The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) plans were produced from the 1890s to the 1950s. They were crucial to the design and development of Melbourne's sewerage and drainage system. The plans, at a scale of 40 feet to 1 inch (1:480), provide a detailed historical record of Melbourne streetscapes and environmental features. Each plan covers one or two street blocks (roughly six streets), showing details of buildings, including garden layouts and ownership boundaries, and features such as laneways, drains, bridges, parks, municipal boundaries and other prominent landmarks as they existed at the time each plan was produced. (Source: State Library of Victoria)This plan forms part of a large group of MMBW plans and maps that was donated to the Society by the Mr Poulter, City Engineer of the City of Kew in 1989. Within this collection, thirty-five hand-coloured plans, backed with linen, are of statewide significance as they include annotations that provide details of construction materials used in buildings in the first decade of the 20th century as well as additional information about land ownership and usage. The copies in the Public Record Office Victoria and the State Library of Victoria are monochrome versions which do not denote building materials so that the maps in this collection are invaluable and unique tools for researchers and heritage consultants. A number of the plans are not held in the collection of the State Library of Victoria so they have the additional attribute of rarity.Original survey plan, issued by the MMBW to a contractor with responsibility for constructing sewers in the area identified on the plan within the Borough of Kew. The plan was at some stage hand-coloured, possibly by the contractor, but more likely by officers working in the Engineering Department of the Borough and later Town, then City of Kew. The hand-coloured sections of buildings on the plan were used to denote masonry or brick constructions (pink), weatherboard constructions (yellow), and public buildings (grey). The laborious task of hand-tinting these Board of Works plans was not without hazards as is evidenced by Plan No. 1593. On the Plan, the original colourist spilt black and green ink, partially obscuring some parts. The most obvious casualty is ‘Clifton’ located on the corner of Cotham Road and Park Street [now Adeney Avenue]. Included in this Plan, and outlined in pink is that part of the section that the contracting engineer was tasked with completing. This included sewering on both sides of this part of Cotham Road, but excluded properties such as ‘Glendonald’ and ‘Monnington’. This area was to undergo a series of subdivisions including the ‘Clifton Estate’, which created housing lots on Adeney Avenue and Florence Avenue in 1916. The most notable occupant of Clifton was William Adeney [died 1893], a pioneer of Camperdown, after which Park Street was later renamed.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, survey plans - borough of kew, mmbw 1593, cartography

Original coloured sketch.canteen, recreation room, burnley school of horticulture

Pru Sanderson, in her groundbreaking ‘City of Kew Urban Conservation Study : Volume 2 - Development History’ (1988), summarised the periods of urban development and subdivisions of land in Kew. The periods that she identified included 1845-1880, 1880-1893, 1893-1921, 1921-1933, 1933-1943, and Post-War Development. These periods were selected as they represented periods of rapid growth or decline in urban development. An obvious starting point for Sanderson’s groupings involved population growth and the associated economic cycles. These cycles also highlighted urban expansion onto land that was predominantly rural, although in other cases it represented the decline and breakup of large estates. A number of the plans in the Kew Historical Society’s collection can also be found in other collections, such as those of the State Library of Victoria and the Boroondara Library Service. A number are however unique to the collection.The Kew Historical Society collection includes almost 100 subdivision plans pertaining to suburbs of the City of Melbourne. Most of these are of Kew, Kew East or Studley Park, although a smaller number are plans of Camberwell, Deepdene, Balwyn and Hawthorn. It is believed that the majority of the plans were gifted to the Society by persons connected with the real estate firm - J. R. Mathers and McMillan, 136 Cotham Road, Kew. The Plans in the collection are rarely in pristine form, being working plans on which the agent would write notes and record lots sold and the prices of these. The subdivision plans are historically significant examples of the growth of urban Melbourne from the beginning of the 20th Century up until the 1980s. A number of the plans are double-sided and often include a photograph on the reverse. A number of the latter are by noted photographers such as J.E. Barnes.The subdivision advertised as the Golf View Estate in Camberwell included 32 allotments bordering on Glen Iris Road, Smith Street (now Smith Road), St Andries Street and Camberwell Road. In the post-war period in which the subdivision took place, the significance of Camberwell as the ‘Heathiest of Suburbs’ because of the undulating nature of its terrain and its high altitude was promoted. The sales pitch aimed at attracting and selling to ‘Gentlemen’ who could take advantage of the nearby trams, which would take them to the ‘heart of the city’.subdivision plans - camberwell, golf view estate

This plan is associated with former Ballarat School of Mines Student Richard Squire (1875-1876). Gift of the Squire FamilyA plan showing the Borough of Smythesdale, Smythesdale, Browns and Scarsdale, allotments, water reserve, Timber reserve, Nintingbool Pre-emptive Right, Reserve for public gardens, Reserve for Cricket Ground, Reserve for Reservoirsmythesdale, scarsdale, browns, yarrowee, carngham, samuel barlett, sheridan, wrigley, p. land, r. simpson, d. davis, nintingbool, mclachlan, a. mclachlan, c. taylor, w. c. smith, d. davies, w. williams, m. jones, t. mcgurk, r. selkirk, a. mooney

The Kew Historical Society collection includes almost 100 subdivision plans pertaining to suburbs of the City of Melbourne. Most of these are of Kew, Kew East or Studley Park, although a smaller number are plans of Camberwell, Deepdene, Balwyn and Hawthorn. It is believed that the majority of the plans were gifted to the Society by persons connected with the real estate firm - J. R. Mathers and McMillan, 136 Cotham Road, Kew. The Plans in the collection are rarely in pristine form, being working plans on which the agent would write notes and record lots sold and the prices of these. The subdivision plans are historically significant examples of the growth of urban Melbourne from the beginning of the 20th Century up until the 1980s. A number of the plans are double-sided and often include a photograph on the reverse. A number of the latter are by noted photographers such as J.E. Barnes.The Doona Estate subdivision of 1929 created 11 new allotments bordered by Glenferrie Road, Stonnington Place, Cross and Church Streets. On the right of the plan, the location of ‘State Govt. House’ is noted. Stonnington was to be maintained as Victoria’s Government House until 1931, two years after the Doona Estate subdivision was released.subdivision plans - toorak, doona estate

perennial border, andrew smith, geoff olive

Although undated, this plan is probably from the late 1940s or early 1950s. Around this time Port Melbourne Council were looking to built a basketball court in Lagoon reserve, and shelters and a senior citizen's clubhouse in Edwards Park. PMHPS does to believe the basketball court shown in the plan was built but the Port Melbourne Senior Citizens and Trugo Club is at the location shown on the plan. A shelter is in a similar location to the one on the plan. A children's playground existed in that location shown in a photograph from the 1930s. The round flowerbed where the paths cross in the centre of the park in not in the 1930s photograph but is a current feature of Edwards Park.Plan drawing to scale, hand coloured, of proposed improvements to Edwards Park (Trugo Green), undated possibly late 1940s or early 1950s."City of Port Melbourne"built environment - recreational facilities, parks and gardens, sport - trugo, port melbourne trugo club, edwards park

In August 1916, Walter R. Butler presented the plans for the future central Seamen's Institute.The drawings show the original plans with rooms' names and intended use. They also show the original concept for the chapel which was in the Spanish Mission style.Plan copied from the 1983 Howden and Wardrop A4 report. A large plan copy of the original is held in the MSTV archives.flinders street, mission to seamen, mission to seafarers, walter richmond butler (1864–1949), norla dome, st peter chapel, spanish mission, arts and crafts, 1916