Historical information

Padbury’s Funeral Parlour in Kew was the earliest business of its kind in what is now the City of Boroondara. It was established by John Padbury in 1859. Following his death, the company was renamed A W Padbury & Co. John Padbury was involved in meetings in 1861, calling for Kew to become an independent municipality. In 1863, he argued that a lunatic asylum would bring business to shopkeepers. His company was located at 13 Cotham Road, next to the rear entrance of the Kew Police Station. The two-storey building is still [in 2023] extant. Members of the Padbury family married into a number of pioneer Kew families including the Whitmans and Morgans.

Significance

Rare portrait of a significant Kew pioneer

Physical description

Original print positive 'cabinet card'. Portrait of John Padbury, first undertaker in Boroondara.

Inscriptions & markings

Obverse: “Frisby & Mason / Photographers / 134 Bridge Road Richmond”.
Reverse: “John Padbury / founder of Padbury Undertakers Cotham Rd Kew / died 90 yrs / Whitman”