Historical information

Ross House, formerly called Charleville, was built as a two-storey mansion in 1889 for Charles Donaldson. It was designed in the Italianate style by the architect H. Shallers and built by G. Ginham. Dr Tom King, surgeon purchased Charleville from Donaldson in 1939 and renamed it Ross House.

Significance

This work forms part of the collection assembled by the historian Dorothy Rogers (1905-1973), donated to the Kew Historical Society by her son 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 from the 1960s to the 1970s.

Physical description

Facade of 'Ross House' (formerly 'Charleville') in Cotham Road, Kew.

Inscriptions & markings

Inscription verso: "Ross House , Bib Stillwell, Cotham Rd".