In 1888, in the section of Park Hill Road between Belmont Avenue and Normanby Road there was only one street running between Park Hill Road and Cotham Road. This was Park Road, later to be named Adeney Avenue. Subsequent 20th century subdivisions created the ‘through roads’ of Cecil Street, Wimba Avenue, Florence Avenue, Marshall Avenue, Uvadale Road, and Barrington Avenue. This subdivision represents an attempt by auctioneers, rather than town planners to create an urban environment from larger residential allotments or in many cases farmland. Existing streets such as Parkhill and Normanby Roads provided a convenient starting point for the surveyors, but the Road named ‘Street Street’ indicates the role of the private surveyor in creating streets. Given that a number of allotments are listed as sold on the plan, the street is presumably Cecil Street. Even those lots that had been sold do not quite match the dimensions of the blocks in this parcel of land today, indicating that either further subdivisions or boundary alterations occurred.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.Hand-drawn subdivision plan of 19 lots facing Parkhill Road, Normanby Road, and an unnamed street [now Cecil Street] in Kew.Estate Agent notes in ink indicate those lots which had sold.subdivision plans - kew, parkhill road - kew, cecil street - kew, normanby road - kew, cecil street -kew, parkhill road - kew, normanby road - kew, crown portion 83 - 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.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.