Historical information

Ordsall (c.1864-1970) - Situated on the southwest corner of Cotham Road and Charles Street, the single-storey Italianate mansion, Ordsall, was built for John Halfey in the 1860s. Following extensions in 1878 and 1881to designs by Michael Hennessy, Halfey commissioned the decorating firm of Cullis Hill & Co to create elaborate coloured frescoes on the ceilings of the drawingroom and ballroom in 1882. These frescoes were among the finest created in Melbourne during this period. Sold in 1905 to David Carnegie, and renamed South Esk, it was sold to the City of Kew in 1947 and demolished in 1970.

Significance

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. 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

The front garden and facade of South Esk in Cotham Road, Kew, during the period when it was owned by the City of Kew. The mansion was demolished by the City in 1970.

Inscriptions & markings

"2. Chap 22 Southesk . Ordsall John Halfey. Orig. part to 1858. Additional about 1862. Southesk once Ordsall . Demolished to make way for Municipal Chambers. Commenced approx. 1858 added front by John Halfey 1862."