The design of this small disc is from the Australian Colonial period. The cedar wood desk was made in Australian by Foy & Gibson in the 1880s, most probably in the business’s works in Collingwood, Victoria. The heavy brass locks fitted into the desk drawers were made by the famous Hobbs & Co of London, mid-late 19th century. In 1860 the business changed hands but the locks were still branded Hobbs & Co. The desk is branded with the symbol of Victoria’s Public Works Department. There is currently no information on when, where and by whom this desk was used. However, a very similar desk with Hobbs & Co. locks is on site at the Point Hicks Lightstation in Victoria and was formerly used by the Point Hicks head light keeper there. Other light stations also have similar desks from the P.W.D. (see also ‘Desk, Parks Victoria – Point Hicks Lightstation, Victorian Collections’.) HOBBS & CO., LONDON Alfred Charles Hobbs, 1812-1891, was American born. He became an executive salesman in 1840 for renowned lock manufacturer Day & Newell. His technique of exposing the weaknesses of people’s current locks was very successful in generating sales. He represented Day & Newell at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, competing with other lock makers. Through the Exhibition he became famous for picking the best trusted Bramah and Chubb locks. Hobbs’ fame led him to found his own company in 1851 then register it in 1852 as Hobbs & Co., London. Hobbs was awarded the Telford Medal by the British Institution of Civil Engineers in 1854 for his paper 'On the Principles and Construction of Locks'. In 1855 the very successful company added partners and became Hobbs, Ashley and Co. In 1860, it traded under the name of Hobbs, Hart & Co. and was based in Cheapside London, where the business remained. Hobbs then returned to America, having sold the complete company to John Mathias Hart. He briefly returned to attend the 21st anniversary celebrations of the successful business in 1872. Hobbs kept himself busy in America, inventing and manufacturing firearm ammunition, for which he held several patents. He passed away there in 1891, a month after his 70th birthday. FOY & GIBSON Mark Foy wan an Irish draper who migrated to Bendigo, Victoria in 1858, attracted by the gold rush. He lived and worked in the area, establishing a drapery business. In the 1870s he moved to Melbourne where there were better prospects for expansion. He chose a place in Smith Street, Collingwood, a suburb of Melbourne, and started his business at the rear. In 1883 Foy retired, bringing in William Gibson as a partner, and then transferred his own share of the company to his son Francis Foy. Not long afterwards Francis sold his half share to Gibson, and the business continued under the name of Foy & Gibson. Francis Foy and he and his brother Mark Foy (junior) moved to Sydney. They established a business there in 1885, named after their father, Mark Foy. Gibson added to his business by starting his own manufacturing works from 1887, producing clothing, millinery, furniture, bedding and hardware for his stores. The factories, warehouses and stores complex became one of Victoria’s largest employers. He set up branches of his stores in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide and two more branches in Melbourne. Foy & Gibson (usually referred to as Foys) became one of Australia’s largest retail department stores. In 1931 Foy’s little house in Collingwood was still part of the entrance to Foy & Gibson Emporium. In 1955 the company was bought out by Cox Brothers. Later on the stores were sold to various businesses such as David Jones, Woolworths and Harris Scarfe. In 1968 Cox Brothers went into receivership, ending almost 100 years of the business known as Foy’s. The former Foy & Gibson Complex is registered by Heritage Council Victoria. “Designed by William Pitt, this magnificent 19th and early 20th century complex of factories, warehouses and showrooms saw the production of a remarkable range of goods for Foy & Gibson, Melbourne’s earliest department store chain”. (Quoted from the Plaque erected by the Collingwood Historical Society 2007) P.W.D. – Public Works Department, Victoria The desk is stamped “P.W.D,” signifying that it is from the Public Works Department in Victoria, which operated from 1855-1987. The department was responsible for, among other things, the design and supply of office furniture and equipment for public buildings and organisations. This desk is significant historically as it originated from Foy & Gibson, a colonial Australian company that had a positive and strong impact on employment, manufacturing and retailing in Melbourne, Victoria and Australia. The significance of Foy & Gibson to Victoria’s and Australia’s history is marked by the Collingwood Complex being registered in both Heritage Victoria Register (H0755, H0897 and H0896) and National Trust Register (B2668). This locks on this desk are significant for their connection with their manufacturer, Hobbs & Co, who invented a lock that surpassed the security of any other locks produced in the mid-19th century. Desk; Australian Colonial cedar desk, honey coloured. Desktop has a wooden border with a rolled edge and a fitted timber centrepiece. The four tapered legs are tulip turned. Two half-width drawers fit side by side and extend the full depth of the desk. The drawers have dovetail joints. Each drawer has two round wooden knob handles, a keyhole and a fitted, heavy brass lever lock. Inscriptions are on the desktop, drawers, desk leg and lock. Made in Australia circa 1880 by Foy & Gibson, lock made by Hobbs & Co, London.Impressed into timber frame of one drawer “FOY & GIBSON” Impressed into lock “HOBBS & CO / LONDON”, “MACHINE MADE”, “LEVER” Impressed along the front edge of the desktop [indecipherable] text. Impressed into the timber of right front leg “P. W. D.” below a ‘crown’ symbol Handwritten in white chalk under a drawer “206” flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, desk, cedar desk, colonial desk, 1880s desk, australian colonial furniture, furniture, office furniture, office equipment, australian made furniture, colonial furniture, colonial hardware, foy & gibson, alfred charles hobbs, hobbs & co london, hobs & co lever lock, cabinetry lock, machine made lever lock, p.w.d., public works department victoria, day & newell, great exhibition of 1851, bramah lock, chubb lock, telford medal 1854, cheapside london, mark foy, mark foy – bendigo draper, smith street collingwood, william gibson, foy & gibson emporium, foy & gibson complex, cox brothers

A pair of shoes worn by a Presentation nun at Star of the Sea Convent, Gardenvale. The history of the shoes is unknown; nuns working in the convent's archive found them stored among convent records, and subsequently donated them to Brighton Historical Society. The Presentation Sisters, a Catholic order originating from Ireland, founded the Star of the Sea Convent in Gardenvale in 1883. Led by Mother Paul Fay and Mother John Byrne, they established a convent and school in a house called Turret Lodge, on the site of the present Star of the Sea College in Martin Street. The order and the school remain active in Brighton today. Foy & Gibson was one of Australia's earliest department store chains. Based in Collingwood, from 1883 until the mid-twentieth century they manufactured and sold a large range of goods, including clothing, manchester, leather goods, soft furnishings, furniture, hardware and food.Pair of black leather women's lace-up shoes with a low heel.Interior label: "COMFORT / FOY & GIBSON PTY LTD / COLLINGWOOD"shoes, nuns, foy & gibson, presentation sisters, star of the sea convent

This is a long, heavy cotton, man's nightshirt, typical of those worn c1920. Mr Edward Harrad's family lived in Moorabbin Shire.Early settlers and market gardeners established their families in Moorabbin Shire . Unfortunately few articles of male clothing survive because the men were working in hard, dirty conditions that caused great wear. Usually the worn out clothing was used as rags for cleaning etc.A long, heavy cotton, man’s nightshirtLabel ' Foy & Gibson / Shirtmakers / MELBOURNE'clothing, moorabbin, pioneers, ormond, bentleigh, dressmaking, cheltenham, early settlers, harrad edward

From the home of Wandin Sebire (Son of Henry and Martha).A pair of wooden and leather bellows for starting a fire. It has a wooden handle, leather bellows, metal studs on the side and a metal tube at the end for the air to blow through.Stamped on one side "Smith St. Foy & Gibson Pty. Ltd., Collingwood".hand bellows, objects, bellows

This pie funnel is a hollow ceramic device and is shaped like a funnel or chimney. It is used for supporting or venting a pie. Beige/stippled.The improved popular pie funnel. Carries away the steam and leaves the pie crust as light and flakey inside as on the surface. Foy & Gibson Pty Ltd, Collingwood. (green printing). pie funnel, baking implements, foy & gibson pty ltd

This cabin trunk was sold by Foy & Gibson, one of Australia's earliest department store chains. Foy & Gibson manufactured and sold clothing, manchester, leather goods, soft furnishings, hardware and food.A rectangular tin travelling trunk which was painted brown. It has rounded corners and a hinged lid which is dented. The front latch is missing. Inside the trunk it is painted red.Inside lid : ENTERPRISE Foy & Gibson COLLINGWOOD MELBOURNEluggage travel storage cabin-trunk

Book produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for womens garments. Sold by Foy and Gibson Pty Ltd, a Melbourne store.No. / 504 / Patons / KNITTING / BOOK / No. 504 / P&B / WOOLS / Featuring / PATONS / TOTEM / KNITTING / WOOL / 1'9 FOY & GIBSON PTY. LTD.handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd foy and gibson pty ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

Donated by Mrs Lockwood, Bonnie, formerly HamiltonBlack & white reproduction, unframed. Group of five in front of store owned by D.G. Hamilton. Store later was O. Gilpin, later Foy and Gibson, later still a hardware store owned by the late Fred Cooper, later demolished & at present the State Bank."D.G. Hamilton Store cnr Main & High Streets. Later O. Gilpin, later Foy & Gibson, Later Fred Cooper, then demolished for State Bank"d g hamilton, david hamilton, hamilton store

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.Small, black and white photo of the front of 'Campion Hall' [formerly Dalsraith], 99 Studley Park Road, Kew. It was designed by Architects Ussher and Kemp. It was built in 1906 as a home for S.W. Gibson of the firm Foy and Gibson, Drapers, of Melbourne. "Chap 76 / Campion Hall / Dalswraith (Gibsons) / Built about 1906 / 19"dalsraith -- dalswraith, campion house -- campion hall, glendalough

Note from collector: Once I had gathered a dozen or so blankets, I started noticing the many different labels; where they were made, by who, the logos and fonts used. Then the labels became a thing, then the blankets had to have a label to join the collection. My favourite labels are by Physician, they had at least 4 different labels over the decades but the best has to be the Lady In Bed logo. Physician, Onkaparinga, Eagley and others matched the colour of the label to the colour of the blanket - a nice touch. Strangely, Castlemaine labels were always sewn on the back of the blanket where all the other mills sewed theirs on the front. To this day I always roll or fold a blanket with its label on display.Note from collector- "For more than 100 years blankets were made all over Australia in over 100 woollen mills. My aim, is to preserve 100 examples of these wonderful pieces of history. Ten years ago I started collecting the iconic Onkaparinga travel rugs, so that on movie nights at home there would be plenty to go around. Everyone had their favourite; even the cat had his own – a small red tartan one. Keeping an eye out for those travel rugs at op-shops and markets, collectable stores and bazaars, led to noticing vintage blankets. I'd never really thought about them before or paid much attention though of course I had grown up with them at my grandmother's. When I discovered my first Laconia cream blanket with blue stripes, my eyes just went gaga. Well that was it, I was hooked and since then over 500 blankets have passed through my hands. These common, everyday items, found in all households for so many decades, were traditional engagement gifts. Pairs were prized wedding presents turning into family heirlooms. They were fashionable dressers of beds, givers of warmth, bestowers of security and reliability. The comfort found in these objects resonates with almost all of us; we grew up with them ourselves or fondly recall them in a grandparent’s home. There is no modern replacement with the integrity of these old blankets, many of them now older than most of us. They are romantic, sensible, special, familiar, nostalgic and nothing else feels so appropriate in so many situations. No offense to the great Aussie doona, but from hippie to hipster, at a music festival, picnic, campsite or couch, a vintage blanket is something coveted by all. This industry that employed tens of thousands and must have been such a huge contributor to the economy is almost completely lost now. Blanket Fever is an ode to everything that came before: the land, the sheep, the shearers, the hands, the mills, the weavers, the designers, the distributors, the department stores. To the grandparents that gave them, the people that received them, the families that kept them; thank you. I’m passionate about my collection of Australian blankets manufactured in mostly Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. The collection has blankets from each of these four decades representing the styles and fashions of their time and includes dated advertisements which help determine the eras the blankets are from." Queen-Sized plaid blanket, brown, lemon, tan and mint100% Pure Lambswool/Gibsonia/Exclusive To All Foy and Gibson Ltd. Stores/Famous Since 1868blanket, wool, blanket fever, gibsonia, foy and gibson ltd

Silver cup-shaped trophy with stem and round base. Decorative engraving. Cup has lid with "knob" handle. Two handles are at the side of the cup.On lid: Winners1893 1894 On cup: Presented by Foy & Gibson, Melbourne to the Numurkah A&P Association. To be won twicenumurkah show, numurkah a&p society, trophy, foy & gibson

Foy & Gibson Pty Ltd was a major Melbourne department store located on Smith St, Collingwood, In the surrounding streets, the company owned extensive factories that manufactured an large variety of products for its stores. The company was a major employer and contributed to the successful retail sector in Melbourne and Australia. The passing cable tram line and Foy & Gibson benefited from each other. This advertisement can be found reproduced in a number of publications.Yields information about early Melbouren retail Black and white print from a 1908 catalogue glued to thick card with label below. No note on rear. Some of the lettering on the print is faded but legible.Label below reads "From the Exhibition catalogue, 1908".foy & gibson, department store, smith st, retail sector, manufacture

Fourteen page knitting pattern book featuring black and white printed graphics and text. The cover shows a young boy wearing a knitted cardigan, shirt and tie.front: [printed] Paragon / KNITTING BOOK / No. 18 / 1/6 / 7 New Knitteds / 2 - 5 YEARS / FOY & GIBSON PTY LTDknitting, pattern, fashion, knitwear

Black and white photographWritten on back of photograph: "Coles Store, previously Foy & Gibson. Closed 1986. Bought for 1 1/4 million by Royal Bank, 1986".

Document, Cox Brothers ( Australia ) Limited, (Incorporated in Victoria), Annual Report and Accounts Year ended 31st July,1969.Subsidiaries: include Foy & Gibson Limited (Victoria); 75 Flinders Lane (Bendigo)Pty, Ltd.( Victoria)----In Liquidation (Formerly Myers (Bendigo) Pty. Ltd.Wilke and Company Limited, 37-49 Browns Road, Clayton, Victoria.document

Reproduction slide of a coloured postcard showing Smith St Collingwood, looking north with the Foy and Gibson clothing manufacturers - department store in the view along with two cable trams, one with the destination of Spencer St.Yields information about Smith St Collingwood streetscape and the Foy and Gibson St store.Kodachrome cardboard duplicate slide - Colour - reproduction postcard - Smith St Collingwood c1900 "CB18" in penciltrams, tramways, cable cars, cable trams, smith st, collingwood, foy and gibson

Bilson and Co. operated a general store in Murray Street, Colac with its history dating from 1884 to 1955. Originally founded by the Tulloh family it became known as Bilsons after 1889 when Franklin Bilson came from Allansford where he had operated a general store. Bilsons store became one of the largest stores in country Victoria. In 1952 Bilsons merged with Foy and Gibsons. and in 1955 the Foy Bilson business was sold. This label is of interest firstly because it is a memento of Bilson's stores an important 20th century business in country Victoria and secondly because Franklin Bilson and his wife, Fanny, both have their place in Warrnambool's history.Rectangular white label with dark blue text and some scroll decoration. It is adhered to a piece of pink card .DIRECT IMPORTERS OF DRAPERY DRESSMAKERS & MILLINERS TAILORS & OUTFITTERS GROCERS & GENERAL STOREKEEPERS WINE & SPIRIT MERCHANTS From Bilson & Co. MURRAY STREET, COLACcolac, drapers, tailors, dressmakers, milliners, grocers, wine and spirit merchants, general store, bilsons, foy bilson, fanny bilson captain of the allansford womens cricket team, franklin bilson

Black & White Photograph of a postcard made by the TMSV Sales of Smith St Collingwood looking north with a cable car (Spencer St) and another in the view along with horse drawn vehicles. Has the Foy & Gibson Smith St buildings in the view. It would appear the cable car ironwork has been enhanced. Two copies held - the second copy is a slightly wider view.trams, tramways, smith st, cable trams

Negative No. N337 and black and white print made by a laser printer (stored in folder ) of MMTB works car No. 7, bogie tank car for flushing rail grooves crossing Swanston St. in Bourke St., heading west with Foy and Gibsons building in the background. Photo taken Friday 24/6/1955. Alongside No. 7 is a Spencer St. bus Negative scanned hi res and imaged updated 22/5/2020.trams, tramways, melbourne, bourke st, swanston st., work trams, tram 7

Written on the back of the photo is ? George and Harold Harless. This appears to be a misidentification as the young lads look very much like in other photos of Robbie and Colin Key. Cabinet Photo Latimer Photographers, Fitzroy opposite Foy's Foy and Gibson were located at Smith Street Fitzroy William B. Latimer operated from 157 Smith Street, Fitzroy from 1896-to c.1909 and from 222 Gertude Street Fitzroy from c.1909 to 1935. As the photos states the loactuion is opposite Fopy's that dates the photo to 1896-c.1909. Given the boy's apparent ages the photos is most likely dated 1909.Inscribed on back in pencil ? George and Harold Harlesscolin hutchinson key, robert dalrymple key, latimer photographers fitzroy, pam thoonen (nee ingram) collection

Photo of a privately operated bus in Swanston St. Melbourne at the intersection of Bourke St., with Foys (Foy and Gibson) department store in the background. Bourke St. trams yet to be built. Photo taken 10-4-1950. Also has the Cosmopolitan Hotel in the background. From information provided by the Bus and Coach Society of Victoria: "The bus outside Foys belongs to Lew Page who was one of the multiple operators on Route 1 in 1950 ( he also had one bus on Route 2) which was four years before they amalgamated to form Melbourne - Brighton Bus Lines. The bus is a Reo with a Giles body. Giles Motor Body Works was based in New Street Brighton and built bodies for commercial vehicles but not a lot of buses. Their half a dozen post-war buses mainly went to operators in Routes 1 and 2. Being on Route 1, the bus would have been red and cream." Yields information about private bus lines in Melbourne and the Foy & Gibson building.Black and white print and hi res scan of a donated negative. tramways, trams, melbourne, swanston st, foy & gibson, bourke st., lew page, giles, melbourne brighton bus

Rose Series postcard No. P 3589, titled "Bourke Street looking to Parliament House, Melbourne". The photo looks east from Queen Street. There are several cable trams in the view. Has signs for Gibson, the Victoria Hotel, Osram lamps and valves, BGE, Myer, Foys, Danks, Thomas Evans, Donald Macintosh gun maker, and the Evans House, The Commercial Bank of Australia. See item 8071 for a similar image.Yields information about Bourke St c1939.Postcard - printed real photograph with Rose Stereograph Co. name on the rear.trams, tramways, cable trams, bourke st

WALTER THORNHILL SP London The firm established in 1734 by Joseph Gibbs changed its style in early 19th century to Morley & Thornhill. The firm changed to Thornhill & Co (1820), Walter Thornhill (1850), Walter Thornhill & Co (1875) Walter Thornhill & Co Ltd (1895) and Walter Thornhill & Co (1905). Advertisement in The Argus, Saturday January 22 1921 FOY & GIBSON'S Pty Ltd. Smith Street Collingwood Summer Fair Bargains Thornhill. Bednal, and Co.' Ivoride Handle TABLE KNIVES, stainless steel blades, 35/- per ½ dozen. Per TROVE A butter knife with stainless steel blade and bone handle on blade ; TRADE 'ORIS' MARK / THORNHILL, BEDNAL & CO. / SHEFFIELD ENG. / STAINLESS STEELbutter knife, sheffield england, cheltenham, moorabbin, bentleigh, early settlers, pioneers, cutlery, stainless stell, thornhill bednal & co

2 copies of photograph (1 large black and white, 1 sepia postcard)Printed below photograph: "Published by C.V. Ward. Main Street Showing Municipal Chambers, Ringwood". Written on rear of backing sheet: "1 - Town Hall - Front only 1930. 2 - Bank of Victoria, 3 - T & G Williams Hardware, 4 - SSB of Victoria, 5 - O. Gilpin Store, later Foy & Gibson, then Coles".

This is an original Argus in a maroon leather folder. The paper itself is a 32 page broadsheet which slides inside the folder for protection. A certificate of authenticity is glued to the inside cover of the folder.non-fictionThis paper contains mostly news items and advertisements of the day. However some items contained within are fictional in nature.warrnambool, the argus 1925, winslow, o'keefe, o'keeffe

This is a plain brown book with small diagonal squares pattern on the covers. La Nourriture De L'ame, ou Recueil De Prieres pour les Principales Fetes de L'annee which translates to - The Food for the Soul or Collection of Prayers for the Main Holidays of the Week. The author is Jean- Rodolphe Ostervald, pastor of the French Church of Bale. There is a drawing on the frontispiece of Jesus talking to men. At the back is a Table of Contents. Some pencil markings inside, foxing and tanning. There are two bookmarks included - One has Federal printed on it in red lettering with a rising sun pattern at each end with a French handwritten message written on the front and back. Another paper used as a bookmark has Y Foy and Gibson, Melbourne. 545p.non-fictionFood for the Soul - a collection of prayers for every day of the week and for the main holidays of the week. religion, prayers

Assorted invoices/receipts re Bush family. Bendigo and Melbourne business for Mr S Bush & Miss Merle Bush. Receipts from businesses, charities and municipal sources. Adult deaf and Dumb Society of Victoria, Union Assurance Society, British and Foreign Bible Society, Victoria League in Victoria, The Church Missionary Society, The Navy League, Victorian Railways Commissioners, The Girl Guides' Association, Robert Batchelor dentist, Albert M. Bush, Foy and Gibson Pty Ltd, Hartley's, T.S. Glasier & Co, W.H. Osborn Pty Ltd, The Northern Seed Supply, Myer Emporium, William Lunn, Allan & Co, Chaucher Library and Book Shop, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, City of Bendigo, Bendigo Sewerage Authority, Bendigo Gas Company, Bendigo Electricity Supply and Tramways, Bendigo Electricity Supply, Howard Pty Ltd, R. O. Henderson, Vacuette Company, Sands McDougall Pty Ltd, Colonial Gas Association, Stilwell's, Provincial Motors Pty Ltd.person, family, bush collection (family