Historical information

Ross House, formerly called Charleville, was built as a two-storey mansion in 1889 for Charles Donaldson. It was designed in the Italianate style by the architect H. Shallers and built by G. Ginham. Dr Tom King, surgeon purchased Charleville from Donaldson in 1939 and renamed it Ross House. 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.

Significance

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.

Physical description

Facade of Ross House (formerly Charleville) in Cotham Road, Kew. The image was selected by Dorothy Rogers for inclusion in 'A History of Kew' (1973), facing page 80.

Inscriptions & markings

Ross House. Built 1889 by Donaldson. Known then as Charleville. Not published.