In the 1930s, the Studley Park Trust decided to cater for young children by constructing wading pools in the Studley Park Reserve where the Collins Bridge crosses into Kew. The earliest references to the pools in newspaper articles and letters to the editor appear in the late 1930s. The eventual closing date of the Studley Park Pools has not been discovered, but it was clearly still in existence in 1940 when a representative of the Trust described the facility as one of many public fixtures requiring regular maintenance. Black and white print positive of the former wading pools in the Studley Park Reserve (now Andrews Reserve) on the Kew side of the Collins Bridge. In the foreground adults are sitting on seats while small children play in the pools. The Abbotsford Convent is in the background.Reverse: "Collins Bridge / Wading pools Collins Bridge"andrews reserve -- kew, studley park trust, wading pools -- kew, studley park reserve

At the beginning of the 1890s, the Kew businessman and Town Councillor, Henry Kellett, commissioned J.F.C. Farquhar to photograph scenes of Kew. These scenes included panoramas as well as pastoral scenes. The resulting set of twelve photographs was assembled in an album, Kew Where We Live, from which customers could select images for purchase.The preamble to the album describes that the photographs used the ‘argentic bromide’ process, now more commonly known as the gelatine silver process. This form of dry plate photography allowed for the negatives to be kept for weeks before processing, hence its value in landscape photography. The resulting images were considered to be finely grained and everlasting. Evidence of the success of Henry Kellett’s venture can be seen today, in that some of the photographs are held in national collections.It is believed that the Kew Historical Society’s copy of the Kellett album is unique and that the photographs in the book were the first copies taken from the original plates. It is the first and most important series of images produced about Kew. The individual images have proved essential in identifying buildings and places of heritage value in the district.This is the earliest known photograph of the exterior of Byram (later Tara Hall). It shows the original red brick fence, its asymmetrical gate and gateposts, with a large terra cotta gargoyle surmounting the higher of the two. The architect, Edward Kilburn designed Byram in the Arts & Crafts style for the industrialist George Ramsden. Construction began in 1888 and was reputed to have lasted three years. The mansion had frontages to Studley Park Road and Stevenson Street, including gardens laid out with great taste, including pleasure grounds, tennis lawn, fruit and flower garden, and paddock. The size of many of the trees in the garden indicate that many survived from the garden of Clifton Villa, the previous single-storeyed house built on the site by the Stevenson brothers. Byram had views to Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay. The house was demolished in 1960, despite opposition from the National Trust (Victoria), and its gardens subdivided into residential allotments.A View in Studley Park Roadkew illustrated, kew where we live, photographic books, henry kellett, byram, tara hall, goathlands

In 1979, a series of photographs of significant gardens in Kew (Victoria) were taken during a tour by Peter Watts, Historic Gardens Coordinator of National Trust Victoria. These were later purchased to add to the collection. In the case of each photo the colour had badly degraded over time. Original colour (degraded) positive photograph of 'Raheen', Studley Park Road, , Kew. A view of the south facing facade. Annotated in ink on reverse: "Raheen Front View with sweeping driveway / Oct 1979"gardens -- kew (vic.), raheen, studley park road -- kew (vic.)

The architect, Edward Kilburn designed Byram in the Arts & Crafts style for the industrialist George Ramsden. Construction began in 1888 and was reputed to have lasted three years. The mansion had frontages to Studley Park Road and Stevenson Street, including gardens laid out with great taste, including pleasure grounds, tennis lawn, fruit and flower garden, and paddock.The size of many of the trees in the garden indicate that many survived from the garden of Clifton Villa, the previous single-storeyed house built on the site by the Stevenson brothers. Byram had views to Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay. The house was demolished in 1960, despite opposition from the National Trust (Victoria), and its gardens subdivided into residential allotments.An early photograph of Goathland (also known as Byram, Lowan and Tara Hall). The photo shows the front of the building during the period of Sir Malcolm McEacharn’s occupation of the house (1901-11). Edward George Kilburn, of Ellerker & Kilburn, had originally designed the house for the industrialist George Ramsden in 1888. When Sir Malcolm McEacharn purchased Byram, he was to rename it as Goathland. This has led to some confusion, as Goathland was also the name used for McEacharn’s other home in St. Kilda. The period of McEacharn’s ownership represented the high point of the mansion’s history. 'Lost Glories: a memorial to forgotten Australian buildings' was published by David Latta in 1986. It tells the story of a number of significant Australian buildings that had previously been demolished. A chapter in the book was devoted to Goathland, later known as Tara Hall. To supplement the text, he sourced photographs from a range of suppliers, chiefly the Royal Women's Hospital which had once owned Tara Hall, but had sold it in 1960. This is one of the photographs donated to KHS by the author."'Goathland', The Residence of Sir Malcolm D McEacharn"byram, goathland, tara hall, lowan, studley park road -- kew (vic.), melbourne mansions, e g kilburn - architect

Colour transparency (slide) created in June 1976 during a tour by the Junior National Trust, which was led by members of Kew Historical Society. The collection of 21 slides reveals that the tour covered all parts of Kew, but focused understandably on heritage buildings and sites.Image of an historic place in Kew that can be dated to an exact time and place. The images, albeit amateurish in composition, frequently reveal aspects of important buildings and sites that have changed over time.35mm colour transparency of Raheen in Studley Park Road, Kew in 1976. The building of the house commenced in 1870, while major additions were made in 1884. The view is of the fence and tower. Presumably the photograph was taken from Studley Park Road. The property was still during this period the palace of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne. The colour of the slide has degraded over time. historic houses -- kew (vic.), raheen -- studley park road -- kew (vic.)

Born in Bendigo and trained as a nurse in the 1950s, Sonia Jill O’Brien devoted a lifetime to social and environmental issues at both the state and local level. From her work in the 1960s with the Family Planning Association of Victoria, of which she was a founding member, through to the 1990s as a member of the Ethics Committee of the Department of Health, she supported efforts to improve women’s health and reproductive rights. At the local level she was most active on committees that worked to save the natural and built environment. The Power-line Action Group, the Studley Park Conservation Society, and the Yarra Bend Park Trust all benefitted from her indefatigable endeavours as well her vision. In 1980, Jill O’Brien successfully stood for the Kew City Council and served as Mayor in 1983 and 1984. With an eye to preserving the past as well as guarding the future, she had the Mayoral robes restored and in 1980 and 1981 was president of the Kew Historical Society. The preservation and restoration of Villa Alba in Walmer Street owes much to her determined efforts throughout the 1980s. On Council, she chaired a number of committees involved in the saving of the Kew River Parklands from the proposed transmission line of the SEC. To this end, she was the Council representative on the Merri Yarra Municipal Protection Committee.Rare colour photograph, used as the official mayoral portrait of Cr Jill O'Brien.Formal civic portrait of Cr Jill O'Brien in red mayoral robes wearing lace jabot and cuffs. The portrait is part of the larger Jill O'Brien Collection donated by her daughters.cr jill o'brien, city of kew -- mayors, mayoral portraits -- city of kew