The House of Blue Glass

 The House of Blue Glass

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       March 25, 2026

 

Author  Alan Atkinson

Distributor:      New South Books
ISBN:                 9781761170379
Publisher:         University of New South Wales Press
Release Date:   1 March 2026  

Website:    https://newsouthbooks.com.au/books/the-house-of-blue-glass/ 

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The author, Alan Atkinson, is a Historian with post graduate degrees from four universities. He has been a Fullbright Scholar and is the author of books on Australian history. His research is detailed, with many pages of notes and a large Bibliography.

The House of Blue Glass revels the life of Penelope Lucas, but who was Penelope Lucas? To find this out, Alan has taken us back to this woman’s antecedents. Three generations previously, we learn about the family, the society they lived in and the influences that came to affect Penelope.

Born in England in 1796 she was well educated and confident. She came to meet John McArthur when he was in England. He was so impressed by her gentility and knowledge that he invited her to accompany him back to Australia. She was to be a Governess to his children. She was the first free woman to travel independently to the South Land.

It seems that Elizabeth McArthur was “Unsurprisingly upset,” when her husband arrived home from England with a young lady. We know this because hundreds of letters of Elizabeth’s still exist. Elizabeth was at a point where she was ready to seek new challenges and broaden her horizons. She and Penelope were similar ages, and after a time worked together and developed a relationship which expanded the McArthur empire as well as educating the children. Penelope learned about the Indigenous people and how the McArthur’s tried to work with them.

Now that John McArthur was home and organizing his trade venture, Penelope was given the task of managing the books as well as caring for the children. She did both jobs well. She was the backbone of the farm and family.

In later life, Penelope was granted 500 acres of crown land by Lachlan McQuarie as she was earning a steady wage. This woman defied the odds for a successful woman to own land and become a respectable citizen.

The Blue Glass in the title of this book refers to the invisible barrier by which women of that time were surrounded. It was not a glass ceiling as there was no room for movement, but an all-encompassing barrier, preventing movement in any direction at that time.

Biographies, History, Non Fiction