Ordsall was originally built for John Halfey, second Chairman of Kew, and sold after his death to the Carnegie family who renamed it ‘South Esk'. The Carnegie family mounted a defence of their property when the City of Kew sought to compulsorily acquire it as the site for a new town hall in the 1930s. The house and land were later acquired by Council in 1947 and demolished in 1970. The present Kew Library and the former Council Offices (now owned by Trinity Grammar) are located on the site.One of the earliest photographs of 'Southesk' and its gardens. The house was of statewide significance because of its historical association with John Halfey. It was artistically significant due to its elaborate interiors, decorated by Cullis Hill & Co in the 1880s. Sepia photograph mounted on brown card of "Southesk' (formerly known as 'Ordsall'). The single-storey Italianate facade of the house can be seen surrounded by an extensive garden. The point-of-view of the camera is from Cotham Road.david carnegie, john halfey, southesk - south esk - ordsall

Colour enlargement of a photograph (slide) of Southesk (formerly Ordsall) in Cotham Road, Kew (demolished 1970).Colour photograph of the front lawn and façade of ‘Southesk’ (formerly ‘Ordsall’, built for John Halfey in 1882). The house was located on the corner of Cotham Road and Charles Street, Kew. The Italianate mansion was built in the Renaissance villa style on a bluestone plinth. Two balustrades surrounded the parapet of the roof and ran between the groups of pillars on either side of the entrance porch. The verandah was tiled and wide and Corinthian columns supported its roof. When the house passed into the hands of the City of Kew in 1948, the landscaping and formal flower beds were removed and replaced by lawns.The house was demolished in 1970.david carnegie, john halfey, southesk - cotham road - kew (vic), ordsall - cotham road - kew (vic)

Colour enlargement of a photograph (slide) of Southesk (formerly Ordsall) in Cotham Road, Kew (demolished 1970).The ceilings of and architraves of Ordsall were painted by artists employed by the decorating company, Cullis Hill & Co. The frescos, of which fragments survive, were some of the most important murals used as elements of interior decoration in Melbourne during the Boom Period of the 1880s. These photographs were taken immediately prior to the demolition of the house, and are the best examples of the murals.The most significant decorative aspects of Southesk (formerly ‘Ordsall’) were the murals in the front two rooms. An article in the Melbourne Argus in 1882 records that Mr Vandenbrandt and Signor Rizzi created these under the supervision of Cullis Hill. This fresco from the ceiling of the drawingroom was described by the reporter as ‘done in the quaint old 14th century style … The second panel represents a hawking party. The ladies hold aloft the natural perches for their falcons. The men, seated in picturesque variety of attitude, hold their cross-bows, and a boy is relieving a heron from an arrow which has pierced its bosom.’david carnegie, john halfey, southesk - cotham road - kew (vic), ordsall - cotham road - kew (vic)

Colour enlargement of a photograph (slide) of Southesk (formerly Ordsall) in Cotham Road, Kew (demolished 1970).A colour photograph of the façade of ‘Southesk’ taken at an oblique angle. Formerly known as ‘Ordsall’, the house was built for John Halfey in 1882 on the corner of Cotham Road and Charles Street. The Italianate mansion was built in the Renaissance villa style on a bluestone plinth. Two balustrades surrounded the parapet of the roof and ran between the groups of pillars on either side of the entrance porch. The verandah was tiled and wide and Corinthian columns supported its roof. When the house passed into the hands of the City of Kew in 1948, the Council used it for a kindergarten, an elderly citizen centre and as a home for the Leo Baeck Centre. The house was demolished in 1970.david carnegie, john halfey, southesk - cotham road - kew (vic), ordsall - cotham road - kew (vic)

Colour enlargement of a photograph (slide) of Southesk (formerly Ordsall) in Cotham Road, Kew (demolished 1970).A colour photograph of the façade of ‘Southesk’ taken at an oblique angle. Formerly known as ‘Ordsall’, the house was built for John Halfey in 1882 on the corner of Cotham Road and Charles Street. The Italianate mansion was built in the Renaissance villa style on a bluestone plinth. Two balustrades surrounded the parapet of the roof and ran between the groups of pillars on either side of the entrance porch. The verandah was tiled and wide and Corinthian columns supported its roof. When the house passed into the hands of the City of Kew in 1948, the Council used it for a kindergarten, an elderly citizen centre and as a home for the Leo Baeck Centre. The house was demolished in 1970.david carnegie, john halfey, southesk - cotham road - kew (vic), ordsall - cotham road - kew (vic)

Colour enlargement of a photograph (slide) of Southesk (formerly Ordsall) in Cotham Road, Kew (demolished 1970).The ceilings of and architraves of Ordsall were painted by artists employed by the decorating company, Cullis Hill & Co. The frescos, of which fragments survive, were some of the most important murals used as elements of interior decoration in Melbourne during the Boom Period of the 1880s. These photographs were taken immediately prior to the demolition of the house, and are the best examples of the murals.Notwithstanding its grand Italianate façade, the most important aspect of Southesk (formerly ‘Ordsall’) were the murals in the front two rooms. An article in the Melbourne Argus in 1882 records that Mr Vandenbrandt and Signor Rizzi created these under the supervision of Cullis Hill. This fresco from the ceiling of the ballroom depicts ‘Night, represented by a female figure in a diaphanous garment, skirted with flowers, wafted before the approaching dawn into space illuminated by the moonlight, and peopled by the fairies, is a striking picture. Flying with her are an attendant Cupid bearing an artificial light, and a tired little votary of Bacchus with a reversed wine-pitcher and goblet’.david carnegie, john halfey, southesk - cotham road - kew (vic), ordsall - cotham road - kew (vic)

Colour enlargement of a photograph (slide) of Southesk (formerly Ordsall) in Cotham Road, Kew (demolished 1970).The ceilings of and architraves of Ordsall were painted by artists employed by the decorating company, Cullis Hill & Co. The frescos, of which fragments survive, were some of the most important murals used as elements of interior decoration in Melbourne during the Boom Period of the 1880s. These photographs were taken immediately prior to the demolition of the house, and are the best examples of the murals.The most significant decorative aspects of Southesk (formerly ‘Ordsall’) were the murals in the front two rooms. An article in the Melbourne Argus in 1882 records that Mr Vandenbrandt and Signor Rizzi created these under the supervision of Cullis Hill. This fresco from the ceiling of the drawingroom was described by the reporter as ‘done in the quaint old 14th century style’. This section depicts ‘out-door sports. The fishing-lines of the jester and the almoner have become entangled, and a large wolf-dog seems disposed to arbitrate in the difficulty, while a party of young men and maidens are angling, feeding swans, or training hawks for a future day’s sport.’david carnegie, john halfey, southesk - cotham road - kew (vic), ordsall - cotham road - kew (vic)

Colour enlargement of a photograph (slide) of Southesk (formerly Ordsall) in Cotham Road, Kew (demolished 1970).The ceilings of and architraves of Ordsall were painted by artists employed by the decorating company, Cullis Hill & Co. The frescos, of which fragments survive, were some of the most important murals used as elements of interior decoration in Melbourne during the Boom Period of the 1880s. These photographs were taken immediately prior to the demolition of the house, and are the best examples of the murals.The most significant decorative aspects of Southesk (formerly ‘Ordsall’) were the murals in the front two rooms. An article in the Melbourne Argus in 1882 records that Mr Vandenbrandt and Signor Rizzi created these under the supervision of Cullis Hill. This fresco from the ceiling of the ballroom is believed to depict ‘Africa’. The article records that: ‘Notwithstanding the large size of the drawings they are often marked by delicate touches, and a minuteness of detail in evident sympathy with nature. The figures have grace, life and animation and the skillful shading of the colours used — chiefly amber, gold, light blue, green, light fawn and brown – is in harmony with the quiet tone of the general furnishing of the rooms.’david carnegie, john halfey, southesk - cotham road - kew (vic), ordsall - cotham road - kew (vic)

John Halfey (1825-89) was born in Southport, Lancashire and migrated to Victoria in 1852. After finding gold at Sandhurst, and representing the latter in the Victorian Parliament, he moved to Melbourne to engage in various commercial pursuits, including directorships of insurance, mining and banking companies. A resident of Kew from the late 1850s, he was known for the hospitality provided at his house Ordsall (later Southesk) in Cotham Road. On 14 December 1860, Halfey chaired a public meeting calling for separation from the Boroondara Roads Board, which led, four days later, to the proclamation of Kew as a separate municipality. He was elected to the Council in 1861, replacing Cr. Oswin, and subsequently served as the second Chairman of the Municipality in 1862-1863. John Halfey became a trustee of Holy Trinity Church in Bulleen Road (now High Street) in 1862. He was to resign from Council after four years in 1865. Twenty-four years later in January 1889, he died aged 63 from a seizure, at his rooms at the Herald Office. He was interred in the Boroondara General Cemetery where his monument is the tallest in the Cemetery. Donated by Eileen Grigg, 2017Small, full-length portrait of John Halfey in an original gilded frame. The artist depicts him formally dressed in a frock coat beside an open window. He is shown holding a document or perhaps a pair of gloves. The painting is badly damaged with a hole in the area of his face that has been patched and repainted.john halfey, ordsall, chairman of kew, boroondara roads board, municipality of kew

Sydney Joy (joy) Stewart (1925-2018) was a founding member of the Kew Historical Society, and during the 1970s its secretary. During her residence in Kew, she completed numerous property illustrations on commission. These ranged from preliminary sketches, including architectural details to finished pen & ink and wash illustrations on paper. On moving to Queensland, Joy Stewart donated the remaining property illustrations in her possession to the Kew Historical Society. In 1987-88, she fulfilled a commission by the Society of designs for a series of embroideries completed by residents during the Australian Bicentennial commemorations.Joy Stewart was born in Melbourne 1925. She studied at Swinburne Technical College Art School from 1941-1945, then the National Gallery Art School 1946-1948. Her career included employment positions as a display artist, designer/painter, gallery assistant, and art teacher. Joy relocated to Cairns in 1981. Solo exhibitions in Melbourne and Cairns, including 'Done By Me' at Cairns Regional Gallery in 1999. Group exhibitions at Cairns Regional Gallery, 'The Fish John West Regrets, 1993' and 'Facets of Life' 1994.Watercolour, pen & Ink on Paper by the artist and local historian Joy Stewart of 'Southesk' (demolished), Cotham Road, Kew. Inscription: "Southesk." Signed lower right: "JStewart"southesk, ordsall

Colour transparency (slide) created in June 1976 during a tour by the Junior National Trust, which was led by members of Kew Historical Society. The collection of 21 slides reveals that the tour covered all parts of Kew, but focused understandably on heritage buildings and sites.Image of an historic place in Kew that can be dated to an exact time and place. The images, albeit amateurish in composition, frequently reveal aspects of important buildings and sites that have changed over time.35mm colour transparency of the new civic offices on the corner of Cotham Road and Charles Street, Kew which also housed the council chamber. The building was opened in 1972 on the site of the former Italianate Villa, Southesk (formerly Ordsall)civic offices -- kew (vic.), municipal offices -- kew (vic.), cotham road, charles street

Sydney Joy (joy) Stewart (1925-2018) was a founding member of the Kew Historical Society, and during the 1970s its secretary. During her residence in Kew, she completed numerous property illustrations on commission. These ranged from preliminary sketches, including architectural details to finished pen & ink and wash illustrations on paper. On moving to Queensland, Joy Stewart donated the remaining property illustrations in her possession to the Kew Historical Society. In 1987-88, she fulfilled a commission by the Society of designs for a series of embroideries completed by residents during the Australian Bicentennial commemorations.Sydney Joy (Joy) Stewart was born in Melbourne 1925. She studied at Swinburne Technical College Art School from 1941-1945, then the National Gallery Art School 1946-1948. Her career included employment positions as a display artist, designer/painter, gallery assistant, and art teacher. Joy relocated to Cairns in 1981. Solo exhibitions in Melbourne and Cairns, including 'Done By Me' at Cairns Regional Gallery in 1999. Group exhibitions at Cairns Regional Gallery, 'The Fish John West Regrets, 1993' and 'Facets of Life' 1994. Joy Stewart died in Cairns in 2018.Pencil, pen & Ink sketch on paper of 'Southesk' (demolished) in Cotham Road, Kew by the artist Joy Stewart. To see the image at the next stage as an image created with watercolour, pen and ink on paper, see 1980.0013.Inscription: "Southesk". Signed lower right: "JStewart". c.1978ordsall, cotham road (kew), southesk

Ordsall, renamed Southesk in the 20th century was built for John Halfey in or before 1865. The house was rebuilt in the 1870s to designs by architect Michael Hennessy. In 1882 the house was redecorated by the firm of Culls Hill & Co., who hired the artists 'Mr Vandenbrandt' and 'Signor Rizzi" to paint the ceilings of the ballroom and the drawingroom. The artistic triumph was described in detail in The Argus, 30 October, 1882. In 1947, Southesk was purchased by the Kew City Council. For 23 years it was used as a meeting place for community groups. The house was then demolished in 1970 to make way for a new Town Hall.This is the earliest known photograph of Ordsall / South Esk, a significant mansion in Kew, built for John Halfey and now demolishedMembers of the Kew Congregational Church in front of one of the verandas of Southesk, circa 1900.congregational church - kew (vic), south esk - south esk - ordsall - kew (vic)

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). Development in the 20th century has irreparably altered that part of Kew represented in this plan. In the block bounded by Cotham Road, Charles Street, Wellington Street and Gellibrand; just one house standing in 1903 remains. This block included two of the most historic houses in Kew: ‘Ordsall’ (later ‘Southesk’) and ‘Madford’ (previously ‘Elm Lodge’). Ordsall was the home of the second chairman of Kew, John Halfey. It contained some of the most significant interior murals in Kew, created for Halfey by artists working for Cullen & Co. It was demolished in 1960 to make way for the Kew Civic Centre. Elm Lodge had been built for William Siddeley in ca. 1864. Arthur Septimus King purchased it in 1874. The lower paddocks of Madford were sold in 1905 by his wife to the Borough of Kew and, after landscaping by George and Thomas Pockett, opened as the Alexandra Gardens in 1908. Elm Lodge/Madford was in 1922 to become St. Anthony’s Home for Little Children before its subsequent demolition in the 1980s.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, maps - borough of kew, mmbw 1576, cartography

The Kew Civic Centre (A K Lines, MacFarlane & Marshall, 1972) was built next to the Kew Civic Hall (A C Leith & Bartlett, 1960) on the site of the former mansion Ordsall (later renamed South Esk). Whereas the entrance to the Civic Hall was positioned off Civic Drive, the main entrance to the Civic Centre faced Cotham Road, as shown in the undated perspective drawing of the proposed building. The Civic Hall was used for public functions and performances, while the Civic Centre was used for civic offices. It also contained the Council Chamber. The building opened in 1972, following the relocation of the councillors and council officers from the former Town Hall in Walpole Street (now a Woolworth's supermarket). Following the amalgamation of the former City of Kew into the City of Boroondara in 1994, the Civic Centre was sold to Trinity Grammar School. The exterior of the Centre has been modified by Trinity Grammar.A report for Heritage Victoria (date) describes how two architectural firms dominated the designs for new civic buildings in Victoria during the post war period. The report claims that: "An interesting sub-theme in the erection of post-war municipal offices in Victoria is that a considerable proportion were designed by the same three or four Melbourne-based architectural firms, who established themselves as the leading specialists in this type of work. The two most prolific firms in this regard were A K Lines, MacFarlane & Marshall, and A C Leith & Bartlett; both, in fact, had made names for themselves as designers of local government offices prior to the Second World War. Lines' office, for example had designed the Eltham Shire Offices in 1941, while Leith's firm had been responsible for the celebrated Heidelberg Town Hall in 1937). Both practices parleyed this early experience into a lucrative post-war career, designing numerous municipals offices well into the 1970s." (Survey of Post-War Built Heritage in Victoria, Built Heritage Pty Ltd, 2010.) The perspective drawing importantly captures the original design and function of the exterior of the building and its public entrance.Hand-coloured perspective sketch of the new Kew Civic Centre, completed in 1972 to designs by A K Lines, MacFarlane & Marshall; and located on the corner of Charles Street and Cotham Road, Kew. The sketch represents the front elevation of the building and its relation to the preexisting Kew Civic Hall at right. The three storey building features strong vertical concrete buttresses that extend across the three levels. KEW CIVIC CENTRE / A K LINES, MACFARLANE & MARSHALLkew civic centre, a.k. lines, macfarlane & marshall, architectural drawings, civic buildings -- kew (vic.), town hall -- kew (vic)

One of three scrapbooks of photographs and newspaper cuttings taken and or collected by Eva Grant, a past member of the Kew Historical Society, which were donated by her niece, Julie Thomson. The albums include many photographs of Kew from the 1950s to the 1970s. Buildings included in the scrapbook include: Billy Hughes' house - 167 Cotham Road Congregational Church - Walpole Street (c.1978) Country Roads Board - Denmark Street (1960) Dorothy Rogers Reserve - Studley Park Road Ellsmere (also Ellesmere/Ellsmore) - Princess Street Field Place - 3 Henty Court Fernhurst - 13 Fernhurst Grove Kew Civic Centre (1959) Kew Junction (1958) Kew Railway Station (1902, 1959) Kew Recreation Hall - Wellington Street (1960) Neama (Hall) - Studley Park Road Southesk (formerly Ordsall) - Cotham Road (c.1960) St Anthony's Home for Babies (formerly Madford) - 43 Wellington Street (c.1976) Studley House - Nolan AvenueThe scrapbook contains historically significant, rare and sometimes unique images of significant heritage buildings in Kew, including their erection and demolition. 11-page scrapbook of photographs and newspaper clippings with annotations by Eva Grant, a past member of the Kew Historical Society. The pages of the album can be viewed in the image carousel above. Based on the text and known dates of demolition of a number of the buildings, the scrapbook was assembled over a twenty year period between c.1958-c.1978.Includes letter from donoreva grant, billy hughes' house - 167 cotham road, congregational church - walpole street - kew, country roads board - denmark street - kew, dorothy rogers reserve - studley park road - kew, field place - 3 henty court - kew (vic), ellsmere (also ellesmere/ellsmore) - princess street - kew, fernhurst - 13 fernhurst grove - kew (vic), kew civic centre - civic drive - kew (vic), kew junction - kew (vic), kew railway station - denmark street - kew (vic), recreation hall - wellington street - kew, neama - hall - studley park road - kew (vic), southesk - ordsall - cotham road- kew (vic), st anthony's home for babies - madford - 43 wellington street (vic), studley house - nolan avenue - kew (vic)

117 pp : illustrated : Appendices Chapters: Preface / Robert Baker p4. The collection / Robert Baker p5. Cartwheel penny / Robert Baker p6. Creek and old watering stage / David White p10. John Carson: Mayor 1863–4 1 / Julie King p4. Wedding dress / Suzanne McWha p18. Back to Kew 1875 / Judith Scurfield p22. Barnard’s clock / Margaret Robinson p26. Denbigh quilt / Suzanne McWha p28. Fragments of art decoration / Robert Baker p32. Mr Richardson’s sock / Felicity Renowden p36. Kew Volunteer Fire Brigade / David White p38. Kew Where We Live / Judith Scurfield p42. [MMBW} Detail Plan No. 1580 / Judith Scurfield p46. Adeney Avenue / Suzanne McWha p50. Young Workers’ Patriotic Guild / Margaret Robinson p54. Roll of Honor [Thomas Rand] / Robert Baker p56. Alice Anderson in her tourer / Felicity Renowden p60. Kew War Memorial / David White p62. Beaded dance dress / Suzanne McWha p 66. The great flood of 1934 / Desley Reid p68. Depression-era toolbox / Robert Baker p72. War Savings Street / Julie King p74. Kew Public L.ibrary / Suzanne McWha p78. Signature supper cloth / Desley Reid p82. View from the garden of Rockingham / Desley Reid p86. Cr Marie Dalley / Felicity Renowden p90. Centenary of Kew / Robert Baker p94. Doris Dickinson’s gown / Julie King p98. [Model Dairy] Milk bottles / Robert Baker p100. Kew Civic Centre / David White p102. Bicentennial tapestries / Margaret Robinson p106. Crest of the City of Kew / Desley Reid p110. Town Crier [outfit] / Desley Reid p112. Acknowledgements p114. List of works p115.non-fiction'Stories They Tell : A history of Kew through objects' explores diverse narratives from European settlement to the first decades of the twenty-first century. These stories use as their starting point artworks, texts and artefacts from the nationally significant collection of the Kew Historical Society. Limited to 100 copies.collection -- kew historical society, museum catalogues, henty family, cartwheel pennies, kew lunatic asylum, patchwork quilts, john carson, george bouchier richardson, gb richardson, coombs family, james dannock, back to kew 1875, francis barnard, denbigh family, cullis hill & co, ordsall, southesk, kew volunteer fire brigade, jfc farquhar, henry kellett, mmbw detail plan 1580, william nicholls anderson, young workers patriotic guild, roll of honor -- town of kew, alice anderson, kew war memorial, flapper dresses, fairfield bridge, chandler highway bridge, warren trestrail, furniture -- 1930s, war savings streets, kew library, children's libraries, voluntary aid detachments - kew (vic.), rockingham, james govett, centenary of kew, mayoresses -- kew (vic.), model dairy -- kew (vic.), doris dickinson, crests -- city of kew (vic.), town criers -- kew (vic.), joy stewart, australian bicentennial -- kew (vic.), kew civic centre, ak lines mcfarlane marshall, adeney avenue -- kew, wwi