These two ledgers come from the Warrnambool business of Bruce and McClure. One ledger is a Petty Cash Book with entries dating from 1941 to1945 and the other is a Share Register with entries from 1916 to 1933. The business of Bruce and McClure was located at 159-165 Lava Street Warrnambool and was established about 1900 in premises originally occupied by the plumber and fitter, W. Flett and the blacksmith and farrier, W. Hopkins and in the 1890s by the engineering works of Dobson and Parkinson. Bruce and McClure were engineers, ironfounders and windmill makers and manufactured, produced and serviced farm equipment in a wide area around Warrnambool. In 1945 the business was purchased by the Owen Brothers who later relocated to Caramut Road Warrnambool where it still operates today. These ledgers are of historic interest as they contain details of the operations of an important 20th century business in Warrnambool (Bruce & McClure) and they are very useful for local research. .1 Ledger with a hard green cover and dark red binding. The pages contain red and blue lines and handwritten entries in ink. Some pages are loose and there are some inserts with typed sheets. .2 Ledger with a green cover and dark red binding on the spine. There are alphabetical tabs in the front of the book and the pages contain printed red and blue lines and printed headings. The entries are handwritten in ink. Most of the pages are empty.bruce & mcclure warrnambool, windmill makers warrnambool, owens of warrnambool

This money box is believed to be an antique Prattware piece modelled on a n English Methodist Chapel. It was a gift to a young girl, Sarah Ann Esam born in 1850 in Lincoln, England. Her parents John and Ann Esam emigrated to Australia in 1865 with six children one of whom was Sarah. John Esam became well known in Warrnambool as an engineer and windmill maker. His best known windmill is the one he made for "Lyndoch". Sarah Ann Esam died in Henna Street, Warrnambool in April 1915 on Easter Monday. This money box is of considerable significance because of its age, its artistic attractiveness and its connection to the Esam family who were prominent in Warrnambool in the 19th century. This glazed piece of pottery is a child's money box modelled on an English Methodist Chapel. It has a blue tiled roof with yellow edges, a slot for coins at the back.and two chimneys at each end of the building. The primary colour of the cottage is white It has two storeys, the upper one has six lead light windows framed with yellow and the ground storey has two brown doors with lead light fan windows. There is a pink colored figure standing in one corner of the base. The base is green representing grass. The edges of the base feature blue crosses interspersed with yellow dots. The black inscription on the front is artistically written. One chimney is damaged.as are the four base corners. S. ANN. ESAM. Born August 8th LINCOLN 1850esam, money box, prattware

This little slate notebook was given by Webb Brothers to their customers as an advertising tool. The Webb Brothers Company a large manufacturing firm in Lava Street, Warrnambool, making windmills, dairying utensils, steam boilers, and oil engines. They were also engineers, brassfounders and wholesale tinsmiths and plumbers. Motor car work became a speciality in the 1920s. In 1921 they opened a branch of their business in Melbourne (Bayswater) and the name of the firm became Presha Engineering Company. This notebook is of some interest as it was provided by Webb Brothers, an important company in Warrnambool in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also an example of the advertising techniques used by business houses at that time and an interesting example of the use of a slate pencil and slate pages as a recording mechanism.This is a brown leather notebook with three pages of slate material making eight spaces for recording notes. Notes recorded in slate can be rubbed out and the space used again. The slate pencil container is on the side of the notebook but the pencil is missing. The cover is mottled with creamy-yellow lines. The pages are edged in red and there is scribble on some pages. Front page of notebook: ‘Before purchasing talk to Webb Bros. & Co., Windmill Makers, Engineers, Ironworkers etc. Lava Street, Warrnambool ‘Phone 27, Made in Germany’ Scribble on first page ‘Wanted known’ webb brothers, warrnambool, brassfounders