The Municipality of Kew was proclaimed in 1860. This eastern section of Kew was settled from the 1850s with all land sold in the vicinity by 1851. The original large estates were further subdivided in the second half of the 19th and in the first decades of the 20th centuries.Early aerial photograph of KewFramed aerial photograph of that part of Kew in which is located Genazzano FCJ, the Kew Reservoir, and the retail nurseries of Bennett’s and Rimington's.genazzano fcj, kew reservoir, rimington's nurseries, bennett's nursery, cotham road, mont victor road (kew)

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 house lots in the Rimington Nursery Estate were advertised for sale on Saturday 22nd October 1949. The nine lots in the sale were in Stoke Avenue and Burke Road. Mathers & McMillan of 136 Cotham Road, Kew, offered the lots for sale. [The final sale of lots within the Rimington Nursery Estate occurred as late as 1958.]subdivision plans - kew, rimington nursery estate, monist victor road - kew (vic.)

George Rimington established The Parkhill Nursery in 1877. By 1910, it was more commonly known as Rimington’s Nurseries and well known for its sale of violets. After World War II, Rimington’s Nurseries were gradually subdivided and sold. The 38 allotments were released in sections, including lots 34 to 36 on the corner of Mont Victor Road and Victor Avenue. Previous lots in the subdivision had bordered Burke Road, Rimington Avenue, Heather Grove, and Stoke Avenue. The selling point as it had been in comparable estates for a century were the proximity to transport, schools and churches, as well as the high location and excellent views. The subdivision plan shows most of the lots in the entire subdivision: 1-11, 13-26, and 34-38. Presumably, lot 12 and lots 27-33 were still to be released.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence of the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold on which a built structure was subsequently constructed 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.Subdivision plan advertising five superb home sites among lots in Burke Road, Stoke Avenue, Victor Avenue, Mont Victor Road and Heather Grove.subdivision plans - kew, rimington avenue -- kew (vic.), heather grove -- kew (vic), stoke avenue -- kew (vic.), burke road -- kew (vic.), mont victor road -- kew (vic.)

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.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence of the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold on which a built structure was subsequently constructed 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.A preliminary plan for the Mont Victor Hill subdivision of 1936 which included 23 allotments bordering the Rimington Nursery in Mont Victor Road. The subdivision created allotments in Victor Avenue, Heather Grove and Burke Road. Bisecting the Estate and clearly marked on the plan is the Railway Reserve which at this stage was all that remained of the Outer Circle Railway. The auctioneers note on the plan that the subdivision was made possible by the order of Messrs S. H. Bennet & H. Wright, the executors of the Wills of S. Bennett & E. Foreman.mont victor hill estate, subdivision plans - kew

The Keoghs took up Lot 7 in the Village Settlement in 1905. John Keogh was a big Irishman and cleared many of the giant trees on his Lot 7. They had little water for their crops so grew gooseberries and red currants rather than the more valuable strawberries. Mrs Keogh (nee Cleary) inherited money in 1906 and they built a new weatherboard house. The original bush hut remained as the kitchen. Son James (Jimmie) married Mary Walsh, a teacher at the local school. Jimmie built the small shop on the triangle of land cut off when the CRB road went through. Jimmie and his wife left the district when he joined Victoria Police. Jimmie came back to the area and finally sold the land of Lot 7 to Rimington's Nurseries. He moved his family to Kilsyth. In 1939 the shop was moved across the road to be used as an office by the road builders. It burned down that year.Black and white photograph of a man, woman and young male standing outside a wooden hut. There are crop remnants in the foreground and a wooden paling fence behind the hut. A label on the front reads A SETTLER'S HUT. Reverse of photograph has handwritten description by John Lundy-Clarke.Front: A SETTLER'S HUT Reverse: 1905 Keogh's hut on Falls Road then Main Road. This was later the kitchen of their extended home as described in the narrative "Mountain of Struggle". The figures are - Mrs Keogh. John Keogh settler. Son James Keogh.keogh, john keogh, james keogh, jimmie keogh, mary walsh, cleary, shop, store, gooseberries, rimington's nursery