the auspices of the UNESCO Memory of the World Program. It honours documentary heritage of significance for Australia and the world and encourages its preservation.

The inscription of the Tooth & Co collection marks the fourth inclusion of the ANU Archives collections on the Register, after the Australian Agricultural Company Archives in 2003, the Minute Books of Pre-Federation Australian Trade Unions in 2011, and the Collections of Professor Frank Fenner AC FAA FRS (1914-2010) in 2019.

Another archival collection from ANU, the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (or ‘Pambu’) collection, has also been inscribed on the Register this year.

To browse the Tooth & Co collection online, visit the ANU Archives website here.