Historical information

The Model Dairy was founded by the Kew pioneer, James Venn Morgan. The dairy had a number of different locations in Kew depending on the time period. Its final incarnation was on the north side of Cotham Road, between Ridgeway Avenue and Kent Street, Kew. The final factory was designed by the architects Bates, Smart and McCutcheon.

Significance

Kew was a major milk producing district in the Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries, with three major dairy farms lining the Yarra between Studley Park in the west and Burke Road in the east. In addition to these dairy producers, there were also a number of accredited dairy retailers in the suburb. The largest and most enduring of these was the Model Dairy founded by the Kew pioneer James Venn Morgan. Milk bottles that include the name of the producer or retailer are historically significant as they represent a period in Kew's history before the mass production of milk in the second half of the Twentieth Century. A number of these named bottles have the additional attribute of rarity.

Physical description

Milk bottle - Model Dairy Kew.

Inscriptions & markings

Pressed inscription: "Model Dairy Ltd Kew." Reverse: " This bottle contains milk bottled for sale by Model Dairey Ltd and always remains their property. It is loaned & cannot legally be used by others. One Imperial Pint. This bottle differs from 1981.0010 in that it has two pressed rings on the neck of the bottle.