Urrbrae House left to Adelaide University by Peter/Matilda Waite; a museum within campus of agriculture research

Urrbrae House in Adelaide's southern suburbs foothills featured interior decorations designed by Aldam Heaton, a contemporary of William Morris. Aldam Heaton & Co. would go on to design much of the interior of the Titanic. Urrbrae House was its only commission in Australia.

Urrbrae House, the two-storey bluestone mansion, completed in 1891 as the home of Peter and Matilda Waite, became a working museum and used for events by University of Adelaide that received the property as a bequest from the Waites in 1923.

Urrbrae House, in Adelaide southern suburbs, became part of the Waite historic precinct incorporating the internationally renowned Waite arboretum and conservation reserve.

Waites’ Urrbrae House replaced a large single-storey home believed to have been built about 1850 by Robert Forsyth Macgeorge on land her bought in 1846 and called  "Urrbrae". "Urr" was after his home parish in Scotland and "brae" denoting a slope or hillside especially near a creek or river.

The land, unsubdivided since 1839, was bought by South Australian pastoralist Peter Waite in the mid 1870s with help from another pastoralist Thomas Elder. Waite and his family moved in 1877 into the new version of Urrbrae House, designed by C. H. Marryat and E. J. Woods. It was built by Nicholas W. Trudgen and the interior decorations designed by Aldam Heaton, a contemporary of William Morris. After the death of its founder in 1897, Aldam Heaton & Co. would go on to design much of the interior of the Titanic. Urrbrae House was its only commission in Australia.

The main hall was the formal reception area of Urrbrae House It features the original ceiling papers designed by English designer Aldam Heaton, and ornate woodwork in cedar and blackwood.

Musicians would perform to guests from the impressive minstrels' gallery. This space was also used as a small picture gallery during the Waite era (1892-1922). The fireplace and in-built clock were original features in the hall, while the wooden bench seat belonged to the Waite family.

The ballroom and adjacent lounge/supper room (now School Room) were on the lower level of Urrbrae House. These rooms were designed to receive natural light from abundant windows and have easy access to the lower verandah.

During Adelaide's hot summers, Peter Waite and his family often moved into the ballroom to escape the worst of the heat. The large mirror and mantlepiece are the only remaining original features. In the 1970s and 1980s the room was used for a Waite Institute student cafeteria/refectory.

In 1996, the ballroom was renovated and until 1999 housed the National Textile Museum of Australia. From 2000 onwards, the space was used for events and concerts. In 2014, benefactor Margaret Neate donated a Yamaha grand piano for the ballroom to enable a wider range of concerts in the house. The ballroom was also redecorated to recapture some of its past grandeur. In 2016, the Friends of Urrbrae House funded the five crystal chandeliers to be reintstaed in the room.

For the most part, Urrbrae House became a working museum and for University of Adelaide events,