James Venn Morgan was known affectionately as ‘The Father of Kew’. Born in Somersetshire on February 21, 1823, he sailed to Australia in April, 1851. James V. Morgan, was a member of one of the first parties to leave for the diggings. At Chewton, near Castlemaine his party tried their luck in an abandoned shaft, and in two weeks returned to Melbourne after having won 35lb weight of gold. James Venn Morgan was content with his success, and induced his partners to invest their money with him in land. After obtaining the advice of a friend, the party negotiated with Mr Samuel Watts, of Collingwood, who had recently purchased land from the Crown, and from him they took over at £15 an acre about 32 acres of land in the district that is now known as Kew. This land extended from where the Kew Post-office now stands to the locality of the Boroondara Cemetery. Here it was that Mr Morgan decided to settle, and, after having had the land surveyed, the partners apportioned it by drawing straws for the four sections into which it had been divided. One of them sold his holding later in the year for £100 an acre, and was sorry for it afterwards. In 1853 Mr. Morgan built the first house in Kew, and this house is the one in which he still resides. Here with his wife, he settled down to market gardening and dairying. So successful was the new venture that he induced his father and other members of the family to come out to Australia to assist him. Gradually the district became settled, Mr. Morgan parted with a portion of his holding, and subdivided and built on the remainder, which he still retained. In 1884 he found himself in a position to retire from active business.He celebrated his 100th birthday in 1923. He was later to die in the same year. The Argus, 17 January 1923.Rare and historic hand-tinted framed portrait of one of the founding pioneers of the district.Hand tinted photograph in a gilt frame of the Kew pioneer James Venn Morgan (1823-1923).james venn morgan, kew - pioneer families, kew - landowners

Boroondara Cemetery, established in 1858, is within an unusual triangular reserve bounded by High Street, Park Hill Road and Victoria Park, Kew. By the 1890s, the Boroondara Cemetery was a popular destination for visitors and locals admiring the beauty of the grounds and the splendid monuments. The Boroondara Cemetery is of historical significance for the graves, monuments and epitaphs of a number of individuals whose activities have played a major part in Australia's history. They include the Henty family, artists Louis Buvelot and Charles Nuttall, businessmen John Halfey and publisher David Syme, artist and diarist Georgiana McCrae, actress Nellie Stewart and architect and designer of the Boroondara and Melbourne General Cemeteries, Albert Purchas.Walking tour led by Kew Historical Society members for members of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria in 1977. The photograph shows a Kew youth placing a sprig of Rosemary on Ellen Quick's grave. The photograph was one of six taken by KHS member Stewart West on that occasion, and subsequently donated by him to the collection by him.Reverse: "Kew youth placing a sprig of rosemary on grave of Ellen Quick nee Derrick who was the first burial on 12/3/1859. Her family Derricks were early Kew Landowners." boroondara general cemetery, kew cemetery, walking tours, ellen quick, dannock family, kew pioneers

Wills Street in the Kew ward of Studley Park was named after Thomas Wills. 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 SocietyA copy of a portrait of Thomas Wills, aged 56 years. Wills was an early landowner in Kew.Thomas Wills - Born Sydney 1799. Built Willsmere Farm ca. 1850thomas wills, kew, dorothy rogers, wills street, wills family

Streets and drains were the basic infrastructure problems for Kew in the 1880s. Decent streets and drains were fundamental to the quality of life of the residents. Without drainage, streets became muddy, boggy and sometimes impassable. Pools and puddles of stagnant water became smelly. The run off water, mixed with human and animal wastes, because there was no sewerage, became a health hazard. Streets and drains then became what were known as 'a nuisance'. Kew suffered from bouts of typhoid fever during the 1880s. Derrick Street was a private street on the margin of the business district of Kew and a well-used thoroughfare. We hear first about Derrick Street when the ratepayers applied to Council to have the street 'taken over' in January 1881. The Council agreed, after much debate, but ratepayers had to pay half the costs. The argument of the majority of the Council was that there was an established policy that ratepayers of private streets either had to hand over the street fully-formed or pay half the costs if Council did the work. It was felt that to make an exception for Derrick Street would create a precedent for ratepayers of other private streets. On the other hand the ratepayers, and a minority of Council, believed that there were extenuating circumstances in the case of Derrick Street. They believed that the costing by the Borough Surveyor was excessive. They felt the Council was partly responsible for the state of the street due to a channel on Bulleen Road, which deposited sand in the street. The Council had also put in some kerbing at the entrance to the street. Finally, the ratepayers believed that the street had become an important and convenient thoroughfare in Kew, and thus should be an exception to the policy on private streets. In the end a decision was delayed to allow the ratepayers to drain and form the street themselves. And there the matter stood till September 1882, when Miss Reilly complained about rubbish on a block of land in Derrick Street. So, in October 1882 the Council agreed to take over and form the street with the ratepayers paying half the costs. The ratepayers did not want to pay, so the argument continued in Council into 1883. There was a standoff for a further 18 months, until the problem could no longer be ignored. In October 1884 the Inspector of Nuisances and the Health Officer reported that Derrick Street was a health hazard as there was no drainage outlet for waste water. These reports changed the status of the problem of Derrick Street. It became an issue of public health, and thus the Council, acting as the Local Board of Health, had power to prepare plans and order the ratepayers to drain the street and pay all the costs, or let the Council do the work and charge ratepayers half the costs of the works. By April 1885, the time for ratepayers to complete the works themselves had expired, so the Council proceeded with the work and required ratepayers to pay for their share of the costs. All ratepayers had paid by the end of April except Mr Whiddycombe, who refused to pay. Mr Whiddycombe was warned to pay in October 1885. Legal action was taken against him in November. The Council lost the case on technical grounds. The Council, acting as the Local Board of Health, relaunched the legal action and won. The last we hear of Derrick Street is that seven day’s notice was given to Derrick Street ratepayers to pay for the drainage works in May 1887. We presume that Mr Whiddycombe paid. (Research: Andrew Frost)Rare and historic publication issued by the Board of Health in the Borough of Kew in 1885 to residents of Derrick street regarding the need for proper drainage for the purpose of improving public health.Printed formal notice sent by the Board of Health of the Borough of Kew to landowners in Derrick Street, Kew. The notice advised the owners that they were required to form and drain the street according to the levels and specifications approved by the Board. The letter was sent on January 23rd 1885, and signed by the Inspector of Nuisances.borough of kew -- greater melbourne (vic.), council notices -- public health, derrick street -- kew (vic.)

James Venn Morgan was known affectionately as ‘The Father of Kew’. Born in Somersetshire on February 21, 1823, he sailed to Australia in April, 1851. James V. Morgan, was a member of one of the first parties to leave for the diggings. At Chewton, near Castlemaine his party tried their luck in an abandoned shaft, and in two weeks returned to Melbourne after having won 35lb weight of gold. James Venn Morgan was content with his success, and induced his partners to invest their money with him in land. After obtaining the advice of a friend, the party negotiated with Mr Samuel Watts, of Collingwood, who had recently purchased land from the Crown, and from him they took over at £15 an acre about 32 acres of land in the district that is now known as Kew. This land extended from where the Kew Post-office now stands to the locality of the Boroondara Cemetery. Here it was that Mr Morgan decided to settle, and, after having had the land surveyed, the partners apportioned it by drawing straws for the four sections into which it had been divided. One of them sold his holding later in the year for £100 an acre, and was sorry for it afterwards. In 1853 Mr. Morgan built the first house in Kew, and this house is the one in which he still resides. Here with his wife, he settled down to market gardening and dairying. So successful was the new venture that he induced his father and other members of the family to come out to Australia to assist him. Gradually the district became settled, Mr. Morgan parted with a portion of his holding, and subdivided and built on the remainder, which he still retained. In 1884 he found himself in a position to retire from active business. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 1923. He was later to die in the same year. The Argus, 17 January 1923.Rare and-tinted framed photograph af Annie Morgan, the wife of one of the founding pioneers of the district.Hand tinted photograph in a gilt frame of Anna Morgan (nee Chidgey), the wife of James Venn Morgan. Anna Morgan was the wife of one of Kew's earliest pioneers and landowners. She died in 1915.anna morgan, kew - pioneers

William Derrick was an early landowner in Kew, and with James Venn Morgan and James Dannock the purchaser of the parcel of land bounded by Cotham Road, High Street and Mary Street. Derrick Street in Kew is named after him.Map mounted under perspex. ‘Plan of Mr Willia Derrick's Land, Kew being Subdivision of Part of Section 86, Parish of Boroondara, County of Bourke’. This is a copy of the plan held in the State Library of Victoria.kew subdivision plan, john derrick, subdivision plans -- kew (vic.)

James Venn Morgan was one of the early landowners in Kew. In later life he owned the Model Dairy. 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.James Venn Morgan and his three daughtersJames Morgan and 3 daughtersjames venn morgan, dorothy rogers

James Venn Morgan was known affectionately as ‘The Father of Kew’. Born in Somersetshire on February 21, 1823, he sailed to Australia in April, 1851. Morgan was one the most important landowners and pioneers in Kew. He founded the Model Dairies. Studio portrait, mounted on card, of James Venn Morgan on the occasion of his 100th birthday. JAMES VENN MORGAN ON HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY / 21/2/23james venn morgan, model dairy, pioneers -- kew (vic.)

James Venn Morgan was one the most important landowners and pioneers in Kew. He founded the Model Dairies. 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.Mr and Mrs James Venn Morgan of Charles Street, Kew with one of their daughters and their granddaughter.Four generations of Morgan Familyjames venn morgan, kew

This King George III 1797 penny, colloquially described as a ‘Cartwheel’ because of its large size and thick rim, was manufactured in Great Britain from 1797-99. The penny and the twopence were the first coins shipped to New South Wales by the British Government. In 1800, Governor King issued a proclamation that forbade their export. This coin is one of the 132,000 coins sent to Australia in 1800. It is not uncommon to find cartwheel pennies used as containers. They were reputedly used to conceal a more valuable coin or for smuggling. The penny was purchased by the Society as part of a small collection of Henty memorabilia and portraits from the owner of Moorabool Antiques, Geelong in 2021, which had in turn acquired the item from the estate of Dennis Alston of Alston's Antiques in Hamilton, Victoria.This cartwheel penny, used to contain a lock of hair of Thomas Henty (1775-1838), is of statewide significance to Tasmania, where he settled and died, and to Victoria, where his children and their descendants were notable pioneers, squatters and subsequently landowners in the Western District. The item is also of national significance for its strong connection to the Henty family, notable British settlers of southeastern and southwestern Australia in the 1830s. The connection to Kew (Vic.) is that members of the Henty family owned important mansions in Kew in the 19th century. Thomas Henty was the father of Stephen George Henty of 'Findon', and Francis Henty of 'Merino Downs' in the Western District and 'Field Place', Kew. Numerous members of the Henty family are buried in the Boroondara General Cemetery.Object of personal memorabilia. Coiled and bound lock of hair of Thomas Henty contained in a hollowed-out copper 'cartwheel' penny.OBVERSE: Georgius III . D : G . REX / REVERSE: Britannia 1797 / SELLER'S LABEL: Lock of hair from the late Thomas Henty, born 1775thomas henty, henty family, launceston, west tarring -- sussex (uk), tasmanian pioneers, australia - early settlers, cartwheel pennies