A civic campaign for new public offices developed in Kew in the 1880s. After much deliberation, the location chosen was the junction of Bulleen and Cotham Roads. The buildings were designed by George Watson and John Henry Harvey, architects within the Department of Public Works (Victoria). Building was commenced in 1887, and after one year, the buildings were opened. The Post Office was transferred to the new Commonwealth Government in 1901. The Police Station and Court House, sold by the Victorian Government to the City of Boroondara in 2007, are now a community cultural centre and performing arts venue.The buildings were listed on the Victorian Heritage Register Register (HO885) in 1991. They are historically and architecturally significant to the State of Victoria because Watson and Harvey's designs exhibit diversity in integrating civil offices, they accommodate the apex of road junctions, and they demonstrate a departure from the contemporaneously favoured High Victorian Classical to the Queen Anne style in the design of civic buildings.Exterior view of the east facing red brick facade of the former Kew Police Station in High Street, Kew.kew court house, public offices -- kew (vic), kew police station

‘Reno’, stood on the east side of St John’s Parade. Its earliest recorded owner was the architect Samuel Cocking who lived there from c.1865 until his death in 1888. The original landholding was bordered by Cotham Road, Glenferrie Road, Wellington Street, and Charles Street. The garden including rare plants supplied by Baron Von Mueller, surrounds the cottage in a tangled frenzy. Despite a ‘local significance’ classification by the National Trust, the house was demolished in 1977.This work forms part of the collection assembled by the historian Dorothy Rogers (1905-1973), donated to the Kew Historical Society by her son 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 from the 1960s to the 1970s. Original monochrome photograph of Reno, St John's Parade, Kew. Pictured are the garage in the distance at left, the weatherboard house with its simple verandah, and the overgrown front garden.Annotation verso: "Reno. St Johns Parade. Reno. Miss Green".dorothy rogers, reno.-- st john's parade (kew)

One of a small album of six photographs of the construction of the Cotham Road tramline in Kew, taken by Edgar James Dower in the second decade of the twentieth century. The reverse of each photo contains notes, written over time by the photographer, which are contained in the 'Inscriptions' field. Born and raised in Olinda, Dower's family later moved to Surrey Hills. He worked as an adult as a clerk in the city office of the Metropolitan Gas Company, and in his role as a 'collector', he was able to photograph scenes including the construction of tram and train lines and associated buildings in Kew, Hawthorn, Camberwell and Surrey Hills. Later he established a real estate agency with his brother - the E.J. Dower Real Estate Agency, Dandenong Office. The album as a whole can be viewed separately as the parent file.The image is an historically significant record of the development of transport infrastructure which was used to connect Victorians in the first two decades of the twentieth century. This development resulted from increases in population and the consequent extension of Melbourne's suburbs. The photographs in the album, as well as Dower's single photos mounted on card, individually and collectively richly detail the labour of workers and the tools and machinery used to create and extend Melbourne's tram and train networks in the years preceding and during World War 1.The fourth of six annotated photos in an album of photographs of the construction of the St Kilda to Kew electric tram line, taken in Cotham Road, Kew, by the amateur photographer, Edgar James Dower, in 1913. The album contains images detailing the preparation for the laying of the tracks plus work laying the line. The photographer notes on a number of the photos that the metal tracks were collected from the Hawthorn railway siding. The album, together with other phots by E.J. Dower has been made available by the owners for the Kew Historical Society to digitise and publish online and in print.Annotation verso: "Preparing tram line Cotham Road Kew looking east for electric trams / 1913 / The metal was brought by horses and drays, from Hawthorn railway siding / 1913".keywords, theme -- connecting victorians by transport and communications, theme -- travelling by tram, photographers -- edgar james dower, cotham road -- kew (vic.)

Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) , was a descendant of one of the earliest settler families in Kew. Employed at the Kew Asylum as a 'public servant', he was a skilled amateur photographer, photographing numerous scenes in Kew and on his travels around Victoria. The majority of his photographs date from 1916 to 1929. His finest photographs are housed in two photograph albums. Digital copy of a photograph from page 23 of the 47-page photograph album containing 261 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. In the 1920s, the photographer travelled throughout Victoria, including on the west coast from Port Campbell to Port Fairy. Trips were presumably made by train and by foot. Lynda Tieman and her team at the Port Fairy Historical Society have tentatively identified a number of Henry Christian's photographs of Port Fairy, of which this is one. The photo is believed to be of East Beach from Battery Hill.henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, christian-washfold collection, photograph albums, east beach -- port fairy (vic.), battery point, port fairy

Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) , was a descendant of one of the earliest settler families in Kew. Employed at the Kew Asylum as a 'public servant', he was a skilled amateur photographer, photographing numerous scenes in Kew and on his travels around Victoria. The majority of his photographs date from 1916 to 1929. His finest photographs are housed in two photograph albums. Digital copy of a photograph from page 31 of the 47-page photograph album containing 261 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. John Chapman has written in 'Bushwalking Clubs - A Brief History', about the establishment in Victoria of the first bushwalking club in 1888, and the popularisation of bushwalking during the interwar period. Henry Christian's 'walks' appear to have been undertaken solely or with a companion/s. This black and white photo is part of a group of six photos taken on an 18 kilometre walking trip between Bruthen and Swan Reach in East Gippsland in 1926. The route of the walk followed the Tambo River."BRUTHEN TO SWAN REACH 1926"henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, christian-washfold collection, photograph albums, bushwalking, bruthen, swan reach, tambo river, east gippsland

Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) , was a descendant of one of the earliest settler families in Kew. Employed at the Kew Asylum as a 'public servant', he was a skilled amateur photographer, photographing numerous scenes in Kew and on his travels around Victoria. The majority of his photographs date from 1916 to 1929. His finest photographs are housed in two photograph albums. Digital copy of a photograph from page 31 of the 47-page photograph album containing 261 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. John Chapman has written in 'Bushwalking Clubs - A Brief History', about the establishment in Victoria of the first bushwalking club in 1888, and the popularisation of bushwalking during the interwar period. Henry Christian's 'walks' appear to have been undertaken solely or with a companion/s. This black and white photo is part of a group of six photos taken on an 18 kilometre walking trip between Bruthen and Swan Reach in East Gippsland in 1926. The route of the walk followed the Tambo River. The photographer has focussed the view using an oval frame during the development process."BRUTHEN TO SWAN REACH 1926"henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, christian-washfold collection, photograph albums, bushwalking, bruthen, swan reach, tambo river, east gippsland

Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) , was a descendant of one of the earliest settler families in Kew. Employed at the Kew Asylum as a 'public servant', he was a skilled amateur photographer, photographing numerous scenes in Kew and on his travels around Victoria. The majority of his photographs date from 1916 to 1929. His finest photographs are housed in two photograph albums. Digital copy of a photograph from page 31 of the 47-page photograph album containing 261 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. John Chapman has written in 'Bushwalking Clubs - A Brief History', about the establishment in Victoria of the first bushwalking club in 1888, and the popularisation of bushwalking during the interwar period. Henry Christian's 'walks' appear to have been undertaken solely or with a companion/s. This black and white photo is part of a group of six photos taken on an 18 kilometre walking trip between Bruthen and Swan Reach in East Gippsland in 1926. The route of the walk followed the Tambo River. The photographer has focussed the view on a ruined bridge, presumably caused by a flood, crossing the river. Sections of the left hand pier and span can be seen in the river."BRUTHEN TO SWAN REACH 1926"henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, christian-washfold collection, photograph albums, bushwalking, bruthen, swan reach, tambo river, east gippsland

Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) , was a descendant of one of the earliest settler families in Kew. Employed at the Kew Asylum as a 'public servant', he was a skilled amateur photographer, photographing numerous scenes in Kew and on his travels around Victoria. The majority of his photographs date from 1916 to 1929. His finest photographs are housed in two photograph albums. Digital copy of a photograph from page 31 of the 47-page photograph album containing 261 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. John Chapman has written in 'Bushwalking Clubs - A Brief History', about the establishment in Victoria of the first bushwalking club in 1888, and the popularisation of bushwalking during the interwar period. Henry Christian's 'walks' appear to have been undertaken solely or with a companion/s. This black and white photo is part of a group of six photos taken on an 18 kilometre walking trip between Bruthen and Swan Reach in East Gippsland in 1926. The route of the walk followed the Tambo River. The photographer has focussed the view on a small creek between the two towns."BRUTHEN TO SWAN REACH 1926"henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, christian-washfold collection, photograph albums, bushwalking, bruthen, swan reach, tambo river, east gippsland