Historical information

Comparatively few weatherboard houses in Kew survived from the early years of settlement into the second half of the 20th century. One such property was ‘Reno’, which once stood on the east side of St John’s Parade.
Its earliest recorded owner was the architect Samuel Cocking who lived there from c.1865 until his death in 1888. The original landholding was bordered by Cotham Road, Glenferrie Road, Wellington Street, and Charles Street. The southern portion of this land included a fine orchard, with many imported trees. The old summer house, at first in the orchard, was later removed to the house garden.
The MMBW Detail Plan No.1576 (1904) shows the remaining portion of the original land holding, including a semi-circular pathway at the front, and garden features such as an aviary, a fountain and grotto, and a fernery. None of these are apparent in photographs dating from the 1960s, where the garden, which once included rare plants provided by Baron Von Mueller, surrounds the cottage in a tangled frenzy.
Despite a ‘local significance’ classification by the National Trust, the house was demolished in 1977.

Physical description

Wallpaper fragment from ‘Reno’. This large single example is interesting as it represents a change in fashion and style from the finely drawn flowers (1971.0002.1) of an older paper, parts of which can be seen behind this sample. Typically the updating of wallpapers was accomplished by laying a new paper over the old. The ‘newer’ wallpaper is of a single colour, the tone of which may have suffered from colour distortion due to ageing. The new block-printed design, featuring repeated sprays of flowers and leaves combines a bold use of colour with an elegance of design.