Showing posts with label Elmsford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elmsford. Show all posts

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Dandenong House boarding house

In April 1911 (1) James Fenton Andrews opened Dandenong House, his palatial edifice (2) in Foster Street, Dandenong, and which was situated on an eminence above the railway station (3). 


Dandenong House, c. 1911. Photographer: Albert Jones.

The building contained 40 rooms (4) which had been planned with regard to convenience and comfort, and the arrangement of smoking and ladies' rooms, as well as general conveniences, leaves nothing to be desired (5). The spacious dining room was 40 feet by 30 feet (6). The building was designed by local architect, W.H. Orgill (7). William Henry Orgill later became a District Inspector in the Public Works Department (8).  In 1951 the Loyal Dandenong Lodge of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows celebrated sixty years and an article in the Dandenong Journal listed their longest serving members, led by Mr Orgill who had joined July 4, 1895 (9)


The first advertisement in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal May 18, 1911.

The operation of Dandenong House got off to a dramatic start when on the night of June 21, 1911 the roof was blown off by a cyclonic wind. The Argus reported that the ornamental parapet was thrown over, in its descent tearing through the iron balcony roof and floor. A chimney stack was blown over, and it crashed into an unoccupied bedroom. Some of the bricks found their way to other apartments, but, strange to say, nobody was injured. The large plate-glass windows of the front shops escaped damage. There were over 20 lodgers in the house, including a newly-married couple on their honeymoon (10)The building was quickly repaired and no doubt the honeymooners had an exciting tale to tell when they returned home. 

James Fenton Andrews, the owner of Dandenong House was born in 1862 in Dandenong to James and Clearie (nee Maple) Andrews (11). His parents had taken up 95 acres in Keysborough in September 1871. In 1884, he married Edith Foster, the daughter of another early Keysborough family, Joseph and Martha (nee McConnell) Foster. Joseph had worked for William Keys after his arrival in Victoria in 1855 and saved enough money to buy a small farm (12)

The name for the part of Keysborough where the Andrew and Foster families lived was Elmsford. This was a 1852 sub-division of Crown Allotment 53, Parish of Dandenong by James Simpson. He created 63 small farms and township allotments and called the town Elmsford.  The town of Elmsford never eventuated, however many farmers established small market gardens. The locality of Elmsford is essentially south of Cheltenham Road, between Chapel Road to the west and Chandler Road to the east. Perry Road, part of the sub-division was named for auctioneer, Symons & Perry and Newson Road is named after the architect surveyor of the land, Albert Newson (13). Many of the early settlers were united by their Wesleyan (Methodist) faith. They built  a small wooden chapel (in Chapel Road) in 1861 and a brick chapel in 1877, using the wooden building for a Sunday School and Hall.  The church buildings are currently and disgracefully kept in a state of neglect by their owners, the Uniting Church, who should have more community spirit and responsibility and restore them or at the very least stop their 'demolition by neglect' path. Brothers Robert, John and Thomas Orgill were also Elmsford residents and Methodists, I have not worked out the connection to the architect of Dandenong House, W.H. Orgill, but they must be related (14)

Back to James and Edith. Edith gave birth to ten children between 1885 and 1900 and then sadly died in 1903, at the age of 38. As  a matter of interest Edith's birth place is listed as Elmsford (15). James then married Edith's first cousin, Maria, the daughter of  John and Ann (nee Martin) Foster in 1909 and they had two sons (16).  James and Maria retired to Cobram where he died in 1933, aged 70. Maria died  ten years later. James, Edith and Maria are all buried at the Dandenong Cemetery (17).

Around 1914 Dandenong House was taken over by Emma Esther Hubbard (nee Coventry). She was a widow, her husband Benjamin had died in 1903 at Yarra Glen (18).  In 1916, she married William Henry Gordon, who was a sawmmiller and she continued to operate Dandenong House until 1917 (19). Emma was apparently a very good cook as there are various reports about functions held at Dandenong House where her catering is praised - Mrs Hubbard had prepared an appetising repast (20)....The catering arrangements were ably carried out by the hostess, Mrs Hubbard, who provided a sumptuous spread of light refreshments which were duly appreciated (21)....After the ceremony the guests, between 60 and 70 in number, adjourned to Dandenong House, where the wedding tea was served, in Mrs Hubbard's most efficient style (22).

Emma did not retire after she left Dandenong House, she moved onto another guest house, Osborne House at 40 Nicholas Street in Fitzroy (23). This was a boarding house popular amongst actors, as the article in The Herald below, attests.  Emma died in 1938 at the age of 66, she is buried at Yarra Glen (24).


The short obituary of Emma Esther - she wasn't at Osborne house for more than 30 yeas as we can place her at Dandenong House until 1917, but that's a minor point. Of more importance is what a dynamic and interesting clientele Emma must have had at Osborne House.

The next proprietor of Dandenong House guesthouse was Charles Robert Jones, who was there from November 1917 until June 1920 when Evelyn Mary Matthews took over the establishment for the next thirty years.


Mr Jones takes over Dandenong House
South Bourke & Mornington Journal November 29, 1917  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66193134

Evelyn, born in Camperdon in 1890, was the daughter of Joseph and Esther (nee Skjellerup) Matthews (25). Evelyn operated the guest house with her mother and there are various newspaper accounts of wedding breakfasts, fundraisers for the Red Cross during the War  and other functions being held at Dandenong House under the supervision of the Matthews family (26).  As an example of the homely atmosphere Dandenong House provided, there was a report in the Dandenong Journal of July 1936 of Dandenong High School teacher, Harry Tonkin, leaving for a teaching position in Scotland. During, his residence here Mr. Tonkin has comfortably lived at Dandenong House, where Mrs. Matthews and her daughter (Miss Matthews) speak of him in the highest terms possible. Neither would permit of his departure without the presence of several of his friends - among whom were more than thirty - being invited to dinner on Wednesday night last, to wish him bon-voyage and a safe return.... a sumptuous meal was served in the spacious dining hall (27)


Miss Matthews' advertisment for Dandenong House
South Bourke & Mornington Journal June 17, 1920 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66198270

Mrs Matthews died in March 1938 and the Dandenong Journal reported that it is with deep regret that we record the passing of a very old resident of Dandenong, in Mrs. Esther Anne Matthews. Mrs. Matthews was the mother of Miss E. M. Matthews, proprietor of “Dandenong House,” and Mrs. McAlpine. Many former guests of Dandenong House attended the funeral to the Springvale Crematorium (28). Miss Evelyn Matthews retired in October 1950 and she died in 1979 (29).


Miss Matthews retires
Dandenong Journal October 18, 1950 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219304585

Dandenong House remained a boarding house, but like many of these establishments throughout Melbourne the demographic of the clientele changed. People like Mr Tonkin, the teacher had more housing options from the 1950s and 1960s with the large increase in the number of flats available for rent. Many of these old boarding houses were lacking the facilities such as private bathrooms that commercial travellers and others could expect to find in motels. Many boarding houses, like hotels,  were traditionally operated by women as they supplied her with a place to live and a source of income, but with the rise of other employment options, women no longer needed to operate boarding houses to survive. The boarding house became a place where people with limited housing options due to unemployment, psychiatric or addiction issues lived. 

On December 23, 1977 Dandenong House was condemned as a fire risk and its 48 inhabitants had to find somewhere else to live. On January 3, 1978 it burnt to the ground - the old boarding house went up like a pack of crackers at 4.35pm, it was gone in 3 minutes Dandenong Fire Brigade member, Max Owen is reported to have said (30).


The end of Dandenong House, January 1978.
The Age January 4, 1978 from Newspapers.com by Ancestry. 


Trove list
I have created a list of articles on Dandenong House and the people connected to it, access it here

Footnotes
(1) I don't have an exact date of the opening. There was an advertisement for a cook at Dandenong House in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal on April 13, 1911, see here, and the same paper on May 11 said that there were several boarders in residence, but it was still being completed, see here.
(2) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, May 11, 1911, see here.
(3) The Argus, June 22, 1911 see here.
(4) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, January 26, 1911, see here.
(5) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, May 11, 1911, see here.
(6) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, May 11, 1911, see here.
(7) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, September 29, 1910, see here.
(8) Gippsland Times, December 20 1937, see here.
(9) Dandenong Journal, July 11, 1951, see here.
(10) The Argus, June 22, 1911, see here. Other reports in The Age of the same date, see here and the South Bourke & Mornington Journal also on June 22, see here.
(11) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history
(12) Hibbins, G.M. A history of the City of Springvale: constellation of communities (City of Springvale/Lothian, 1984), p. 79. Marriage details to Edith Fisher is from the Victorian BDMs - see footnote 11. Information about the Foster family is from p. 52 of  Gillian Hibbins' book. 
(13) Hibbins, G.M., op. cit., p. 52 has the history of the Elmsford sub-division. There are maps on pages 51 and 58 of her book. I discovered that Ms Hibbins had written about Elmsford only because Graeme Butler quoted her in his City of Greater Dandenong Heritage Study Stage One 1998: V2, access it here 
(14) Information about the Methodist connection between the early Keysborough settlers is in chapter 3 of Gillian Hibbins' book.The date of the erection of the two churches comes from the City of Greater Dandenong Heritage Study from 2003,   https://cgdresources.mmgsolutions.net/Resources/Website/SiteDocuments/doc61313.pdf  The Orgill brothers are mentioned in Gillian Hibbins' book on pages 50 & 53.
(15)  Victorian BDMs - see footnote 11.
(16)  Victorian BDMs - see footnote 11. I suspected that John and Joseph Foster were brothers and this  confirmed on page 57 of Gillian Hibbins' book.
(17) Obituary of James Fenton Andrews in the Dandenong Journal of February 2, 1933, see here and Cobram Courier of the same date, see here.
(18) Evelyn Observer & Bourke East Record, March 6, 1903, see here.
(19) Emma Esther Hubbard is in the Electoral Rolls at Dandenong House in 1914 and 1915 and as Emma Esther Gordon in 1916 and 1917, along with William Henry Gordon, sawmiller. In the 1919 Electoral Roll they are both at 40 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy, her occupation is boarding house keeper.
(20) Dandenong Advertiser, September 2, 1915, see here.
(21) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, September 16, 1915, see here.
(22) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, November 4, 1915, see here.
(23) Electoral Roll for 1919, division of Batman, subdivision of Gertrude. Osborne House was built in 1850 and enlarged in 1887, see the Victorian Heritage Database citation, here.
(24) The Herald March 5, 1938, see here.
(25) Victorian BDMs - see footnote 11.
(26) See my Trove list, here.
(27) Dandenong Journal, July 16, 1936, see here.
(28) Dandenong Journal, March 9, 1938, see here.
(29) Dandenong Journal October 18, 1950, see here and death comes from the Victorian BDMs.
(30) The Age January 4, 1978