Pru Sanderson, in her groundbreaking ‘City of Kew Urban Conservation Study : Volume 2 - Development History’ (1988), summarised the periods of urban development and subdivisions of land in Kew. The periods that she identified included 1845-1880, 1880-1893, 1893-1921, 1921-1933, 1933-1943, and Post-War Development. These periods were selected as they represented periods of rapid growth or decline in urban development. An obvious starting point for Sanderson’s groupings involved population growth and the associated economic cycles. These cycles also highlighted urban expansion onto land that was predominantly rural, although in other cases it represented the decline and breakup of large estates. A number of the plans in the Kew Historical Society’s collection can also be found in other collections, such as those of the State Library of Victoria and the Boroondara Library Service. A number are however unique to the collection.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 ‘Harvest Home Estate’ was advertised as being a subdivision in East Kew. Now, Campbell and Owen Streets on which the allotments were located are classed as being in Kew. The Estate included 11 residential allotments abutting the Outer Circle Railway line [at the end of Owen Street]. Understandably, the vendors focused on the availability of transport by tram, noting that the Estate was near the High Street tram terminus at the Harp of Erin. A small note on the subdivision advises that the Cotham Road tram was only 3 minutes away. The location – ‘The most elevated position in lovely Kew’ – was also promoted as an advantage.subdivision plans - east kew, harvest home estate

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.An elevated, modest weatherboard house, photographed towards the end of the construction phase. The lower section of the weatherboards are exposed and stained. The upper section is rendered with rough-cast. The tiled roof has a single gable that extends over the centrally placed front porch. On the porch, the door and single sidelight are filled with coloured leadlight whereas the casement windows in the front rooms contain plain glass. The leadlight and the wrought iron of the verandah are the only decorative elements of the utilitarian design. The location of the house, which was advertised for sale, has not to date been identified. The real estate photograph is mounted on the reverse of a subdivision plan for the Harvest Home Estate, Kew East.Photographer's stamp, lower right on mount: "A. Aberline, Glenferrie"houses - kew, bungalows - kew, real estate photographs

Eliza McGlone was the wife of John McGlone and they were early settlers in Mitcham. They ran one of the earliest hotels in Mitcham: 'The Harvest Home' from 1873. The hotel was conducted in the front room of their house in Whitehorse Road, Mitcham, on the corner of what is now McGlone Street. The hotel closed in 1889. John McGlone died on 3 September 1892 aged 65. Eliza McGlone continued to live in Mitcham until her death on 2 January 1921, aged 85. She had been Mitcham's first official Postmistress and, following several others who had held that position, she returned to that role for a period up to 1914 when Bertha Markham was appointed. The McGlones owned substantial rental properties and had donated one acre in central Mitcham for the Catholic Church. The McGlone Estate was subdivided in 1924, but the name is perpetuated in McGlone Street, Mitcham, near the site of the old Harvest Home Hotel.Black and white photo (three copies of an original taken circa 1890) of Mrs. Eliza McGlone. mcglone, eliza, harvest home hotel, whitehorse road, mitcham, mcglone street