This photograph is part of the Caulfield Historical Album 1972. This album was created in approximately 1972 as part of a project by the Caulfield Historical Society to assist in identifying buildings worthy of preservation. The album is related to a Survey the Caulfield Historical Society developed in collaboration with the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and Caulfield City Council to identify historic buildings within the City of Caulfield that warranted the protection of a National Trust Classification. Principal photographer thought to be Trevor Hart, member of Caulfield Historical Society. Most photographs were taken between 1966-1972 with a small number of photographs being older and from unknown sources. All photographs are black and white except where stated, with 386 photographs over 198 pages. From Glen Eira Heritage Management Plan 1996 by Andrew Ward: In 1888, John Leek, a trainer, owned Lot 15, measuring one and three quarter acres, in Booran Road, north side between Glen Eira and Neerim Roads. The land backed onto the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve. NAV was £45. In 1890 Leek built for his residence, a ten roomed brick house on the site. NAV was £200. Leek was the owner/trainer of "Ingliston" who won the Caulfield Cup in 1900. Upon the horse's death in 1901, Leek is understood to have defied tradition by spending £20 on boots for the "ragged urchins in Bourke Street" instead of "shouting" at the bar. By 1899, the property was owned and occupied by Alfred Merrill, a dentist and was known as "Andover". NA V had decreased to £ll0. By 1910, Leslie Macdonald, a gentleman had purchased the property and renamed it "Moidart". In 1910-11 Macdonald sold it to John Robertson. The property had extensive wood stables on its north-east boundary and several other outbuildings. The house continued to be described as "Brick, ten rooms" as it was in 1926 when it was owned and occupied by John Arthur, a managing director. The land measured la.2r.31p. and had a NAV of £235. Nine people lived there. In 1926, Arthur also owned the adjoining Lot 16. Other racehorses of note, known to have been stabled here include Sobar, Havelock, Proud, Future and Lord.Victorian Heritage Register https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/13532 What is significant? Lord Lodge is a thoroughbred racehorse training complex adjacent to Caulfield Racecourse, established in 1890. The area immediately around the racecourse has been associated with horse racing activities and businesses servicing the industry since the development of the racecourse in late the 19th century. Lord Lodge was named by the present occupants after the champion racehorse Lord who was stabled there in the 1950s. In the early 20th century the property was known as 'Andover' and subsequently 'Moidart'. The site consists of a single storey brick Italianate villa, jockeys' quarters, stables and open day yards with direct access to Caulfield racecourse from the rear of the property. The villa of 10 rooms on bluestone foundations was constructed in 1890 by John Leek, a horse trainer who purchased the newly subdivided land in 1888. The house has many Victorian Italianate or Boom Style features although it is more modest than many villas of its style. It has an asymmetrical facade with a faceted bay window and a prominent central tower with low pitch pyramidal roof that provides a clear view of the racecourse. Other characteristic features include stilted segmented arches, bracketed eaves, stucco wall finish and cast cement ornamentation. A room has been added on the north-facing verandah in sympathetic style and finish. Internally the rooms are substantially intact with original marble fireplaces and intricate ceiling roses and cornices. An entrance toward the rear of the southern side of the house is said to be where the stable hands, jockeys and other staff lined up for their meals. In the southeast corner of the property, backing directly on to Caulfield racecourse, is a substantial late Victorian timber stable, probably constructed in the 1890s but first appearing on the property title in 1910. The stable has 12 stalls, a loft and brick pavement and jerkin head roof form with varnished pine-lined ceiling carried on a chamfered timber frame. It has an original roof lantern. The doors of the stalls are not the original sliding doors but swing doors obtained from a barn at Epsom Racecourse in Mordialloc prior to demolition. Outside the gambrel roof has fretted barges but the building is otherwise utilitarian. Timber throughout the stalls has been worn by chewing and rubbing of horses over the century of its use. In the southern half of the property are open day yards where the racehorses are kept during the day. The red brick, single storey jockeys' quarters to the rear of the villa were probably built around 1950. A small brick, possibly late Victorian structure on the eastern boundary thought to have originally been a gardening shed, has been converted to a stable of two stalls. Modern concrete brick stables fill the northeast portion of the property. At the front of the property two Moreton Bay Figs (Ficus macrophylla), probably planted in the late 19th century, provide shade for horses in the day yards. In the 1890s John Leek sold the property, relocating his training facility to one of the newly established racecourses at Mentone or Mordialloc (Epsom). By 1899, the property was owned and occupied by Alfred Merrill, a dentist, who named the property 'Andover'. In 1910 it was purchased by Leslie McDonald, a gentleman, and renamed 'Moidart'; sold in 1910-1911 to John Robertson; and again in 1926 to John Arthur, a racehorse owner. The Victorian Amateur Turf Club purchased the property in the late 1930s and since this time has been leased to racehorse trainers. It is unclear whether the property operated as a training facility between 1899 - 1926. Several notable trainers and jockeys are associated with Lord Lodge. The best known is Arthur 'Scobie' Breasley, Australia's most successful jockey who was apprenticed to trainer Pat Quinlan at Lord Lodge (then 'Moidart') from 1928 - 1935. Breasley rode winners of the Caulfield Cup in four successive years 1942-45 and again in 1952. John Leek, the original owner of Lord Lodge trained Ingliston, the 1900 Caulfield Cup winner. Along with 'Lord' a number of well known racehorses including Sobar, Havelock, Proud and Future were trained at Lord Lodge .....Page 40 of Photograph Album with three landscape photographs of the exterior of this house.Handwritten: 30 Booran Road [top right hand corner] / 40 [bottom right]trevor hart, jenny o'donnell, booran road, mansion, caulfield east, ingliston, sobar, havelock, proud, future, lord, andover, moidart, lord lodge, grace darling, caulfield racecourse reserve, victorian amateur turf club, historic buildings register, national estate register, caulfield cup, horses, stables, horse racing, racehorses, outbuildings, racehorse trainers, depression, 1890s, brick houses, mansions, towers, verandahs, stained glass, italianate style, victorian style, architectural features, architectural styles, john leek, leslie macdonald, john arthur, john robertson, alfred merrill, jenny odonnell

The first photograph was taken prior to 1910. The location is at the corner of Centre and Jasper Roads, East Brighton, (now known as Bentleigh). It is an early view of John L. and "Minnie" Smith's Hay and Corn Store, situated on the South West corner of those two roads. The first photo was taken prior to the introduction of electricity in the area. A gas lamp and horse "hitching post" can be seen "in shot". There are several loaded wagons waiting in line to have their hay milled to chaff. Farmers came from places as distant as Carrum to have their loads of hay milled into chaff. John Smith was born in 1860 in Point Nepean Road, Brighton, and Minnie was born in Patterson Road, Moorabbin, in a wattle and daub cottage with earthen floor and butter muslin over the windows. The couple married in 1884, Minnie was a devout Methodist and the family became very involved in the development of the local Methodist church. The couple had four children and during the 1890s Depression their first child died, they lost all their possessions, and John's family struggled to survive. Finally in the late 1890s JL Smith was able to rent a shed from Mr Henry Box on the corner of Centre and Jasper Roads, and he later purchased that property. With the gradual improvement in the economy, and the development of the successful market gardening industry in the Shire of Moorabbin, JL Smith's produce store became quite prosperous. Over some years the little "shed" developed into a thriving Hay and Corn Store. JL Smith went on to become Moorabbin Shire President in 1914. He and his wife were active in assisting soldiers returning injured from the 1st WW, in the local Methodist Church and other early community projects. Smith was a typical example of the majority of the early settlers in the Shire of Moorabbin, being god-fearing and devoted to the idea of service to the community. The photographs demonstrate the primitive conditions and early development of what is now a bustling and well-recognised area of Bentleigh, (known as east Brighton before 1907). The photo shows a gas lamp in use before the introduction of electricity in 1916. The Smith's story is representative of the many early pioneering traders, who elected to "set up shop", who suffered the adversity of the 1890s depression, but who survived and made their living in the largely undeveloped area of East Brighton ( now Bentleigh) district. Two black and white early photographs both of the same location. The photos are of the corner of Centre and Jasper Roads, Bentleigh. (Prior to 1907 this area was known as East Brighton.) Both photos show J.L Smith's General Merchant Produce store. "Steam Chaff Cutting and Corn Crushing Mills" and the surrounding area at differing stages. In the first photo taken prior to 1910, we can see there are several horse-drawn carts loaded with hay waiting to be milled, a gas lamp and a horse "hitching post". The store is just a single unadorned, shed. The later, second photo of the same area, shows improvements and the further development of that site. On the back of the photo "Hay and Corn Store -/ not later than 1910."/"Photographer /Victor C Smith,/ Phone Number XL1472"/hitching post, methodist church, smith minnie, moorabbin shire president, gas lamp, east brighton district, 1890s depression, wattle and daub cottage, centre road, jasper road, box henry, smith john l

This secondary school textbook looks at life in Australia during the depressions of the 1890s and 1930s.Paperback, 92 p. illus.Signed Faye Fort on title page.australia history, great depression 1930s, economic depressions

The land sales in the area stopped due to the 1890s depression. For the next 20 years real estate sales virtually stopped until after WWI.Example of the progress of the Municipality of MoorabbinAdvertising flyer for auction of real estate sales - plan of building blocks for saleThe Hill Estate, Highett - 110 allotments - Auction Saturday September 22, 1917 T.R.B. Morton & Sonpoint nepean road (nepean highway), turner street, sanford street, alfred street, peace street, highett, real estate, moorabbin

The book includes articles of interest to Victoria's TAFE teachers. John McMahon's 'The Strong Providers of early Technical and Further Education' includes Mechanics' Institutes, changes in technical education, government interference post the 1890s Economic Depression, Fink Royal Commission, 1910 Victorian Secondary Education Act, Frank tate, Apprentice Trade Training Board pre 1918, Industrial Retraining of Soldiers (Repatriation).Green and black soft covered booklet with articles relating to TAFE. The editorial group for this issue was Dick Mack (Footscray), Roger Mcfarlane (Ballarat School of Mines), Peter Skilbeck (Hawthorn), Ken Eckersall (Hawthorn) and Jo gregory (Office of the TAFE Board) Contents: * A Future for TAFE by Des Thornton * The Changing Context of TAFE by Ken Eckersall * The Strong Providers of Early technical And Further Education by John McMahon * What TAFE Colleges are doing about Blackburn * Youth Programs, TAFE and the Meaning of Life! by Russell Cook * A New Model of Support Teaching in TAFE by Leonie Morgan * Integration of People with disabilities into TAFE by Leonie Morgan * Commonwealth Initiatives to Promote Women in Non-Traditional Training and Employment by Laurel Black * Multicultural education in two Colleges: Some Practical Achievements by Fiona Worthy * Teaching Writing in ESL Through the Word Processor: A Case Study by John Humann and Dennis Farrugia. * What Further Studies Mean to Me by Mike Healy * Industrial release Programs for Carpentry and joinery TAFE Teachers by Geoff Rodgers * So That's What You Can Do!: A CDO Role Analysis by Kevin Vallance * Monitoring Technological Change by Barry Brinkworth * Apprentice Training: An Update on Research by Bob Hayes. ballarat school of mines, tafe, technical and further education, technical education, peter skilbeck, roger mcfarlane, mcfarlane

Rabbits are recognised as a pest in Australia. They were often trapped and eaten especially during the depression years of the 1890s and 1930s but also the 1950s and 1960s. Steel-jaw traps work by snapping shut on the leg of an animal, holding it until a trapper arrives, or until the animal dies or wrings its paw off. They became illegal in Australia during the 1980s on animal cruelty grounds. Some old rabbit traps are valuable.Used by residents in the Kiewa ValleyA steel jaw trap has jaws that are designed to spring together. It is illegal to use them in Australia. 2 of the rabbit traps are 'S. Griffiths 3 stars IXL Ref. "one of the pioneers, well known among long-experienced trappers' Page 21 Farmyard Relics by Ken Arnold. The other trap ha a picture of a bird engrave on it.rabbit traps, steel-jaw traps

The Kew Historical Society collection includes almost 100 subdivision plans pertaining to suburbs of the City of Melbourne. Most of these are of Kew, Kew East or Studley Park, although a smaller number are plans of Camberwell, Deepdene, Balwyn and Hawthorn. It is believed that the majority of the plans were gifted to the Society by persons connected with the real estate firm - J. R. Mathers and McMillan, 136 Cotham Road, Kew. The Plans in the collection are rarely in pristine form, being working plans on which the agent would write notes and record lots sold and the prices of these. The subdivision plans are historically significant examples of the growth of urban Melbourne from the beginning of the 20th Century up until the 1980s. A number of the plans are double-sided and often include a photograph on the reverse. A number of the latter are by noted photographers such as J.E. Barnes.The so-called Camberwell Mountain View Estate was a subdivision on ‘the corner [of] Burke Road, Eyre and Wills Streets, Deepdene’. The Estate was not the first attempt to subdivide this land holding. In 1884, 1888 and 1894 the Belmore Park subdivision proposed 18 allotments for this parcel of land. The final stages of the Belmore Park subdivision occurred during the Depression of the 1890s. Apart from perhaps one block facing Burke Road, which is unnumbered in the Mountain View Estate subdivision, the rest must have remained unsold. The later subdivision would redraw the original 18 allotments, creating 22 new lots. In the Locality Plan on the left side of the subdivision plan, Deepdene Station, which formed part of the Outer Circle Railway is represented, as is the location of Deepdene Primary School. A selling point was the proposed extension of the Burke Road tram beyond its terminus at Cotham Road. The extension did not eventuate.subdivision plans - camberwell, mountain view estate

The photographic firm of Morrison & Co., were active at 81 Bourke Street East during the 1880s. Like numerous other photographers in Melbourne, their business must have been severely curtailed by the Depression of the 1890s. The sitter’s identity has been established as a Mrs. Merritt. While we know that she is not the Mrs Merritt who was to be the wife of the future Mayor of Kew, there were two Mrs Merritts who were shopkeepers in High Street, Kew. Mrs Lucy Merritt operated a bootmaker’s shop, and subsequently a “boot warehouse” from 1888 until the 1920s. Miss Laura Merritt established a dressmaker’s shop in High Street in 1910. Her business also lasted until the 1920s, albeit changed to that of a bookseller and stationer. Both portraits are of the same woman.Cabinet Card by Morrison & Co. Silver albumen studio portrait of a woman later identified as Mrs Merritt of Kew. The sitter wears a dark, figured silk two-piece outfit with matching bonnet and a fur muff. Mrs Merritt, Kewmrs merritt, morrison & co

The National Trust (Victoria) citation on the Heritage Victoria Database describes Lalla Rookh as charming and rare example of a substantial domestic building from the depths of the depression of the 1890s. It was Classified by the Trust on 22/04/1971. The first Kew Urban Conservation Study established that the house was built in 1897 for John Duncan, civil servant. By 1910 William Robert Frayne, chemist, had purchased the property. When the building was listed by the National Estate the building was described as: '... Single-storied, the symmetrical, stuccoed house features a central porch with an arched opening and pedimented consoles and a bull-nose verandah which returns down both sides and is constructed with cast iron columns and friezes. A balustraded parapet crowns the main walls of the house. The encaustic tiled verandah is distinctive.'"Lalla Rookh", 41 Fellows Street, Kew, is of architectural interest as a representative example of a villa house of the period and also forms pan of the townscape of Kew. In a late version of Boom Style Classicism, the basically modest and conventionally planned house is proportioned to emphasise the porch and heavy balustrade, contrasting with the verandah and plain wall surfaces. The parapet may have had urns originally. The encaustic tiled verandah is of note. ... Of local significance.'Photographic print positive of the facade of Lalla Rookh at 41 Fellows Street, Kew.lalla rookh, houses -- fellows street -- kew (vic.), boom style architecture, architecture -- melbourne -- 1890s

The vineyards exhibition was mounted by the Sunbury & District Heritage Association in the former George Evans Museum from August 1996 to January 1997. It featured the establishment of the vineyards and the wine industry in Sunbury from the 1860s to the present day. From the early days of European settlement in Sunbury, it was found that the soils and climate suited the growing of grapes, especially the east facing slopes along Vineyard Road. A number of people of German origin established vineyards along there. By the end of the nineteenth century and limited spending power as a result of the 1890s depression, the demand for wine declined in Victoria with beer being the preferred beverage.While Phylloxera destroyed the vines in many areas of Victoria, Sunbury's grapevines were not affected. As the demand for wine increased in the 1960s - 70s, some vineyards in the Sunbury area were replanted.The vineyards established in Sunbury in the 1860s were one of the earliest agricultural pursuits taken up by European settlers in the area and remained an important industry for 40 years.A non-digital coloured photograph of a display board advertising an exhibition of vineyards in the Sunbury area.vineyards, sunbury, vignerons, wine production

'Mandalay' at 3 Molesworth Street, Kew was originally named 'Kaikoura'. Pru Sanderson's 'Kew Urban Conservation Study' (1988) describes the house as: "The first documentary evidence of this property records that William Dawson was the original owner and occupier of this substantial two-storey mansion, built at the outset of the economic depression of the 1890s. Having an initial N.A.V. of £120 4, the house was occupied by Dawson until at least 1904. This two-storeyed rendered house is Italianate in styling and is dominated by a two-storeyed loggia that spans two facades. At ground floor level it is supported on coupled cast iron colonettes and above has single colonettes that support stilted segmental arches. The house is quite typical of its time, however it bears a strong resemblance to 39 Sackville Street probably by Beswicke and Coote (q.v.), and 'Kawarau'.in Hawthorn, designed by Coote. The similarity of these buildings and the fact that Beswicke and Coote called tenders for a house in Molesworth Street, both suggest that this house was also by that firm.Large original, black and white print positive photograph of 3 Molesworth Street, Kew The two storey Italianate mansion has a double loggia and two bay windows on the side of the property. A car is parked in front.manadaly - molesworth street (kew), historic houses -- kew, italianate architecture -- kew (vic.), kaikoura -- molesworth street -- kew (vic.), beswicke & coote

Plans for a rail connection between Colac and Beech Forest had been drawn up in 1884 and 1889 but proofed inconclusive because of the enormous cost involved in building a railway in such difficult terrain. Because of the financial depression in the early 1890s such expenditure went of hold. Towards the end of the decade planners recognised that a narrow gauge could be a viable alternative and it was taken up by the community, Parliamentary representatives and the government, although Victorian Railways administration was against the idea. This was overridden. The 1898 Parliament approved a 2 foot 6 inch gauge from Colac to Beech Forest although strict financial limits were set. The route was to be the most direct and the infrastructure the most basic. Construction began in 1900 entailing very steep grades and myriad curves until it finished in 1902. Surveyors and their assistants came before and during the track laying for the whole distance.B/W. Survey camp for the Colac-Beech Forest railway in 1901, showing nine tents, ten men including a cook, survey instruments, and three bicycles. Note the cooking fire on the right.colac: beech forest; railways; survey;

The Hoffman company was established in 1870 to mass-produce bricks using the Hoffman patent kiln and the Bradley and Craven brick press. Once established the company entered a period of expansion aided by Melbourne's building boom from 1870 to 1890. During this time approximately ten brick machines were in operation producing some 18,000 bricks per hour. An extensive pottery works were established initially supplying mainly tiles and drainpipes and later domestic pottery such as the company's Melrose ware. The company even had its locomotive shunt the works siding which connected with the Victorian Railways at South Brunswick. By 1890 Hoffman was the largest brick and pottery works in Victoria, however, the 1890s depression halted company expansion. The company joined the Brick Co-operative when it was formed in 1896. The cooperative regulated prices and output from member brickworks. As the depression ended business picked up and the works were expanded to increase the production of stoneware pottery, especially domestic wares. The brickworks, however, never recovered the momentum of the early period. During the 1920s and 1930s, the works gradually ran down, and following the Second World War, production reached an all-time low. The No.1 works were stripped and sold. (For further information regards Hoffman Kilns see note section of this document.) An item made in Melbourne by at the time the largest pottery works in Australia making industrial and domestic wares for the home and building industries. Stoneware Demijohn jug with cream and brown glaze. Printed around base of jug, MELBOURNE, 1929"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, jug, melbourne, 1929, stoneware jug, hoffman potteries

Used at the brickworks of Fritsch, Holzer & Company of Hawthorn to transport bricks and materials around the works. Fritsch Holzer Originally the company was known as the Upper Hawthorn Brick Company Ltd. It was started by brothers Johann, Martin and Anton Holzer and Gustav Augustus Fritsch. Fritsch had previously been a brick maker in Abbotsford, before moving to Hawthorn. Each had a brick works that operated next door to each other and the two works merged in 1883 to form the largest brick making company in Victoria. At its peak, they employed around eighty people and were making over 250,000 bricks per week. The depression of the 1890s caused a drastic downturn in building. Bricks were not being sold and staff laid off. The company nearly collapsed. To stave off the inevitable, in 1896 a brick co-operative was formed with Hoffman Patent Steam Brick Co., Northcote Brick Co. Ltd., New Northcote Brick Co. Ltd., Chas. Butler & Son and Fritsch, Holzer and Company. Bricks were sold throughout Victoria as the company supplied the State Government, more particularly the building of schools. They continued making bricks until the early 1970s when the works closed. The former site is now the “Ftritsch Holzer Park. The local Council purchased the 14 acre site in 1972 for $1,060.000 and used it for landfill. The site became a park in 1995. Info from Victorian Heritage Bricks, Brick Makers and Brick Works http://rameking2.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/fritsch-holzer.htmlHistoric - Narrow Gauge Industrial Brickworks Equipment - Victoria, AustraliaWheelbarrow - Timber frame with Iron bracing and wheel.puffing billy, pbr,, wheelbarrow - fritsch, holzer & company brickworks, fritsch, holzer & company

This flag was used by Esperance Girls School, a private school based in Brighton from 1894-1956. Esperance was established in 1894 at 6 Normanby Street by Misses Emsie, Marion, Gussie and Daisy Beaver. The four sisters came from a formerly-prosperous land-owning family that had suffered badly as a result of the depression of the early 1890s. At a time when few occupations were open to gentlewomen, running a school provided the sisters with a respectable means of supporting themselves. Notable teachers at Esperance during the 1890s included elocution mistress Miss Jeannie Taylor, who would later become better known as the author Mrs Aeneas Gunn. In 1924 the school was sold to Miss Marian Taylor and Miss Christina McMillan, who had previously served as joint principals of Alexandra College in Hamilton between 1909 and 1913. Both women had strong family connections to Brighton: Christina was the granddaughter of early pioneer Archibald McMillan and Marian was a relative of long-serving town clerk J. H. Taylor. The new principals relocated the school to a large two-storey house on the corner of Park Street and Esperance Avenue, where it remained until its closure. They operated the school until 1950, when they sold it to a Miss Bury, who in turn sold it to the local Baptist Church in 1956. Following this final sale, the school continued for another four terms before closing.Navy blue flag, both sides featuring a large yellow-gold crest in centre, containing image of an anchor and surrounded by semicircular scroll with the motto "SPES ANCORA ANIMAE". Background features horizontal green stripe across centre, containing smaller red stripe and bordered on each side by yellow stripes.esperance girls school, flag, school flag

"The Mechanics Institute movement flourished in Victoria from 1839 to 1950. It was based on the development of Mechanics’ Institutes in Scotland and England from the 1820s, which were intended to educate and enlighten the working classes. The term ‘mechanic’ in those days meant an artisan, craftsman or working man, especially those who had moved from rural areas to work in new city factories during the Industrial Revolution. The early Institutes were usually equipped with a reading room, a library and a lecture room. Although enjoying mixed success in Britain, they contributed to the development of public education and library services. The movement was adopted more enthusiastically in the colonies. It began slowly in Victoria but its expansion after the gold rushes population influx was rapid, especially in rural areas. Every suburb and town wanted to have a Mechanics’ Institute. During the 1850s approximately forty Institutes were established, with even greater growth in the period 1860 to 1900. By 1900 there were 400 Institutes in Victoria. The establishment of a Mechanics’ Institute was often a great achievement for a local community, requiring organising committees to raise substantial funds for a building site (where this had not been granted by the Government), and the building. Once built, the committee then had to purchase books, provide a caretaker or librarian, and finance the ongoing use of and improvements to the building. ‘The history of many Institutes is a story of tremendous community effort, and often, financial difficulties’. In addition to being monuments to local enterprise and community life, the Mechanics’ Institutes played a vital role as an intellectual forum, and in contributing to an informed and participatory democracy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They provided journals and other reading matter on local, state, national and international issues, and hosted of lectures and held debates about wider issues such as Federation, colonial nationalism, defence, female suffrage, the price of land and labour. With the development of the school and technical education in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the need for community technical and adult education declined. As a result of the introduction of government library grants in 1867, many Mechanics’ Institutes incorporated a free library in their buildings to finance collection of their books. By 1884-85, there were 257 free libraries in Victoria. However, government support and library grants dropped off in the 1890s depression. Entertainment took on a greater role in the 1890s, with the introduction of moving pictures, billiards rooms, games rooms (chess), concerts and dances. The First World War had a devastating impact on many rural communities, and some Mechanics’ Institutes were no longer viable. On the other hand the early twentieth century was also a time of agricultural development, and many country towns were growing in this period. The 1930s depression further limited growth of many libraries and reduced grants substantially. In response many Mechanics’ Institutes were renamed, for example as memorial halls, in order to retain and attract more patrons (eg at nearby Sunbury). The diminishing role for Mechanics’ Institutes and the preference for larger and better appointed halls (with supper rooms, cloak rooms etc) resulted in demolition of some small Institutes. The advent of cars, radios, and television also provided other opportunities for recreation, learning and entertainment. The greater role of municipalities in providing library services also eroded the need for free libraries. While over 500 Mechanics’ Institutes or halls are extant, very few of these retain their original role as ‘diffusers of useful knowledge’. Most are still available for community purposes, as venues for meetings, socials, civic occasions etc, while others are employed as museums, shops and theatres. Most buildings are on Crown land, and managed by a delegated committee of management, who are responsible for raising revenue to maintain aging buildings. Many of those which were originally established on private land, such as Melton, have since reverted back to the Crown, and municipal Councils. The most common Mechanics Institute building form is the simple weatherboard gable building with iron roofs, notable for their ‘honest simplicity’ rather than as ‘monuments of the ancients’. At the other extreme there are some magnificent two storeyed brick and stucco structures with elaborate ornamentation (as was apparently envisaged by some in Melton in 1905-10)". The future of Melton Mechanic Institute Gazette articlelocal architecture

Kept by Robert POWELL at 175 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, and discovered c1980 at rear of the premises 173 by Arnold GOETZ of Alfred M NOTT when moving in. (Fred NICHOLAS, Chemist, had been previous occupant for 50 years). 'Particulars of pledges' register from pawn shop Johnny Allsorts of Bay Street. Dark blue fabric cover bound in leather. One of three from the 1890s, this from 22.4.1891 to 23.3.1892depression, business and traders - pawnbrokers, robert powell, elizabeth powell, bay street, johnny allsorts pawnbroker, arnold w goetz