George Pockett was first curator of the Alexandra Gardens in Kew. He and his brother were responsible for the design of a number of important municipal gardens.Brass memorial plaque to George Pockett. Originally located on Jubilee Rotunda in Alexandra Gardens.This Tablet was Erected / by the Kew City Council / in Token of its Appreciation of the Valued Services of George Pockett who as First Curator of the City Laid out these Gardens. Appointed 26th June 1906. Died Whilst on Duty, 18th October 1922.george pockett, alexandra gardens

George Norman Pockett, who was awarded the certificate was the son of George Pockett , who with his brother designed a number of public parks in Melbourne. George Pockett Snr. was the first curator of the Alexandra Gardens in Kew. (see Comment below)Rolls of Honor were awarded to returned soldiers at the end of the First World War by many towns and cities. This framed certificate awarded to George Norman Pockett by the Town of Kew is one of two held in the Collection. The item is well-provenanced, and through the formal use of emblems and images in the design allows us to make judgements about social and cultural values in the period.Framed Illuminated Certificate: A commemorative certificate documenting the war service of George Norman Pockett of 18 Cobden Street, Kew. George Pockett enrolled at the age of 23 on 5 October 1915, as an engineer in the Australian Army. He embarked on HMAT Wiltshire A18 on 18 November 1915. His rank was that of Warrant Officer Armament Artificer in the 4 FAB [Field Artillery Brigade]. The website of the Australian War Memorial records that he was mentioned in dispatches. The formal certificate records that ‘George Norman Pockett served Australia and the Empire in the Great War and in grateful recognition of his voluntary response to his Country’s Call his name is inscribed on the Roll of Honor of the Town of Kew’. The then Mayor and Town Clerk signed the certificate. [Kew did not become a ‘City’ until 1921]. The certificate highlights emblems and symbols of Australia and Great Britain, and includes the coats of arms of the allies in the war. The certificate is customised with two black and white photographs of Kew: the rotunda in the Alexandra Gardens at left, and boating on the Yarra River at right.George Norman Pockett served Australia and the Empire in the Great War and in grateful recognition of his voluntary response to his Country's Call his name is recorded on the Roll of Honor Town of Kew on behalf of the Mayor, Councillors and Burgesses. 1.8.18. E.P. Wynne [Mayor] H. Harrison [Town Clerk]george norman pockett, first world war - memorabilia - certificates, town of kew (vic), kew war memorial - roll of honor, wwi

The Alexandra Gardens in Cotham Road, Kew were opened by the Governor of Victoria in 1910. The first curator of the gardens was George Pockett, who with his brother is credited with the layout of the gardens. The gardens were constructed on land originally owned by the King family of 'Madford' in Wellington Street. The land on which the gardens were developed was originally the back paddock of 'Madford' which was purchased by the Borough of Kew in 1906.A rare and early photograph of the gardens showing clearly the changes to the layout and planting during the 1920s. Small, sepia coloured photographic positive of a woman standing beside a path and bridge in the Alexandra Gardens in Cotham Road, Kew.Annotation verso: "Alexandra Gardens Kew 1927"parks and gardens -- kew (vic.), alexandra gardens -- kew (vic.), george pockett

The Alexandra Gardens in Cotham Road, Kew were opened by the Governor of Victoria in 1910. The first curator of the gardens was George Pockett, who with his brother is credited with the layout of the gardens. The gardens were constructed on land originally owned by the King family of 'Madford' in Wellington Street. The land on which the gardens were developed was originally the back paddock of 'Madford' which was purchased by the Borough of Kew in 1906.A rare and early photograph of the gardens showing clearly the changes to the layout and planting during the 1920s. Small, sepia coloured photographic positive of a woman with a suitcase standing on a gravel path in front of a semi-circular garden bed in the Alexandra Gardens in Cotham Road, Kew. The main plantings in the rock-bordered bed are varieties of palms. A wooden bridge can be seen to the woman's leftAnnotation verso: "Alexandra Gardens Kew 1927"parks and gardens -- kew (vic.), alexandra gardens -- kew (vic.), george pockett

The Alexandra Gardens in Cotham Road, Kew were opened by the Governor of Victoria in 1910. The first curator of the gardens was George Pockett, who with his brother is credited with the layout of the gardens. The gardens were constructed on land originally owned by the King family of 'Madford' in Wellington Street. The land on which the gardens were developed was originally the back paddock of 'Madford' which was purchased by the Borough of Kew in 1906.A rare and early photograph of the gardens showing clearly the changes to the layout and planting during the 1920s. Small, sepia coloured photographic positive of a woman standing on the grass in front of a garden bed in the Alexandra Gardens in Cotham Road, Kew. The Centennial Rotunda, built in 1910, can be seen in the background. Annotation verso: "Alexandra Gardens Kew 1927"parks and gardens -- kew (vic.), alexandra gardens -- kew (vic.), george pockett

The ‘Alexandra Gardens’ in Cotham Road were designed and laid out by George and Thomas Pockett. The Governor of Victoria officially opened them in 1908. A report of the opening stated that “…the gardens have been laid out in large sloping lawns, divided by wide graveled paths, and dotted with tastefully arranged flower beds, which are now bright with autumn bloom”. The massed beds of shrubs and flowers included beds of chrysanthemums, a specialty of George Pockett, the Garden’s first curator. A large rotunda was constructed in 1910 to mark the Jubilee of Kew. A plaque memorialising the contribution of George Pockett, was attached to the original rotunda after his death in 1922. By 1911, electric lighting was installed to allow the public to access the Gardens, and the concerts that were held within them on summer nights. The Gardens were later to include the Jubilee Fountain, moved from the front of the Kew Post Office in 1925. The Kew Council commissioned the substantial bluestone entrance gates in 1933.The Kew Historical Society is fortunate that the City Engineer, Mr Poulter, donated a number of items held by the City of Kew to the Society for safekeeping, rather than identifying them for destruction. The most significant items donated included old maps, including those issued by the Board of Works. Other items included photographs of public works undertaken by the Department. The By-laws are part of that donation and tell us lots about the social values of the period.The Mayor, Councillors and Burgesses of the Borough of Kew published By-Law No.45 in 1908 to regulate the “Conduct of Persons whilst at or Within the Gardens known as the Alexandra Gardens”. The By-Law also set a charge for “Persons Using or Entering in or upon the said Gardens”. The 17 by-laws included predictable prohibitions on expectorating, using indecent language, interfering with the floral displays, or indeed with the caretaker gardeners. Other acts prohibited included a warning that “Children under the age of ten years not being under the control of some competent person may be removed from said gardens”. The Alexandra Gardens were at one stage surrounded by a picket fence. This might explain the prohibition on climbing upon or getting through over or under any fence at or within the gardens. The financial penalty for breaching the By-Law was determined as “…not exceeding Ten pounds and not less than Five shillings”. This original copy of the By-Law was donated to the Kew Historical Society by the City of Kew.alexandra gardens (cotham road, kew), city of kew

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). Development in the 20th century has irreparably altered that part of Kew represented in this plan. In the block bounded by Cotham Road, Charles Street, Wellington Street and Gellibrand; just one house standing in 1903 remains. This block included two of the most historic houses in Kew: ‘Ordsall’ (later ‘Southesk’) and ‘Madford’ (previously ‘Elm Lodge’). Ordsall was the home of the second chairman of Kew, John Halfey. It contained some of the most significant interior murals in Kew, created for Halfey by artists working for Cullen & Co. It was demolished in 1960 to make way for the Kew Civic Centre. Elm Lodge had been built for William Siddeley in ca. 1864. Arthur Septimus King purchased it in 1874. The lower paddocks of Madford were sold in 1905 by his wife to the Borough of Kew and, after landscaping by George and Thomas Pockett, opened as the Alexandra Gardens in 1908. Elm Lodge/Madford was in 1922 to become St. Anthony’s Home for Little Children before its subsequent demolition in the 1980s.melbourne and metropolitan board of works, detail plans, maps - borough of kew, mmbw 1576, cartography