Historical information

The Kew Historical Society collection includes almost 100 subdivision plans pertaining to suburbs of the City of Melbourne. Most of these are of Kew, Kew East or Studley Park, although a smaller number are plans of Camberwell, Deepdene, Balwyn and Hawthorn. It is believed that the majority of the plans were gifted to the Society by persons connected with the real estate firm - J. R. Mathers and McMillan, 136 Cotham Road, Kew. The Plans in the collection are rarely in pristine form, being working plans on which the agent would write notes and record lots sold and the prices of these.

Significance

The subdivision plans are historically significant examples of the growth of urban Melbourne from the beginning of the 20th Century up until the 1980s. A number of the plans are double-sided and often include a photograph on the reverse. A number of the latter are by noted photographers such as J.E. Barnes.

Physical description

The Mount Ida Estate was a subdivision of fifty-two residential allotments bordering Tooronga Road, Leura Grove, Constance Street, and Mount Ida Avenue in Hawthorn East. The report of the sale of the Estate in The Argus (21 September) claimed that over 1,000 people attended the auction and that all allotments were sold on the day. On the other side of Constance Street, the plan identifies the ‘Eastern Recreation Reserve’ (now Anderson Park).