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 area represented in this detail plan has undergone significant change during the 20th century. The widening of High Street in the 1930s and 1950s involved the shops on the south side of High Street being demolished and later rebuilt to fit the widened street. Another significant loss was the mansion ‘Drayton’ fronting Wellington Street, owned at this stage by Susannah Fenton. Her family name would later to be given to Fenton Way, which was to be built over the grounds of the house following its demolition. The plan of the garden is particularly interesting, containing a batten dome fronting Wellington Street, an ornamental pond, a fountain and a brick and glass conservatory. The notes by the plumbing contractor on this plan are particularly detailed. Pink borders delineate the ownership of the varying parcels of land. Some of the better known owners listed include the real estate agent Cr. Henry de Castres Kellett (bt) and John Padbury, the funeral director. This particular plan provides a clear view of the configuration of the Kew Junction in 1903 and the commercial buildings that surrounded it.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, maps - borough of kew, mmbw 1580, cartography

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 streets and built structures in this plan were surveyed in 1903 and released to contractors in 1904. In addition to the designation of building types by colour, the plan includes detailed descriptions of land use and ownership. While many buildings remain from this period, a number of the buildings represented have been demolished including the original Kew Town Hall, and the Congregational and Roman Catholic churches in Walpole Street. While the mansion ‘Illapa’ in Princess Street is still extant – now part of ‘Rylands’ – the neighbouring mansion ‘Elsmere’ was demolished some decades ago. Rivalling Illapa and Elsmere in size were two mansions in Walpole Street, one named on the plan as ‘Gnarlbine’. Over time, Kew Junction and the south side of High Street have been reconfigured and widened, so that the commercial buildings on the corner of Princess and High Street no longer exist. A surprising feature of this part of central Kew to the northwest of Kew Junction is the amount of vacant land. In a number of cases, this land is noted by the contractor as used for vegetable gardens.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, maps - borough of kew, mmbw 1581, cartography

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). Public buildings, coloured grey on the Plan 1582 include the police station and post office, churches and schools. The earliest church school, Common School No.356 was located at the rear of the Congregational Church in Peel Street. It was constructed in 1859. The first buildings of Kew Primary School No.1075 on the other side of Peel Street were constructed in 1871. The school in 1903 only occupied a small fraction of its current site. In 1903, where the rear playground is now located, were two weatherboard and one brick villa. Trinity Grammar School was founded in 1902 and opened in the Parish Hall at the rear of Holy Trinity Anglican Church. It was not to move to its current site until 1906. The outline of the building housing the Kew Fire Brigade in the centre of the north side of Walton Street is shown but not named on the plan. Further down Pakington Street stood the two-storey Italianate mansion ‘Overton’. The home of Stanford Chapman, it was to be featured in the Imperial Institute series of bromide photographs of Victoria, Vol. 1: Homes and scenery. It was later to become a boarding house before it was later demolished.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, maps - borough of kew, mmbw 1582, cartography

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). This plan, which covers parts of High Street, Pakington Street and Derby Street is dominated by two historic Kew mansions: ‘Konetta’ and ‘Ramornie’. Ramornie was constructed in 1890 for James Maitland Campbell, three times Mayor of Kew. Sold in 1940, it became a boarding house known as ‘The Towers’. Now a private residence again, it has only one of its three balconies remaining. The location of the missing two balconies can be seen on the plan. In 1903, the grounds of Ramornie included a large tennis court fronting Pakington Street. The rear of the property is shown as extending to Cobden Street. One of Kew’s oldest hotels, the Prospect Hill Hotel on the corner of High and Cobden Street was established in 1858. The outline of the hotel shown on the plan represents the second building on the site. During the 19th century it was often used for electoral meetings. The Prospect Hill Hotel was to be redeveloped again in 1928, by the local architect Robert McIntyre. Since the 1980s, the hotel has been a live music venue, the home of the Melbourne Jazz Club, a restaurant and a liquor outlet.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, maps - borough of kew, mmbw 1585, cartography

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). This plan shows the original configuration of the Kew Post Office, Court House and Police Station, which had opened in 1888. This configuration was to essentially remain until the purchase of the Court House and Police Station by the City of Boroondara in 2007 and its subsequent renovation. Interestingly, the MMBW surveyors incorrectly labelled parts of the complex. In the triangle in front of the Post Office, before the erection of the Kew Cenotaph in 1925, was located a lawn and the Queen Victoria Jubilee Fountain. While many of the shops on the south side of High street had been constructed by 1903 a number of sites were still used as vegetable gardens. Further along High Street, on the corner of Charles Street, the Salvation Army Barracks can be seen on the plan. These Barracks predate the later Citadel and ‘Young People’s Hall’ that were opened in 1919. At 22 Charles Street can be seen the house of James Venn Morgan. Hailed as the ‘father of Kew’, Morgan arrived in Melbourne in 1840. He was first engaged as a bookmaker, but a fortunate venture on the goldfields enabled him to purchase land in Kew. He conducted a market garden and dairy in Kew for many years.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, maps - borough of kew, mmbw 1588, cartography

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). Surveyed by the Board of Works in 1903 and published in 1904, Plan No.1590 shows development north of Cotham Road. While this plan includes built structures in Mary Street, Cotham Road, High Street, Park Hill Road, Kent Street, Ridgeway Avenue, and Ermington Lane (now Ermington Place), only part of this section was notated and coloured in this contractor’s copy. Numerous houses, large and small are named on the plan: ‘Cholula’, ‘Belper’, ‘The Uplands’, ‘Spring Grove’ facing Cotham Road; ‘Marion’ facing Kent Street; and ‘Kia Ora’ facing Ridgeway Avenue.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, mmbw 1590, survey plans - borough of kew, cartography

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). That area of Kew bordered by Cotham Road, Park Hill Road, Ermington Lane (now Ermington Place), and Belmont Avenue contained some of the significant homes owned by Kew pioneers. Chief among these was ‘Park Hill’ on an enormous lot facing Park Hill Road. The Jubilee History of 1910 noted, six years after this plan was drawn, that: ‘Park Hill Road, forming the southern boundary of the cemetery, takes its name from Park Hill, the residence of Mr. Thomas Judd, who has resided there since December, 1852.’ Other named houses on the plan include ‘Ferndale’ facing Cotham Road; ‘Ermington’ adjacent to Judd’s Park Hill, facing Park Hill Road; and ‘Gilden’ and ‘Mont Belmont’ facing Belmont Avenue. Mont Belmont was designed by the architectural firm of Reed, Henderson and Smart for William George Lilley in 1887 and was completed in 1888. Lilley was Mayor of Kew in 1887-88, a Justice of the Peace and a member of the first Board of Guardians of Kew’s St. Hilary’s Church of England.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, survey plans - borough of kew, mmbw 1591, cartography

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). In MMBW Plan No.1592, the pink line indicates that area of the plan for which the contracting engineer was responsible. Included in the Plan are a number of primarily brick villas in a section of Belmont Avenue off Cotham Road. The house ‘Uvadale’ north of Belmont Avenue, and facing Cotham Road is also included in the contract. Excluded from the contract but shown on the Plan are ‘Glendonald’, ‘Mont Belmont’ and ‘Gilden’.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, survey plans - borough of kew, mmbw 1592, cartography

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

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. 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.Digital copy of an original MMBW plan. This contour plan shows the area identified by the MMBW for purposes of drainage and sewerage in 1894. The suburbs represented extend from Williamstown in the west to Bulleen in the east, and from Preston in the north, south to Sandringham. Suburbs are outlined in coloured ink. Red lines indicate main and branch sewers in existence at the beginning of 1894 in central and inner Melbourne. These extended as far as Williamstown and Brighton, but not yet as far as Kew, where sewering did not commence until 1901. Contour lines show the topography, which was important for indicating the fall of the land for the laying of sewers and drainage channels. Kew appears to be fairly undeveloped at this date except for railway lines and stations (the Kew and Outer Circle lines), main roads, the Kew Lunatic Asylum Reserve and Studley Park. However, the contour plan does not accurately represent the density of settlement, nor the large number of houses, which were being built in Kew and other suburbs from the 1850s to the land boom of the late 1880’s and early 1890’s. This plan is part of a large and historically significant 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.mmbw contour plan of melbourne and suburbs, melbourne and metropolitan board of works, melbourne sewage, cartography

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending o the importance of the photographic atelier.Real estate photograph for a local agent by the Kew photographer, Josiah Earl Barnes. The photo is of a weatherboard or brick rendered bungalow with a twisted wire fence. Given Barnes' status a a Kew photographer, the house is probably locate din Kew or East Kew. Unfortunately the handwritten information on the mount bordering the photo is damaged and cannot be read. The bungalow has a gabled, tiled roof with terra cotta finials at the front of both gables. The house has a central doorway, framed by a pseudo portico supported by four wooden columns. On each side of the doorway, at the front, there are paired sash windows, which, like the half-timbered gable, are picked out in a darker colour.Handwritten, mostly illegible description by selling agent on mount surround: " .... in Diningroom, Drawing Rooms, ... Photographers details printed on mount: "J. E. Barnes / Photo / Phone 1966 Haw KEW"houses - kew, bungalows - kew, real estate photographs, j.e. barnes -- photographer

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending o the importance of the photographic atelier.Real estate photographs of a classic double-fronted late Victorian brick villa. It central location in Cotham Road, Kew enabled the selling agent to note its proximity to the tram. With seven rooms, all ‘modern conveniences’, and land of 66×167, the house was to be sold for £1100. The villa has a number of interesting features including a pattern within the slate roof as well as the use of polychrome brickwork under the eaves and on the façade. The intricacy of the cast iron lace is emphasised by the line of projecting wooden blocks above it. The picket gate is painted a different colour to the pickets of the fence. The house has a name (illegible) that is attached to the inset cast iron lace of the central projecting gable in the veranda. Stamped on mount: "Kew. Central. Close tram. / Comfortable Brick Villa. / Containing 7 rooms / Modern conveniences: / Land 66 x 167. Sold 1100 pounds:"houses - kew, victorian villas, real estate photographs, cotham road - kew

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.On the reverse of a subdivision plan of the Palmyra Estate (Kew) is a photograph of a double-fronted Edwardian villa. The weatherboard and stucco house with high brick chimneys provides a clear indication of the style of curtains and gardens in houses of the period. Holland blinds with lace inserts are used in the left front window. They are combined with long lace curtains. The garden, with its curved pathway is bordered with garden beds that include marguerite daisies and roses. Reflecting a new interest in the Australian landscape, tree ferns and ground ferns are planted closer to the house.houses - kew, architecture - edwardian, real estate photographs

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.An undated and untitled hand-drawn and coloured subdivision plan detailing the boundaries of a number of irregular allotments bordering Cotham Road, Glenferrie Road and Stirling Avenue (now Stirling Street). The plan predates the actual subdivision that led to the creation of the eight commercial properties occupying 118-132 Cotham Road. The plan may represent an old subdivision that was further subdivided at a later date, or it may be a subdivision that never eventuated. On MMBW Detail Plan 1575 (1903), the area represented by the proposed subdivision was residential rather than commercial. The irregularity of lots is also apparent in the MMBW Plan. The largest of the unnumbered blocks on the hand-drawn subdivision plan may relate to the boundaries of the nineteenth century mansion identified as ‘Kelso’ on the MMBW Plan.subdivision plans - kew, cotham road - kew,, glenferrie road - kew , stirling avenue street - kew

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.An elevated, modest weatherboard house, photographed towards the end of the construction phase. The lower section of the weatherboards are exposed and stained. The upper section is rendered with rough-cast. The tiled roof has a single gable that extends over the centrally placed front porch. On the porch, the door and single sidelight are filled with coloured leadlight whereas the casement windows in the front rooms contain plain glass. The leadlight and the wrought iron of the verandah are the only decorative elements of the utilitarian design. The location of the house, which was advertised for sale, has not to date been identified. The real estate photograph is mounted on the reverse of a subdivision plan for the Harvest Home Estate, Kew East.Photographer's stamp, lower right on mount: "A. Aberline, Glenferrie"houses - kew, bungalows - kew, real estate photographs

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.An unusual bungalow that does not conform to a particular architectural style but which contains eclectic elements of the style of varying periods. The most striking element of the design is the cantilevered veranda that is supported by heavy chains that are attached to the central gable. This deep gable extends across most of the façade, forming an extensive veranda. Parts of this are infilled with screens. Seven wooden posts, whose lower halves are encased in rendered brick pillars, support this gabled veranda. The roof would appear to be covered with corrugated iron. The location of the house, which was advertised for sale, has to date not been identified. The real estate photo is on the reverse of a plan for the Myrtle Hill Subdivision, Kew.bungalows - kew, architecture - 1920s, real estate photographs

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.Myrtle Hill, at 14 Vista Avenue, Kew, is of local historical and architectural significance as a good example of a large and imposing single-storey Italianate house of the early 1870s surviving in Kew. Originally sited on a large allotment overlooking Normanby Road, the setting of the house has been dramatically altered through extensive subdivision and development. The subdivision plan of the ‘Myrtle Hill Estate’ indicates that in one such subdivision, 11 allotments were created fronting Bowyer Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, and Normanby Road. The outline and building profile of Myrtle Hill is shown on the west side of Bowyer Avenue.The full (typed) title of this subdivision plan is :"Plan of SUBDIVISION of part of CROWN PORTION 83. / at KEW / PARISH OF BOROONDARA. / COUNTY OF BOURKE". / "MYRTLE HILL ESTATE / EAST KEW" In addition to the Title and subtitle, the plan also lists the advantages of the subdivision.

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.The Normanby Estate, which was adjacent to Normanby Road, Kew East, included thirty-one lots for sale. Streets on the subdivision plan include Adeney Avenue, Park Hill Road, Normanby Road, Weir Street and Wharton Street. Cotham Road and its tramway are shown nearby. The plan is interesting as it shows Wharton Street, named after the architect and town planner George Wharton, who was the first chairman of the Municipality of Kew. The street was to later be renamed Cecil Street. Also shown are proposed ‘Municipal Gardens’ where Parkhill Drive is now located."D" in top left corner. Stamped auctioneers contact details: "Jas. R. Mathers & Son & McMillan / Auctioneer & Land Salesmen, / 271 Collins Street / Melbourne" and Jas. R. Mathers / Estate & Financial Agent / Cotham Road / Kew".weir street - kew, wharton street - kew, normanby road - kew, cotham road - kew, municipal gardens - kew, park hill parkhill road - kew, braemar - kew, subdivision plans - kew

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.Lithographed subdivision plan for an un-named estate with 28 allotments facing Lytton, Sackville and Thomas Streets in Kew. The land would have originally formed part of the Dumaresq Estate. subdivision plans - kew, lytton street, sackville street, thomas street - kew

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.The ‘Eastlawn Estate’ was surveyed and ready for auction in March 1914, three months before the outbreak of World War I. Sixty-six allotments, created on the ‘order of Mr & Miss Preston’ surrounded the mansion of Woodlands in Harp Road. Woodlands formed part of the Estate, being advertised as lot 1. The allotments faced High, Station and Wright Streets, Harp and Normanby Roads, and Woodlands Avenue. Pru Sanderson in the Kew Conservation Study (Vol.2, 1988) wrote that the Eastlawn Estate ‘covered the western half of the failed Harp of Erin Estate’. Contemporary advertisements promoted the Eastlawn Estate as: ‘There will be no more convenient district nor pleasant Suburb than East Kew for the busy business man. When the Electric Tram is laid, he will be able to journey quickly and pleasantly direct from Collins Street to his home in the Eastlawn Estate in about 20 minutes’. The actual plans of subdivision were included in advertisements in The Argus and in the local newspapers."C" top left. Various annotations.subdivision plans - kew, station street, normanby road, high street, woodlands avenue, harp road, woodlands - kew

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.Subdivision plan for the so-called Winton Estate in East Kew. The Estate comprised 10 lots facing Simpson Street and Campbell Street. The estate was auctioned by Jas. R. Mathers, Son and McMillan. campbell street, simpson street, hunter street, normanby road - kew, subdivision plans - east kew, subdivision plans - kew

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.A professionally produced photograph for a local real estate agent, probably Jas. R. Mathers, Son & McMillan. The photograph is of a Federation-era bungalow, in Kew. The photo is on the reverse of a subdivision plan for the Normanby Heights Estate, Kew.The mount on which the photograph is placed includes: "Kew. 1 minute to tram. Good Position. / 7 roomed brick. Modern conveniences. / Land 60 x 135. 1100 pounds"real estate photographs, houses - kew, federation architecture

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending on the importance of the photographic atelier.Undated blue subdivision plan in Kew of 14 lots facing Argyle Road, Heather Grove and Victor Road. The Plan identifies Tuxen & Miller as the surveyors. [Formerly catalogued as MAP.0059]subdivision plans - kew, argyle road - kew, heather grove - kew, victor avenue - kew

James Venn Morgan was known affectionately as ‘The Father of Kew’. Born in Somersetshire on February 21, 1823, he sailed to Australia in April, 1851. James V. Morgan, was a member of one of the first parties to leave for the diggings. At Chewton, near Castlemaine his party tried their luck in an abandoned shaft, and in two weeks returned to Melbourne after having won 35lb weight of gold. James Venn Morgan was content with his success, and induced his partners to invest their money with him in land. After obtaining the advice of a friend, the party negotiated with Mr Samuel Watts, of Collingwood, who had recently purchased land from the Crown, and from him they took over at £15 an acre about 32 acres of land in the district that is now known as Kew. This land extended from where the Kew Post-office now stands to the locality of the Boroondara Cemetery. Here it was that Mr Morgan decided to settle, and, after having had the land surveyed, the partners apportioned it by drawing straws for the four sections into which it had been divided. One of them sold his holding later in the year for £100 an acre, and was sorry for it afterwards. In 1853 Mr. Morgan built the first house in Kew, and this house is the one in which he still resides. Here with his wife, he settled down to market gardening and dairying. So successful was the new venture that he induced his father and other members of the family to come out to Australia to assist him. Gradually the district became settled, Mr. Morgan parted with a portion of his holding, and subdivided and built on the remainder, which he still retained. In 1884 he found himself in a position to retire from active business.He celebrated his 100th birthday in 1923. He was later to die in the same year. The Argus, 17 January 1923.Rare and historic hand-tinted framed portrait of one of the founding pioneers of the district.Hand tinted photograph in a gilt frame of the Kew pioneer James Venn Morgan (1823-1923).james venn morgan, kew - pioneer families, kew - landowners

James Venn Morgan was known affectionately as ‘The Father of Kew’. Born in Somersetshire on February 21, 1823, he sailed to Australia in April, 1851. James V. Morgan, was a member of one of the first parties to leave for the diggings. At Chewton, near Castlemaine his party tried their luck in an abandoned shaft, and in two weeks returned to Melbourne after having won 35lb weight of gold. James Venn Morgan was content with his success, and induced his partners to invest their money with him in land. After obtaining the advice of a friend, the party negotiated with Mr Samuel Watts, of Collingwood, who had recently purchased land from the Crown, and from him they took over at £15 an acre about 32 acres of land in the district that is now known as Kew. This land extended from where the Kew Post-office now stands to the locality of the Boroondara Cemetery. Here it was that Mr Morgan decided to settle, and, after having had the land surveyed, the partners apportioned it by drawing straws for the four sections into which it had been divided. One of them sold his holding later in the year for £100 an acre, and was sorry for it afterwards. In 1853 Mr. Morgan built the first house in Kew, and this house is the one in which he still resides. Here with his wife, he settled down to market gardening and dairying. So successful was the new venture that he induced his father and other members of the family to come out to Australia to assist him. Gradually the district became settled, Mr. Morgan parted with a portion of his holding, and subdivided and built on the remainder, which he still retained. In 1884 he found himself in a position to retire from active business. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 1923. He was later to die in the same year. The Argus, 17 January 1923.Rare and-tinted framed photograph af Annie Morgan, the wife of one of the founding pioneers of the district.Hand tinted photograph in a gilt frame of Anna Morgan (nee Chidgey), the wife of James Venn Morgan. Anna Morgan was the wife of one of Kew's earliest pioneers and landowners. She died in 1915.anna morgan, kew - pioneers

1823-1923.MR. JAMES VENN MORGAN. "FATHER OF" KEW."In a Village in Somersetshire in England on February 21, 1823, a son was born to George and Sarah Morgan. The child was so delicate that his parents feared that he would not live. How little ground the parents parents had for their fears may be judged from the fact that the boy, christened James Venn Morgan is still alive and hale. He is able to exhibit with pride the paper with its faded ink on which a clergyman wrote the certificate of his baptism almost 100 years ago. But for some slight infirmities of sight and hearing, Mr. Morgan, who is within six weeks of completing the 100th year of his life, is in good health, and is well able to attend to his business affairs. His immediate cause for regret is that he is not now able to do a day's work in his garden, as he was 12 months ago. After spending his early life in England, where he learned his trade as shoemaker, Mr Morgan came to Australia in April, 1851. He carried letters of introduction to Mr. Tripp, a solicitor, of Melbourne, who strongly recommended him to begin business as a shoemaker, and accordingly he opened a shop at the corner of Swanston and Bourke streets, where the Leviathan Stores now stand, and was not long in working up a good connection. Among his customers at that time Mr. Morgan recalls Mr. Justice A'Beckett and many leading men in law and medicine of the day. Then the news was flashed through Melbourne of the discovery of gold at Ballarat. Nothing can give a clearer idea of the excitement this news caused in Melbourne than that Mr. Morgan, who was a member of one of the first parties to leave for the diggings, left uncompleted in his workshop one of a pair of riding boots he was making for Mr. J. B. Weir. As the purchase of suitable clothing would have taken time, he set out to make his fortune wearing a top hat. At Ballarat he stayed for five or six weeks, and returned to Melbourne with 10oz. of gold. He remained in the city long enough to finish the second of the two riding boots, and then, with three companions, set out for Chewton, near Castlemaine. Here fortune smiled. The party tried their luck in an abandoned shaft, and in two weeks returned to Melbourne again after having won 35lb. weight of gold. How Kew Was Born. Mr Morgan was content with his success, and induced his partners to invest their money with him in land. After obtaining the advice of a friend, the party negotiated with Mr Samuel Watts, of Collngwood, who had recently purchased land from the Crown, and from him they took over at £15 an acre about 32 acres of land in the district that is now known as Kew. This land extended from where the Kew Post-office now stands to the locality of the Boroondara Cemetery. At that time there was not a house in the district, and there was a fairly large population of aborigines, but no white men. Here it was that Mr Morgan decided to settle, and, after having had the land surveyed, the partners apportioned it by drawing straws for the four sections into which it had been divided. One of them sold his holding later in the year for £100 an acre, and was sorry for it afterwards. In 1853 Mr. Morgan built the first house in Kew, and this house is the one in which he still resides. Here with his wife, he settled down to market gardening and dairying. He tells with a laugh how he was paid 1/ a lb for the first potatoes he grew, and 1/ a quart for milk. So successful was the new venture that he induced his father and other members of the family to come out to Australia to assist him. How different Kew of those days was from the Kew of to-day will be understood from Mr. Morgan's statement that for weeks at a time they never saw a a white face other than those of the family. The blacks, he says, although very noisy, were entirely friendly. Gradually the district became settled, Mr. Morgan parted with a portion of his holding, and subdivided and built on the remainder which he still retains. In 1884 he found himself in a position to retire from active business. Youth in Old Age. In Mr Morgan's garden, which is a large, one trees which he and his father planted more than 60 years ago are still bearing heavy crops of apples. Mr. Morgan has been a widower since 1915. He has three daughters all of whom are married, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One of the great-grand children reccntly informed Mr. Morgan that he was about to be married. Perhaps the most striking characteristic of Mr. Morgan to-day is his activity. Not only does he move about with surprising alacrity, but is able to go into the streets and attend to his business affairs with but little fatigue The Argus, 17 January 1923, p.12.This work forms part of the collection assembled by the historian Dorothy Rogers, that was donated to the Kew Historical Society by her son John Rogers in 2015. The manuscripts, photographs, maps, and documents were sourced by her from both family and local collections or produced as references for her print publications. Many were directly used by Rogers in writing ‘Lovely Old Homes of Kew’ (1961) and 'A History of Kew' (1973), or the numerous articles on local history that she produced for suburban newspapers. Most of the photographs in the collection include detailed annotations in her hand. The Rogers Collection provides a comprehensive insight into the working habits of a historian in the 1960s and 1970s. Together it forms the largest privately-donated collection within the archives of the Kew Historical Society.A group portrait on the occasion of the 100th birthday of James Venn Morgan in 1923. Dorothy Rogers used this photograph in 'A History of Kew' (1973). It faces page 17. In the book, the caption reads "JAMES VENN MORGAN'S 100TH BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY. The party was held at 'Morganville'. Mr Morgan is shown with a group of descendants."James Morgans 100th Birthday Party. james venn morgan, kew, model dairy, dorothy rogers

Prue 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.Coloured lithograph of a subdivision plan of the Studley Park Estate, bordered by Yarra, Willsmere Road and the Outer Circle Railway line. The estate was listed in 1910 and was the subject of a planning dispute between the developer and the Town of Kew in relation to flood levels and the suitability of the land for housing. In many cases the names of streets were subsequently changed. The layout was also affected by the creation of the Eastern Freeway. A newspaper report of the day described the subdivision as a: "GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY. We are pleased to submit for PRIVATE SALE that magnificent ESTATE, situated only 4 1/2 miles from the Melbourne General Post Office, STUDLEY PARK ESTATE. KF/NV. Doubtless the CHEAPEST LAND EVER OFFERED having extensive frontages to the prettiest spot on the River Yarra and the National Park, commanding lovely river and landscape views, and acknowledged to be the finest land available so close to the city. The PRICES ARE EXTREMELY MODERATE; The TERMS ARE SIMPLY MARVELLOUS. NO DEPOSIT. NO DEPOSIT. NO DEPOSIT. Allotments and prices to suit everyone."subdivision plans - kew, studley park estate

This is an aerial oblique image looking north. It shows Kew Junction before construction of VicRoads (Country Roads Board), Murphy's (Leo's) supermarket, and office towers. It also shows a building on the land now known as the Raoul Wallenberg Reserve, the Kew Municipal Offices in Walpole Street, and St Paul's School for the Blind in Fernhurst Grove, and Kew Bowling Club in Wellington Street.An aerial photograph of Kew Junction, showing the intersection of High Street South, Studley Park Road, Princess Street, High Street and Denmark Street. A number of buildings, now demolished can be identified in the photo, including Jellis’ Bakeries on the corner of Princess Street and Studley Park Road." Annotation on reverse: "Kew Historical Society from Mr L. H. Chinner".kew junction, aerial photograph (kew), oblique aerial, st paul's school for the blind, kew municipal offices, high street kew, studley park road, kew war memorial, kew post office, kew police station, kew court house, high street south, kew, wellington street kew, denmark street kew

The historian Dorothy Rogers records (A History of Kew, p.5) that "In 1888 he [Arthur Wills] took over his estate, 'Willsmere', and conducted it as a dairy farm. He was an architect by profession, and having established the farm he rented it, and returned to live in Barry Street, Kew, where his only child, Dorothy was born in 1889. He entered Kew Council in 1891, and three years later built a new house in Fellows Street, on land that Thomas had purchased at the 1846-47 sales. He became Mayor of Kew in 1896-97, and during his term of office sold this house and built the present 'Willsmere' [pictured] on the corner of Willsmere and Belford Roads. ... Never a house of great distinction, it has now been demolished to make way for a freeway."This work forms part of the collection assembled by the historian Dorothy Rogers, that was donated to the Kew Historical Society by her son John Rogers in 2015. The manuscripts, photographs, maps, and documents were sourced by her from both family and local collections or produced as references for her print publications. Many were directly used by Rogers in writing ‘Lovely Old Homes of Kew’ (1961) and 'A History of Kew' (1973), or the numerous articles on local history that she produced for suburban newspapers. Most of the photographs in the collection include detailed annotations in her hand. The Rogers Collection provides a comprehensive insight into the working habits of a historian in the 1960s and 1970s. Together it forms the largest privately-donated collection within the archives of the Kew Historical Society.Willsmere, the home of the Wills family of Kew, designed by the architect Arthur Wills, circa 1896. arthur wills, willsmere, belford road, willsmere road, dorothy rogers, kew, wills family

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). A detail plan of part of Studley Park bordered by the major streets of Hodgson Street, Stevenson Street and Studley Park Road. Included on the plan are a number of significant Studley Park mansions in existence at the beginning of the 20th century. The unnamed street shown in the middle of the plan is McEvoy Street. The most important house still extant is Campion House, formerly named Dalsraith [Dalswraith] and Glendalough, owned since the 1940s by the Society of Jesus. Campion House can be seen on the corner of Hodgson and Studley Park Road. Its stables at the rear of the block have now been incorporated into a contemporary residence. An interesting feature of the plan is the 1910 annotation by Ed Seitz, professional designing engineer. Is Seitz the contractor who modified the MMBW original?melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, mmbw 1291, cartography