Place Names of South Australia - K
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
Kensington Gardens
Nomenclature
Formerly known as 'Pile's Paddock'. James Pile was born in Yorkshire in 1800 arrived in South Australia in 1849. In 1906 the Bank of New South Wales obtained section 271 from William Pile and subdivided it in 1910.
General Notes
Historical information is in the Observer, 28 April 1923, page 14e.
- Kensington Gardens was long known as Pile's Paddock and loved as a picnic ground. For big affairs of every kind it was the obvious destination. Butchers?picnics, grocers?picnics and especially and particularly gardeners?picnics, with their decorated vans and bright faced country girls, found here way out to Pile's Paddock and played games and went through a successful sports programme under the grand old gums.
It was probably the remembrance of the place this spot held as a playground of the public that prompted the idea of reserving at least part of it. When the electric trams were planned, Mr H.J. Holden approaached the bank which had control of of the property and suggested that, on condition that the TramwaysTrust (of which he was a member) ran the lines to the place, a portion of the property should be handed over for the purpose of a public recreation ground. Finally, an arrangement was entered into with the result that Kensington became endowed in perpetuity with an open space...
14 May 1887, page 15c.
- A fox terrier coursing meeting took place on Mr Pile's paddock on 7 May 1887 in the presence of about 150 persons. The weather was very dull but the rats were fresh and strong and some excellent sport resulted. [A comprehensive list of events and competitors follows.]
5 November 1904, page 39a,
7 January 1905, page 36b,
Observer,
5 November 1904, page 36c,
7 January 1905, page 34a,
"A Young Girl Shot [on Pile's Paddock] - A Lover's Quarrel" is in the Register,
29 and 31 October 1904, pages 7a and 4h.
A market gardeners' picnic on Pile's Paddock is reported in the Observer,
29 October 1898, page 28d,
11 November 1905, page 30 (with photos),
Register,
31 October 1907, pages 4f-8h.
"Pile's Paddock Scheme" is discussed in the Express,
21 July 1908, page 3g,
29 September 1909, page 7g,
12, 14, 16, 18 and 28 October 1909, pages 4e, 6e, 12e, 6f-7d and 6f,
Advertiser,
19 January 1909, page 9g,
4 May 1909, page 6e,
8 July 1909, page 6e,
12 and 18 October 1909, pages 6e and 6e;
for a report on prior controversy see Register,
19 and 22 December 1908, pages 9a and 4e,
4 and 9 January 1909, pages 4h and 5h,
5, 11 and 13 May 1909, pages 7f, 6e and 7c,
12, 16 and 18 October 1909, pages 4e, 12e and 6f-g,
18 November 1909, page 6g.
Photographs are in the Observer,
23 October 1909, page 32.
The sale of building sites on Pile's Paddock is reported in the Register,
18 November 1909, page 6g, 1 December 1909, page 4e.
"A Garden Suburb" is in the Register,
31 August 1911, page 6f.
Information on a new Congregational Church is in the Register,
21 December 1914, page 10d.
A photograph of an 1909 Boy Scout group is in the Observer,
22 January 1916, page 30, Also see Adelaide - Boy Scouts
of a "Dogs Day Out " at a carnival on
29 March 1919, page 28.
Biographical details of Robert S. Thomson are in The Critic,
31 January 1923, page 5.
Biographical details of F.N. Livingston (Linington?) are in the Observer,
7 July 1923, page 9e, Register,
10 June 1925, page 11c,
of Mrs Rebecca Johns on 9 August 1926, page 8g,
of Mrs M.A. Wheeldon in the Observer,
18 August 1928, page 34a.
Biographical details of John McCoy are in the Register,
15 September 1924, page 11f,
of Charles H. Franklin on 20 March 1925, page 8h.
"Improving Kensington Gardens" is in the Register,
23 June 1923, page 10a.
A scheme to construct a golf links is reported in the Register,
8 January 1929, page 15f.
- Mr Kenneth Milne suggested three months ago a scheme to convert the Kensington Garden gardens belonging to the Municipal Tramways Trust into golf links and with D. Cowan, interviewed Mr W.G.T. Goodman... Mr Milne's argument is that at present the gardens are a failure financially as the Trust loses £1,000 a year on their upkeep. The arbours and bridges are becoming dilapidated and he humorously remarked that when the band played there on summer evenings in nine cases out of ten the gully winds blew the music away... As the gardens were quiet and secluded they were the rendezvous for undesirable characters and women dare not pass alone through them, night or day...
"That Kensington Gardens Gum Tree" is in the Advertiser,
12 March 1930, page 18e.
- Those interested in preserving (or destroying) that gum tree in Myall Avenue may be interested to know that this is not the first time the life of that particular tree (among others locally) has been threatened. When the suburb was laid out the Kensington Gardens Company instructed its surveyor, Mr Arthur Beresford, to prepare his plans so as to leave the maximum number of good trees on the roads, it being recognised that buyers of allotments would naturally want to remove most trees to make way for their houses. This plotting was skilfully done.
So well was the first application dealt with by the company that some enterprising gentleman offered to cut down all the trees on all the roads. He was merely after fencing timber and firewood. Application declined. Soon afterwards the company introduced the Waterworks Department to put deep drainage into the avenue. Someone in the office, who had obviously never been over the ground, prepared plans and out came a gangf of excavators with a ganger and timekeeper. They solemnly cut a trench nine feet deep for a hundred yards or so from North Terrace right up to the foot of an outsize gum tree still standing there. Then, discovering the obstruction, intimated to the company unless that tree and two more in a direct line with it (including the one in jeopardy) were removed by the company the work must be stopped..
Then it was pointed out by the directors that if a trench were sunk on the eastern side of the avenue no obstructions would be encountered. This the sewer authorities agreed to, provided the company paid the cost of the futile exczvations made and of filling them in again. It was rather a brassy condition, but rather than see the work delayed the company agreed and the three trees were spared once more...
Now the district council is taking a hand in the game. ?LBE" [a correspondent], voices the usual argument that the tree in question is ?dangerous to life and limb. ?ll red gum trees are, more or less (though this one is decidely on the ?less'side); but your correspondent may be assured that even if he lives near the tree he stands a much better chance of being run over by a motor car, slain at a railway crossing or electrocuted by exposed power wires, to say nothing of being drowned or eaten by a shark while surf bathing. The real objection to gum trees on roads is generally found to be that the nearby householder's lettuces or petunias don?t thrive so well. [Signed - Alex. Melrose]
Kensington Gardens - Obituaries
An obituary of Henry Jacob is in the Register, 7 June 1916, page 6i,
of John Pile on 20 and 21 June 1924, pages 8h and 10e,
of Mrs Emily Abbott on 4 December 1925, page 8g,
of A. Burnell on 10 August 1928, page 12c.
An obituary of Henry Jones is in the Observer, 3 March 1923, page 35b,
of A. Burnell on 18 August 1928, page 49a.
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
K
Place Names
Kensington Park
Nomenclature
Originally known as 'Shipster's Paddock'. G.F. Shipster, purchased section 300 from J. Grainger in 1844; he died on 30 December 1844 at 'Kensington House' and in 1849 his trustees on behalf of his beneficiary and infant son, Henry Frederick Shipster, laid out the village of 'Kensington Park'.
General Notes
G.F. Shipster's obituary is in the Observer, 4 January 1845, page 5a;
also see Register, 5 January 1923, page 6g.
A cricket match on "Shipster's Section" is reported in the Observer,
4 January 1862, page 4b.
"Kensington Oval - The First Cricket Match in 1881" is in the Register,
12 October 1923, page 4e.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Cricket - Miscellany.
Historical information on the area is in the Observer,
28 April 1923, page 14d.
A report on the acquisition of land for an oval is in the Chronicle,
5 July 1873, page 4g,
Register,
10 February 1874, page 5e; also see
30 November 1874, page 6e for a description of the oval and
12 July 1875, page 5e for its official opening and
10 November 1881, page 5f.
Observer,
21 February 1880, page 323b,
3 September 1881, page 18e,
Register,
8 June 1880, page 6e.
A sports day on the oval is reported on
9 November 1885, page 7d.
A letter setting out concerns about the Oval is in the Register,
8 June 1880, page 6e.
Water for the oval is discussed in the Register,
13 June 1882, page 6e.
Information on the oval is in the Express,
30 December 1887, page 2c,
31 January 1888, page 2d,
Register,
31 January 1888, page 6d,
Observer,
4 February 1888, page 32b,
Express,
30 August 1888, page 4c,
8 January 1889, page 4a,
18 February 1889, page 2f,
4 March 1889, page 4a (opening).
"The First Cricket Match, 1881" is in the Observer,
20 October 1923, page 17e.
"Kensington Oval Fixtures" is in the Register,
24 September 1888, page 6c; also see
8 January 1889, page 5c,
18 February 1889, page 5a,
Express,
2, 6 and 9 May 1890, pages 4d, 4c and 4d,
2 May 1892, page 4d,
16 August 1894, page 3f.
Information on a turf wicket is in the Register,
17 August 1893, page 5d.
A history of the oval is in The News,
19 October 1923, page 10f,
Register,
15 October 1925, page 10b.
A balloon ascent from the Oval is reported in the Chronicle,
17 May 1890, page 16a.
Also see Adelaide - Entertainment and the Arts - Miscellany - Ballooning.
An oval "treat" for the students of nine local schools is reported in the Observer,
23 May 1891, page 32b.
Flooding of the oval is reported in the Register,
30 May 1893, page 6a,
Observer,
3 June 1893, page 12b,
a sports meeting in the Express,
14 June 1894, page 2d.
A horse race meeting is reported in the Chronicle,
28 September 1878, page 18c.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Horse Racing.
Military sports are reported in the Observer,
7 January 1882, page 7d.
- The second annual fete of the members of the local militaty force was held at the Kensington Oval on 2 January 1882... [where] a large nunber of people made the outing assume more of the shape of a private picnic than anything else. In the wooded part of the grounds family groups found shelter and in the yet more retired spot (whom the cynic would call 'spoons?) were often to be met with. Of course, there was a sprinkling of street arabs, male and female, but they were in no way objectionable. For those who did not care for the athletic part of the programme gentler games were arranged by the committee. The selections of dance music played by the military band attracted numbers of the votaries of Terpischore who did not disdain to ?trip the light fantastic?under the broad canopy of heaven...
27 February 1885, page 2d.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Cycling.
A Catholic sports day is reported in the Chronicle, 23 June 1888, page 15d.
An obituary of Thomas Sprigg is in the Register, 15 August 1894, page 5b,
of L.H.L. Suhard on 15 November 1904, page 4g,
of Alfred Taylor on 27 August 1915, page 6h,
of Edmund Bowman on 24 August 1921, page 9b,
of W.H. Pennifold on 28 August 1924, page 8h,
of Herbert Stone on 28 October 1925, page 15c.
An obituary of Mrs Eliza Wadmore is in the Observer,
17 August 1907, page 38c,
of Charles H. Dalton on 15 May 1915, page 46a,
of Alfred Taylor on 4 September 1915, page 46a,
of C.A. Reinecke on 24 August 1918, page 19a.
Biographical details of Mrs Sarah Probyn are in the Observer,
20 January 1917, page 30c and
an obituary on 31 March 1917, page 15b.
Biographical details of William Pritchard are in the Register,
12 April 1922, page 7i,
of H.H.H. Middleton on 26 July 1928, page 8g.
Photographs of King's College are in the Chronicle,
4 May 1933, page 37.
"North Kensington Park" is in the Register,
12 June 1924, page 7e.
Information on Girton School for Girls is in the Register, 25 July 1929, page 8c.
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
K
Place Names
Kent
Nomenclature
The name comes from England where two versions are current as to its meaning: In 55 BC it was written as cantium which probably means 'headland'; the Welsh word caint means 'open country'.
General Notes
Mr Cleggett's farm is described in the Register,
25 March 1862, page 3e.
A description of a ploughing match on one of his paddocks is in the Register,
3 August 1877, page 7a.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Ploughing Matches.
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
K
Place Names
Kent Town
For information on Prince Alfred College see Adelaide - Education.Nomenclature
This suburb was named after Dr Benjamin Archer Kent.
Kent Town Jottings
Taken from Geoffrey H. Manning's A Colonial Experience
-
I broke up a comfortable home in Kent Town last week because the Corporation of Kensington and Norwood persisted in keeping a large liquid manure pit (always open) in a street within a few yards of my dwelling...
(Register, 26 July 1871, page 6.)
Introduction
The flourishing and populous suburb of Kent Town, with its numerous cottages, villas and gentlemen's residences, dotted here and there with well-kept gardens, is one of the favoured spots in the municipality. The fact that it is contiguous to the city adds to its popularity, the Park Lands only dividing it from the metropolis. It has much to commend it.
Bounded on the north by the once celebrated Bailey's Gardens, in the early days it was looked upon as one of the beauty spots of the infant settlement and it still maintains its prestige as a favoured residential locality. In 1850 Kent Town was a wedge-shaped wheat paddock, in about the centre of which was Dr Kent's residence, 'East Park Cottage', surrounded by a beautiful garden.
The country intervening between the city and the foothills was picturesque in the extreme. Gentle, well-grassed undulations of park-like and heavily timbered country; beautifully watered for a considerable amount of the year by mountain streams. Then the brooks which intersected the space between Adelaide and Kensington ran merrily and musically on their way to the River Torrens, unimpeded by the market gardener's dam or the builder's deviation walls.
At this time a fallen tree served as a bridge for pedestrians and the traveller on wheels selected the banks with the least declivity in order to ford a stream. But we live in a practical age and the beautiful landscape must give way to the demands of utilitarianism; we find now well-laid streets so effectively bridged as to almost blot out from view the beds of the watercourses which in primitive times relieved and beautified the landscape.
Doctor Kent and Kent Town
At a dinner given in his honour in 1854 Dr Kent recounted the circumstances surrounding his emigration to South Australia and subsequent events: 'In consequence of having suffered in my health from arduous professional duties in England, it was thought desirable that I should seek a temporary, if not a permanent suspension of them. After much anxious deliberation I determined on bringing to this Province to erect here, and to work, machinery invented by the Marquis of Tweedale, for the rapid and economical manufacture of bricks and tiles.
'Some friends liberally augmented the funds at my own disposal to enable me to make arrangements as completely as possible and in November 1839, accompanied by my family, I embarked for this place. We had a tedious and stormy voyage of five months and arrived here in the Warrior in April 1840.
'The erection of the first steam engine set to work in this colony was successfully accomplished under my directions and Governor Gawler and a large number of colonists were present when the anxious moment arrived for me to test it. The other parts of the machinery were soon completed under the protection of the government which ever since my arrival had not ceased to render me assistance.'
Dr Kent then related, at length, the problems which beset him following the Governor's request to turn the power of his engine into driving a flour mill and the fact that other mills 'were erected in every direction with power sufficient in the aggregate to manufacture in one season much more than the quantity of wheat that could be supplied.'
The mill commenced operations in January 1841 and the approach to it was by a fenced road leading to Payneham and Klemzig. The original building was constructed of wood and this, with a subsequent addition of a second storey, contained all the machinery, excepting the steam engine. It was of great strength, the sleeper, corner posts and the beams being made of timber 12 inches square.
In 1842 a brick building was added to the complex and contained the engine room in which were a steam engine and boiler. To the north of this, on the ground floor, was a blacksmith's shop and a shed for storing wood. Above these, and approached by a flight of steps on the outside, was the head miller's residence, above which, again, and covering both it and the engine room, was a store for wheat with an opening into the upper floor of the mill-house.
Dr Kent continued: 'The arrival of Captain Grey with instructions that prevented him from carrying into effect the engagements of his predecessor finally consummated my misfortunes in 1843. Then it was that my kind and valued friend, Duncam McFarlane, stepped in and by his liberality prevented the dispersion of my property by becoming the purchaser of it himself and giving me the opportunity to repossess myself of it as my means permitted me.'
When Dr Kent arrived in the colony he carried with him a lease dated 13 November 1839 from Colonel Torrens who was resident in England and who was one of the South Australian Commissioners and, obviously, speculating in colonial land although this was forbidden by Lord Glenelg, Secretary of State for the Colonies.
It appears that Dr Kent had the choice of leasing, with a right to purchase from Torrens, a section of land containing 134 acres where Thebarton is now, or his eventual choice where Kent Town lies now. This lease, and the subsequent haggling and lawsuits that followed, took nineteen years to resolve, the land having been sold in England to George Barnes and then transferred back to Torrens to satisfy Lord Glenelg's demands. The rental charged by Torrens were excessive when compared with similar land, Kent paying £200 per annum compared with the average of £40 elsewhere.
Numerous other transfers took place before Dr Kent eventually obtained a title to about 13 acres bounded by the present-day DeQuetteville Terrace, Rundle Street, The Parade West and extending just across the northern side of Prince Alfred College.
Dr Kent practised in Walsall, Staffordshire, prior to emigrating and it was there that he brought Sir Edwin Smith into the world. Many years later Sir Edwin erected a brewery on the site of the doctor's cottage at Kent Town. Dr Kent was one of the founders of St Peter's College, and Prince Alfred College absorbed his old garden into its playing area.
He was probably the first to use chloroform in the colony for a newspaper report of May 1848 says:
-
We are glad to hear that chloroform in its pure state has been received from England by Dr Kent, who intends taking the earliest opportunity to try its effect...
By 1854 Dr Kent had sold the property when it was subdivided into 127 quarter-acre blocks, the sale being conducted on the Queen's birthday of that year. The name 'Dequeteville' (sic) appears on a plan of the subdivision of Kent Town lodged in the General Registry Office (no. 226 of 1854) by the subdividers, Henry Ayers and James Robin. The latter was born in Guernsey, Channel Isles in 1817 and his mother was a daughter of Rev John de Quetteville, the first Wesleyan Minister in the Channel Isles.
Among the first residents of Kent Town were Messrs F.B. Carlin, S. Beddome, W. Rhodes, A. Blackham, G.P. Harris, C.A. Hornabrook, C. Fisher, W.T. Flint, T. Rhodes, E.W. Hitchin and J. Mattingly.
General Notes
Dr Kent's mill is described in the Southern Australian,
14 March 1843, page 2d. Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Farming - Mills
An obituary is in the Express,
18 January 1865, page 2c.
Express,
18 January 1865, page 2c.
Biographical information is in The Mail,
23 February 1929, page 2f.
A proposal to amalgamate with Norwood Corporation is discussed in the Observer,
23 August 1856, page 4e.
Also see South Australia - Miscellany - Local Government.
Historical information on the sale of allotments and Dr Kent is in the Register,
28 July 1921, page 2h.
"Old-Time Memories - Early Kent Town" is in the Register,
25 March 1920, page 5h.
Historical information on the district is in the Register,
14 May 1923, page 10a,
Observer,
19 May 1923, page 41a.
A pigeon shooting match is described in the Observer,
8 April 1854, page 5e.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Pigeon Racing and Shooting.
A dinner given for Dr Kent is reported in the Observer,
23 December 1854, page 4g.
The opening of Prince Alfred College is reported in the Express,
25 May 1869, page 2d,
14 June 1869, page 2c,
Observer,
26 June 1869, page 11c; also see
29 July 1882, page 30e;
a sketch is in Frearson's Weekly,
25 September 1880, page 452.
A sports day is reported in the Observer,
22 September 1883, page 19d.
"Prince Alfred College - A Survey of Its History" is in the Advertiser,
20 July 1923, page 13; also see
The News,
12 November 1932, page 4e.
Photographs of the war memorial are in the Observer,
28 July 1923, page 27,
of a fete on
3 November 1923, page 29,
of old collegian sports' teams on
26 July 1924, page 34,
2 August 1924, page 33,
of a school jubilee on
21 July 1928, page 35,
of a football team on
10 July 1930, page 34.
"College Days Recalled - Old Boys of Prince Alfred" is in The News,
23 July 1925, page 12e.
Also see Adelaide - Education.
"Chinese Encampment" is in the Register,
9 August 1856, page 3g.
-
The neighbourhood of Kent Town has just received an unexpected accession to its population in the shape of a Chinese encampment comprising of some forty tents and a large body of immigrants. A smaller number of Chinese were encamped upon the same spot a few days ago, but removed after a couple of night's sojourn.
6 and 13 November 1858, pages 3f and 3f (supp.),
1 January 1859, page 5e,
30 April 1859, page 3c; also see
Register,
23 March 1859, page 3,
Observer,
9 July 1859, page 4c,
Express,
8 September 1881, page 2d,
7 February 1885, page 2e,
25 June 1887, page 2f,
9 October 1890, page 4c,
18 September 1893, page 3d,
Register,
13 May 1892, page 6e:
-
This club played its first match on 1 September 1858 on a paddock contiguous to the Kent Town Hotel; of the game itself the local press ventured that 'we cannot say much on', except that Mr Chambers of the firm Chambers and Everett was incapacitated early in the game when struck by a cricket ball. Mr J.H. Barrow was President; Mr F.B. Carling, Mayor of Kensington and Norwood, Vice-President; Mr A.M. Harris, Honorary Secretary and James Chittleborough, Treasurer; and among the early players were Robert Woods, Arnold, William Hall, Thomas and George Baker, Thomas Powell, C. Taylor, W. Ward and W.R. Boothby.
We are fortunate that an evocative account of an idyllic match against Munno Para on Easter Monday, 1859, has been preserved and I precis it hereunder: 'The ground fixed for the contest was a piece at the left of the Para Road about a couple of stones' throw from the "Old Spot", Little Para, Public House.
'The place selected for the occasion evinced great taste on the part of those to whom this duty was assigned and the natural picturesque features of it were considerably heightened by the additions made by Host Williams of the "Old Spot", who had erected a neat and handsome tent for the accommodation of the scorers and those more immediately connected with the game.
'At another part of the field a capacious and tastefully-fitted booth, well provided with a choice selection of refreshments, was erected. In addition to these somewhat necessary arrangements, the gaiety of the field was increased by a number of flags displayed upon the most commanding points, which caught the eye of the visitor in the distance, long before they arrived upon the scene of the contest, and throughout the day diffused amongst the company assembled a spirit of cheerfulness which it was pleasant to remark.
'We think that even the signal defeat sustained by the [Universal] team was in great respect mollified by these considerate arrangements, as they were framed, not only for the use of players, but were so attractive and had such an air of holiday time about them, that the spectators could not resist their influence; for, in spite of the interest excited in the players at cricket, the company broke off in various parts of the field and got up gambols of their own. Young and old, rich and poor, joined hands in playing thread-the-needle and other old English rustic games, which brought vividly to our remembrance those old pastimes.
'In fact we think, and we almost hope, for the sake of our friends of the Universal Club, that the festive season of the day, the clear sky, the refreshing breeze that coursed across the field and the beauty of the place made them forget for the time the position which they had gone out there to establish, and for no other reason can we account for the slashing defeat which they sustained...
'At lunch time the whole field retired to the "Old Spot" to discuss a capital spread of poultry, Sir John sirloin, ham, hot potatoes, etc., and as it was noticed some of the Universal patronised the tasty viands to a considerable extent, their friends, whose name was legion, took heart and discoursed "most eloquent music" upon their chances of success, saying, that if they were such bricks at the trencher, they certainly would be Trojans in the field.
'Having done justice to the collation of mine host the belligerents repaired to the field of combat; the Universal, bats in arms and eager for the fray but, "Alas! poor Yorick", the wickets went down almost by magic, the whole eleven scoring only 33 in the innings, which with the former one of 13 runs, did not bring up their score to half the number of their antagonists first innings; W.C. Taylor being the only one who could keep his wicket in anything like style.
'After the match was over the players and several visitors retired to the "Old Spot" for a sumptuous dinner, the table being supplied with well selected joints and specimens of the winged tribe, all admirably cooked and served up, to which ample justice was done. After the dinner was disposed of, the hilarity of the evening was kept up for some time.'
- **********************
On the rising ground near the foot of the slope were pitched tents for the Clubs and their scorers, for the band and an additional one for the ladies considerable numbers of whom were mingled with the spectators, who amounted to from 150 to 300 persons. These, with the well-placed field, the tents and the band, filling the valley by turns with melting or moving music, which found response in the surrounding hills, combined to form a scene and to create an occasion that will long be remembered... (Register, 23 March 1859, page 3.)
8 March 1862, page 7g.
The opening of a brewery is reported in the Register,
3 June 1876, pages 4g-6e.
also see The Lantern, 10 June 1876, page 12a,
Advertiser, 30 May 1868, page 2d,
Chronicle, 15 January 1876, page 11f,
3 June 1876, page 18a,
Express, 11 March 1876, page 2b,
3 June 1876, page 2g.
A sketch is in Frearson's Weekly, 16 February 1878, page 1,
Pictorial Australian in July 1876, October 1880.
Also see South Australia Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Brewing.
Floods are reported in the Register,
13 August 1862, page 2d,
Observer,
16 August 1862, page 8b.
Also see South Australia - Natural Disasters - Floods.
Information on Miss Thwaites' Ladies' College is in the Register,
10 December 1868, page 2e,
Register,
15 December 1869, page 2g.
Information on the Wesleyan Chapel is in the Express,
23 August 1864, page 2d,
11 October 1864, page 3a,
6 July 1868, page 2b,
2 July 1873, page 2c,
25 October 1873, page 3c,
Register,
5, 7 and 11 August 1865, pages 2h, 2f and 3c,
Observer,
19 November 1898, page 14b.
A Wesleyan Church bazaar is reported in the Chronicle,
3 April 1880, page 10a.
A report on the first anniversary of the Wesleyan Church is in the Register,
21 August 1866, page 3g; also see
8 October 1867, page 2h.
A history of it appears on
10 and 14 November 1923, pages 6 and 12f.
A jubilee of the Wesleyan Church is reported in the Observer,
23 October 1915, page 35e and
a diamond jubilee in the Register,
29 September 1925, page 10d; also see
The News,
1 December 1927, page 16e,
1 May 1928, page 8c,
5 October 1928, page 8c.
A history of the Methodist Church is in the Register,
28 September 1905, page 4g,
Observer,
7 October 1905, page 48b; also see
Register,
28 March 1910, page 10,
23 October 1915, page 4h,
29 September 1925, page 10d,
Observer,
3 October 1925, page 11b.
Examinations at Grove House Ladies College are reported in the Observer,
19 June 1869, page 11g,
Express,
26 June 1868, page 2c,
14 December 1869, page 2e,
20 December 1870, page 3a,
13 December 1871, page 2d,
Register,
31 December 1873, page 5f.
An obituary of Mrs J.A. Smith, "the founder of Girton House Girls' School" is in the Register,
22 June 1926, page 10f.
Information on the school is in the Register,
25 November 1926, page 5d.
A meeting of the Juvenile Athletic Club is reported in the Observer,
7 August 1869, page 7f.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Athletics and Gymnastics.
"A Kent Town Nuisance" is in the Register, 15 September 1869, page 2g:
-
On looking over the [Bailey] bridge you see a sight which is nauseating to behold and the stench of which is deadly to inhale, arising from stale beer, washings of barrels, and other refuse matter - solid, liquid and half-and-half - which is drained into the bed of the creek from an adjoining brewery, and which is here undergoing a second process of fermentation.
-
I broke up a comfortable home in Kent Town last week because the Corporation of Kensington and Norwood persisted in keeping a large liquid manure pit (always open) in a street within a few yards of my dwelling...
-
Is it because Mr E.T. Smith is Mayor of Kensington and Norwood that the nuisance existing near his brewery is allowed to remain a fever-breeder and an abomination to all that pass by? ... Pools of vile stuff [are] lying there, the very sight of which makes one sick, while the smell is horrible in the extreme.
11 December 1872, page 5d; also see
12, 16 and 23 December 1872, pages 6b, 5f and 5e for subsequent events.
His brewery is described on
3 June 1876, page 6e; also see
The Lantern,
10 June 1876, page 12a,
Advertiser,
30 May 1868, page 2d,
Chronicle,
15 January 1876, page 11f,
3 June 1876, page 18a,
Express,
11 March 1876, page 2b,
3 June 1876, page 2g.
A sketch is in Frearson's Weekly,
16 February 1878, page 1,
Pictorial Australian in
July 1876,
October 1880.
Information on Smith's Brewery and the SA Fruit and Preserving Company is in the Register,
4 March 1882, page 6f,
Chronicle,
11 March 1882, page 7,
Observer,
11 March 1882, page 14d.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Brewing.
Its school opened in 1861 and closed in 1869.
An "exciting race" between horses attached to buses is reported in the Register, 25 March 1872, page 5b.
- In March 1872 a novel race took place between the York and Kent Town Hotels, the competitors being three Norwood drivers, each having two horses attached to a bus, the front seats of same being occupied by boys and young men. The first stage to the Stag Inn was done at a canter, while the road across the Park Lands being favourable, the horses were given the reins, the whip was applied freely and the teams went away at a rattling pace.
They ran together until approaching the lamps on the Park Lands, when the larger animals shot ahead, but were speedily overhauled on ascending the hill, and when at the water troughs the three were again abreast. Here the race threatened to resemble a steeplechase as the biggest bus ran for a short time on its two off wheels, to the amazement of the juveniles on top, as by their actions they anticipated being lodged safely in the centre of the plantation and several looked for the trenched ground, but fortunately the omnibus righted itself and there arose a series of screams and loud bursts of laughter. These the inhabitants of Kent Town were accustomed to hear.
On the hill the largest conveyance again got to the front, urged forward probably in no small degree by its own weight - 1 ton 10 cwt. being marked on its side. The noise at this stage brought out the occupants of various wayside villas and several old ladies prepared for the worst by getting clear of the wall and chimney-pots, thinking there was an earthquake.
The winning post being near, a spurt was put on and the big bus turned into Young Street. Three loud cheers were given to the fools who drove and the youngsters on the roofs of the portable grand stands. Those who were chiefly to blame were well known in Kent Town and vicinity, but unfortunately not so well known to Mr Beddome, Police Magistrate, as they ought to be and may become.
One good point was that not a single gate was unhinged nor brick wall knocked down, the gentlemen who delight in these amusements being too greatly interested in urging the horses forward and enlivening the neighbourhood by loud singing, screeching and crowing. The race was for a 'sweep' of five pounds and it was hoped that the attention of the proper authorities would be given to those aspiring youths of the Turf Club. To local citizens the practice of racing on suburban roads was one that should have been discontinued for the results could have been disastrous.
13 July 1872, page 8b.
Also see South Australia - Education - Kindergarten.
An "alleged nuisance" is discussed in the Register,
20 December 1872, page 3e.
Information on the Catholic Convent is in the Chronicle,
15 January 1876, page 11d.
Information on the "Kent Town Triangle" is in the Register,
23 and 30 August 1875, pages 6b and 5d,
3 February 1876, page 7b,
7, 9, 17 and 20 March 1876, pages 5c, 5d-g, 4g and 6f,
15 November 1886, page 7d,
Express,
13 May 1878, page 3e,
25 November 1886, page 4a.
he Kent Town Triangle
Taken from Geoffrey H. Manning's A Colonial Experience
-
A wealthy brewer, to the great disgust of the neighbourhood... erected [a brewery] on land partly facing this triangle... He knew money was power and boldly tore down the fences, destroyed the trees and opened a vista through which all Rundle Street might behold his signboard...
(Register, 15 November 1886, page 7.)
-
The actual space enclosed by the Kent Town Triangle is small, but the ground in question seemed likely to cause a large amount of trouble in 1876. Indeed, the triangular duel fought about was almost as grotesque as that recorded by Midshipman Easy. Nor did the parties to the contest show much more wisdom than did those in Captain Marryat's amusing sketch.
The facts connected with this now historical piece of land is as follows. In the 1870s the Corporation of Kensington and Norwood, having funds in hand consisting of the balance of certain subscriptions paid by ratepayers for purposes of tree planting, determined to fence off the ground in question and to plant it with trees.
It was then a bog in the winter and a dust hole in the summer and it was thought that the planting would be a decided improvement. Dr Schomburgk, curator of the Botanic Gardens, was consulted and gave the trees to the corporation. A surveyor was instructed to fence off the enclosure and in his zeal took in a large space belonging to the Adelaide council, as well as several feet of Rundle Street, Kent Town.
The trees flourished and nobody complained that the enclosure was an obstruction to the traffic until Mr Edwin T, Smith, having become the owner of the adjacent property known as Dr Kent's garden, erected there a costly brewery. It was then that a dispute began between himself and the council, over which he had one time presided over as Mayor. While he held that office the 'triangle' was allowed to continue unchallenged.
However, after his brewery was built a letter was sent by Mr Smith to the council asking it to remove the 'triangle'. This it declined to do. Then another letter was sent suggesting that the enclosure should be reduced to about half its size and offering to pay the cost. This suggestion was also declined. The council, however, met Mr Smith on the ground and offered to round off the sharp corners - a proposition to which that gentleman did not accede. Then followed a proposal from Mr Smith to test the legal right in an inexpensive way, which was also declined.
Myself, and other concerned citizens, all agreed that if Mr Smith was legally entitled to the full width of the street opposite the entrance to his brewery, no one could find fault with him for maintaining his right. On the other hand, if he had no such right, then we considered that the council, in the interest of the ratepayers, should have protected its property and proceed to the utmost extremity, even against such a popular gentleman. We contended that the council was the guardian of the rights of ratepayers and it could not, without dereliction of duty, allow those rights to be infringed on by any one.
The precise facts of the matter in dispute were that a portion of the street running from the Valve House to the Old Racecourse, and known as Dequetteville Terrace, had been encroached upon by the 'triangle' and this was obvious enough to any observer. The 'triangle' had narrowed that portion of the street immediately facing the entrance to the brewery and the real question to be determined was whether the council had a legal right to make the encroachment and, if they had not, Mr Smith, by purchasing the land with the encroachment already made, did or did not condone the illegal act of the council.
Of course, this was purely a question of law and, as such, proceedings would probably end up in the Supreme Court which would waste a lot of money and give satisfaction to neither side. If the street had been restored to its original width on the eastern side of the 'triangle', no one, as far as we could see, would suffer, for it would serve the public generally, as it would serve Mr Smith. The 'triangle' might be made pretty, but its preservation was not so important as to justify the expenditure of the rates of the people to fight the question. We hoped, therefore, that a friendly arrangement could be negotiated.
In February 1876 Mr Smith took the law into his own hands and removed part of the fencing and drove his drays through the plantation. The council resolved to sue Mr Smith in the Magistrates' Court and would have done so had not the ratepayers stepped in when, at a public meeting, a majority demanded that no public funds be spent in legal proceedings - and there the matter rested for some time.
Thus it can be seen that, as Sir Lucius O'Trigger says, the quarrel was a 'very pretty quarrel' as it stood. Mr Smith began firing away at the 'triangle', which was the property of the ratepayers; the council began firing away at Mr Smith in the Police Court, and thereupon the ratepayers fired away at the council for spending money in law. Their protest brought the council to a deadlock and left Mr Smith to blaze away as he pleased - a luxury which he declared to enjoy to the uttermost.
He proclaimed war to the knife and no surrender. He was 'determined to test the question', but no one could see how this was to be done if the council refused to go to law with him. His position was, indeed, one of unusual complexity, for a man burning to appeal to the Supreme Court, and yet debarred by the refusal of the other side to proceed against him, was probably quite unprecedented in legal annals. What was the good of turning your cheek to the smiter if he persistently refuses to smite?
Mr Smith could have destroyed the plantation and reduced it to its primitive condition of bog and dust hole but that would have been a poor consolation, for it would not have given him a better road to his brewery and would have been no real test as to his rights. It appeared that his only hope was to get up another meeting and insist that he be prosecuted with the utmost rigour of the law - then the dispute might have been settled, but it was a pity to see neighbours falling out over a trifling matter.
For Mr Smith and the Corporation of Kensington and Norwood to be at loggerheads was almost as bad as a quarrel between man and wife. He had spared neither his time nor his money in our service and in return we awarded him all the honours we could bestow. Indeed, it was more than apparent that the only difficulty about settling the matter amicably was that both parties could not get in a reasonable temper at the same time - when it was fair weather with one it was always foul weather with the other. When Mr Smith was reasonable the council would do nothing and, when it sent him a friendly delegation, he stood rigidly upon his legal rights.
Finally, by November 1877 the matter was settled amicably when Mr Smith 'very generously said that if the council would remove the inconvenient and altogether unnecessary obstruction, which they had placed in the public road, he, at his own expense, would replace it with a fountain.'
In the absence of Mr Smith the fountain was turned on by Miss Peacock who said she was sure it would 'prove an immense benefit to the public and a great ornament to the neighbourhood.' The fountain was mounted on a wide slate pedestal in the form of steps, the upper part of which was square, with two triangles on each side, one above the other. The water, which ran constantly, fell from lion's heads into the upper troughs and then drained into the lower, 'so that the thirst of both man and his canine followers might be satisfied. Above the fountain rose a light and elegant fluted pillar, surmounted by a spherical lamp having a three-branch burner, by which means the neighbourhood was illuminated at night.'
Local dignitaries graced the ceremony with a wealth of speeches and a quotation from one of them would, perhaps, be a fitting close to the tale of the Kent Town Triangle:
-
Mr Smith had been active in good works whilst among them and this latest deed showed that he had not altered. Differences had occurred about the ground on which they stood, but that was all past and gone now, and this generous gift would be the means of settling all disputes, and the fountain would, if necessary, throw cold water on any attempt that might be made to revive them.
29 November 1877, page 5g.
A sketch is in the Pictorial Australian in
March 1878,
Frearson's Weekly,
16 February 1878, page 1.
Also see Adelaide - Streets - Drinking Fountains.
A Wesleyan Church bazaar is reported in the Chronicle,
3 April 1880, page 10a.
A fatal tramcar accident is reported in the Observer,
9 August 1879, page 7g.
- In August 1879 a child of two years, Eveline Ruthven, was playing with others near Allen's Corner when a tram car turning round a corner of Beulah Road on to Kent Terrace knocked her down, the driver being unable to pull up his horses in time to avoid the tragedy. The child was taken to the hospital but died an hour after her admission.
At a coroner's hearing, and after all the evidence was heard, the jury was told that they would have to consider whether or not the driver of the car was to blame for not stopping when he saw the little child in the centre of the line, only twenty yards of the car, and when he knew he must pass her within about a couple of yards of the wheels of his car. He thought the driver was open to censure, as he did not stop until he felt that the car had passed over something. Several of the jurors thought the driver was blamable, but others held the other way and a simple verdict of accidental death was returned.
13 December 1879, page 11f.
The Exotic Nursery is described in the Register,
19 April 1881 (supp.), page 1g; also see
reminiscences of Charles Giles in the Register,
25 August 1925, page 10d.
- In the days when cabbage-tree hats and blue shirts were the tip-top of fashion, when 'Doughboy', 'Bluey' and 'Redman' were shouted in our public streets in stentorian tones, with no accompaniment of loud reports like those engaged by the explosion of pistol-charges, when the elite of Adelaide were conveyed to church in bullock drays, and it was de rigeur to bring your own 'damper' when you were invited to dinner or supper - in fact, in the days when those who are now very old colonists were comparative new chums, there was started a garden and nursery known as 'Bailey's Gardens'.
Travelling east from Adelaide on the other side of the road is the 'Exotic Nursery' started by Mr Charles Giles in about 1857, some ten or eleven years after he established the Grove Hill Nursery at Norton Summit. After a time his new venture fell into the hands of his eldest son and Mr J.F. Pascoe. How it came about I do not know, but the garden became deserted and lay idle for a good many years.
Meanwhile, the nursery stock, comprising hundreds of varieties of shrubs and trees, grew up into a perfect thicket, sending up suckers by thousands and seedlings in equal numbers until it became an impenetrable tangle - a refuge for stray cats, a home for sparrows and a wilderness to all.
About 1880 Mr John Giles - another son of the old gentleman - took into his hands the task of reforming the garden, and a pretty task it was. I have read of Hercules in cleansing out the Augean stables, but must say that I don't believe he ever performed it, and am sure he would have shirked the job of cleaning up the Exotic Nursery without plenty of help. Mr Giles employed a team of men who worked like Trojans in first cutting down and then cutting up and burning a solid mass of growth. It was hopeless to try and save many of the valuable plants and trees that had been planted for the growth was so thick that everything was out of shape, each trying its best to get to the light and dwarfing or distorting its neighbours in the attempt. Finally, however, a considerable clearance was made and some of the strongest, together with a few of the most valuable trees and shrubs, were reserved from the axe and fire.
19 March 1881, page 2f,
8 March 1882, page 2b.
- The annual meeting of the Kent Town Football Club was held at the Kent Town Hotel on 17 March 1881, with Mr F. Hoffman in the chair. The following officers were elected: Patron, Mr S.D. Glyde; President, Mr H.J. Cowell; Vice-Presidents, Messrs E.W. Palmer, Austin, Dew, T. Born, F. Born, S. Gardner, W. Nitschke, Dr Gaze, Dr Bailey; Captain, Mr T. Bumble; Vice-Captain, Mr A.E. Molineux; Secretary & Treasurer, Mr G.B. Lorrain; Committee, Messrs W. Koerner, W. Hill, D. Dunn, A. Runge and E. Webb. It was resolved that the colours of the club should remain the same as last year, royal and black.
11 March 1882, page 7.
On 28 September 1882 at page 6f of the Register a resident complained of the presence of larrikins in the neighbourhood:
-
On Sunday, and moonlight nights especially, bands of well-dressed boys and youths congregate; indulge in language of the vilest, commit senseless destruction in gardens, on roofs of houses, etc, and seemingly from time to time become bolder...
A proposed fire brigade is discussed in the Observer,
26 April 1884, page 39b.
A fire is reported in the Register,
4 and 10 February 1885, pages 6h and 7c.Also see Adelaide - Fires and the Fire Brigade.
- In April 1884 a meeting was held at the Maid and Magpie Hotel to take into consideration the advisability of forming a fire brigade. The Mayor of St Peters, Mr J. Bertram, occupied the chair. It had been proposed that the brigade, if formed, should work in conjunction with the Norwood Volunteer Fire Brigade and that the reel should be located at the Maid and Magpie Hotel. Subscriptions to the extent of 16 had been collected and promises raised this amount to 35. A resolution was moved that the meeting be adjourned to ascertain whether insurance companies would contribute towards the formation of the brigade, to which an amendment was proposed ?That a Volunteer Brigade be formed.?
- On 4 February 1885 a fire broke out near Allen's Corner on the premises lately built by Mr J.D. Davis for Mr J. Wootton who carries on in them a millinery and dressmaking establishment. It was over ten minutes before any one went for the Norwood fire reel and when the messenger got to the station opposite the Maid and Magpie Hotel it was found that the shed was locked and the key in the possession of some one living southwards beyond the Kent Town Jubilee Church. Messengers, fleet of foot, were dispatched for the key and within about seven minutes the reel and firemen were on the spot. In the meantime the Head Station reel had arrived and been playing on the flames and was followed by the St Peter's reel. The fire was eventually subdued but everything was burned except several articles of furniture, mainly from the servant's room. Close at the back of the premises were a number of wooden erections built against the wall of the store belonging to Messrs Driver and Stockwell known as ?The Singer Sewing Machine Depot? and this joined Mr Kruger's coach factory . There were other premises used as a cordial factory close to this, so that had the night not been dead calm there was every possibility that there would have been an extensive and disastrous fire.
20 April 1889, page 9b.
- In April 1889 heavy rains in the hills had the effect of swelling all the creeks that flowed across the Adelaide plains and form tributaries to the River Torrens. In those places where the water had a free course it did only small damage but where the watercourse became obstructed with debris washed down by the flood waters considerable damage resulted.
Such was the case with Waterfall Creek which, after flowing through Burnside, enters Norwood near Sir Edwin Smith's property and then after taking its course through Norwood goes in a north-westerly direction through Kent Town, having its junction with the river at the back of the Botanic gardens.
The creek rose gradually until about 11 pm when it was flowing a banker. All went well until it reached Sydenham Road, Norwood. At this point the Colliver brothers had erected a carpenter's shop over the creek and underneath the shop they had stored a quantity of timber. The water coming down with irresistible force cast this adrift on the torrent and it immediately floated down the stream where it met a bridge on Kent Terrace. Here the timber added to other obstructions causing the creek to overflow its banks with water finding its way into nearby houses.
Awakened by the roar of the torrent householders struggled to rescue their furniture as the water reached the level of their doorsteps. All along the course of the creek through Kent Town anxious people could be seen with their nether garments tucked knee high watching the flood as it rose into their gardens and houses.
The flood was at its worst in Rundle Street as the last tram car proceeded with the water almost reaching to the steps, the water in several places being several feet deep. The bridge at Mr C. Segar's furniture establishment was covered and the road was a foaming torrent. Several families on each side were washed out and their cellars were filled with water in a few minutes.
The inmates of one house were awakened from a peaceful slumber by hearing the walls of the house cracking in a most ominous manner. Mr Weidenhofer's property was entirely submerged and his garden bore the appearance of a lake. The Kentish Arms Hotel, owned by Mr S. Barnett, was surrounded by water and the cellars were filled and the contents destroyed.
Police Constable Kelly, who was on duty in Kent Town, awakened all the people in the neighbourhood and at midnight persons in all states of dress and undress waded through the flood with a view to saving their household effects from damage. At Mr O. Nienaber's house the flood was felt severely and a sick child had to be removed when water encroached upon his bedroom.
Next day an inspection revealed that the flood did great damage to five properties in Kent Town. The water was still rushing through Mr J.H. Weidenhofer's property, but had partially subsided. He was a heavy sufferer for all his bee hives were washed away and his loss was estimated at £400.
Next to the culvert on the eastern side were two single-storey dwellings with underground rooms and their occupiers suffered terribly; one home was occupied by Mr & Mrs Badman. The house adjoining was occupied by Mr & Mrs Penman, who kept lodgers. Like their neighbour they lost most of their furniture and all their fowls which were drowned in the backyard. To add to the disaster they were in dread that the wall of the house next door would fall upon them.
28 January 1890, page 4b,
3 February 1890, page 4c,
3 April 1890, page 4b,
28 October 1890, page 4c,
9 March 1891, page 4b,
Observer,
20 December 1890, page 10d,
Chronicle,
10 February 1894, page 15f.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Baseball.
The death of J.C.C. Gore is reported in the Register,
15 December 1890, page 5d.
"Municipal Vandalism" is in the Register,
22 August 1895, page 7e.
A report on "the most ruthless example of vandalism in the municipal history of South Australia" appears on
1 September 1906, page 7a;
a photograph is in the Observer,
8 September 1906, page 27.
- About 20 years ago some citizens of Kent Town planted a number of Moreton Bay fig trees in College Road and King William Street with the approbation and encouragement of the then municipal authorities. These trees, which flourished exceedingly well, were a pleasant sight in the summer and not an obstruction to traffic. Within the past few weeks, however, all these fine trees have been cut down, rooted up and utterly destroyed. At first sight it appeared to me that the present members of the Norwood Town Council desired to hand down their honoured names to posterity by a monument aere perennius and the novel method chosen to gain a cheap renown was the wholesale destruction of every tree in Kent Town streets, so that a scarcity of arboreal vegetation might forever remind the citizens of the existence of the Town Council in 1895.
So my blame must, perforce, be changed to commendation. If this be true, does not it seem a pity that work has not been found for the deserving unemployed in cleaning instead of disfiguring the streets? As the municipal elections are now near, might I suggest that when the present councillors seek reelection some ratepayer might ask for the names of those councillors who have silently striven to be benefactors to their kind?
- If anything could reconcile a person to serious illness it would be the prospect of being cared for by two kindly ladies, Mrs Fisher and Miss Fairweather, who established a nursing home in 1896 at Young Street, Kent Town. The house was known for a long time as 'Ailsa House' and is situated close to the Kensington, East Adelaide and Magill trams which pass along Rundle Street. The rooms, of which there are fifteen, are large, airy and dry, with plenty of light and there is accommodation for twenty patients. A special feature of the home is the operating theatre.
Lady Victoria Buxton and Mrs Harmer granted their patronage and the establishment became known as the 'Victoria Nursing Home'. Both the promoters are excellently qualified for the undertaking, as Mrs Fisher has been nursing in Adelaide for many years and Miss Fairweather was trained at the Adelaide Hospital and was for two years the trained nurse for the Norwood branch of the District Trained Nurses' Society. They take medical, surgical and midwifery cases and have every convenience; the home is connected to the telephone exchange.
6 April 1898, pages 4g-5h.
Information on "An Interesting Organ" at the Wesleyan Church is in the Observer,
19 November 1898, page 14b.
The opening of the "Macclesfield Brewery" on
16 November 1900, page 6f; also see
Advertiser,
8 March 1911, page 11c.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Brewing.
F. Bricknell's confectionery store is described in the Register,
21 December 1898, page 9f;
photographs, etc., are in The Critic,
15 December 1900, page 20.
- Future generations may be interested in a Christmastide description of Mr F. Bricknell's shop which, today, stands in Kent Town opposite the Maid and Magpie Hotel. He imports direct from Rowntree's and T. Smith & Co's famed sweet manufacturing establishments in England and it can therefore be understood that his stock is replete with the latest novelties and Christmas decorations.
Several designs in chocolate boxes were noticeable which had not been seen elsewhere, such as the Bristol Library, containing three books filled with sweets, chariots with Father Christmas on board and decorated with flags, dog-kennels, rolling-pins and timber crafts. These and many others were prettily arranged on a table in the centre of the showroom and surrounded what was known as a German Christmas tree. This was an artistic novelty and as it revolved owing to a draught from twenty-four illuminated candles playing on a fan above, a charming effect was produced on the trinkets with which the tree was adorned.
Lollies of all kinds were represented, but a specialty was made in jujubes, which were flavoured with black currant, apricot, lime juice, glycerine, peach and cherry. any of which were delicious confections. There were thousands of bonbons at differing prices. The 'button craze' seemed amusing, each of the packets containing a button and a pin with a humorous inscription.
Christmas and wedding cakes and catering formed an important of the shop and an inspection of the order list revealed that a mammoth business was carried on. No fewer than 400 cakes had gone out in 1898 to all parts of the colony and even to England and China. The wedding market was on the boom and at the counter waited three for onward dispatch to happy couples.
The windows were decked with fancy cakes, to supply which an average of twenty eight men are employed. There was the usual stocks of meats, preserves and jellies for the Yuletide season and in another building catering paraphernalia was ready at a moment's notice.
28 December 1901, page 36c.
The golden wedding of Mr & Mrs Alexander Dowie is reported in the Observer,
4 May 1901, page 22e.
The golden wedding of Mr & Mrs J.T. Wallis is reported in the Observer,
1 October 1904, page 26a.
"Daring Daylight Robberies" is in the Express,
7 July 1903, page 4f.
A robbery at the Kent Town Hotel is reported in the Register,
11 December 1907, page 7h.
An exhibition of carving at Miss Benda's studio is reported upon in the Register,
27 July 1904, page 8f.
- Just now there is a strong revival of interest in mediaeval styles of house furnishing and the neglected art of wood carving is being brought steadily into increasing prominence. In this connection considerable interest is attached to the exhibition of students? woodcarving work held by Miss C.A. Benda at her studio, 59 Kent Terrace, Kent Town. The articles on view were, with one exception, the work of ladies and ranged from a tiny wall bracket to an ambitious fender stool. Miss Benda is adept in the use of cabinet makers? instruments and gained a certificate at the Bendigo Exhibition for two chairs, fashioned by her from rough timber and ornately carved in relief with conventual foliage.
The principal exhibitors were Miss Maud Jeffries, an antique carved bookshelf, table in medlar design and clock case in which the iris flower was tastefully treated; Mrs W. Paterson, medicine chest with figure of griffin in relief, letter box in thistle design, elegant picture frame and spinning chair; Miss D. Muecke, photo and picture frames, hall chair and clock case; Miss Frost, decorated circular picture frame and candelabra; Miss Ewens, several picture frames in high relief; Master F. Basse, a pretty wall bracket; Miss Astles, an elaborate watch stand.
19 August 1905, page 4g.
- That portion of Dequetteville Terrace between Rundle Street and North Terrace, Kent Town presented an animated appearance on 18 August 1905 when 350 children of the Norwood Public School celebrated Arbor Day. Since its formation the two-chain road dividing the Park Lands from Kent Town has been prolific of dust and mud, according to the season. These conditions have considerably troubled the residents and have detracted from the reputation of an otherwise pretty spot. A few weeks ago an avenue 20 feet wide was fenced off on the waterworks side of the road and on Friday morning 50 trees were planted by the school children.. A number of palms were planted afterwards by pupils from Canterbury School, under Rev Slaney Poole and the Mayor and Town Clerk of Adelaide and residents planted shrubs and palms. A space in the centre of the avenue has been left clear as it is hoped on future arbor days the work will be continued down the terrace to Victoria Park Racecourse and an asphalt bicycle track may be made right through the avenue.
Biographical details of Joseph Jackman are in the Register,
23 July 1906, page 4i.
"The Masked Burglars [at the Kent Town Hall]" is in the Register,
16 and 26 March 1907, pages 7c and 4g,
12 April 1907, page 4h.
"Wholesale Shopbreaking in the Eastern Suburbs" is in the Register,
10 April 1911, page 4i.
"Lost Violin - A Kent Town Mystery" is in the Register,
9 and 10 September 1913, pages 13c and 15c,
Observer,
13 September 1913, page 39c.
- Around the latest edition to the list of burglaries in the metropolitan area there hangs something of the mystery and romance associated with old and valued works of art. For some time it has been current gossip in certain business circles in the city that Professor Hopf, violin teacher, had lost what he stated to be a valuable Amati violin, and a Hopf. The professor places a value of more than £1,000 on the former and £500 on the latter. The police are understood to be at a loss who could have been guilty of the theft as it was accompanied by signs that the robber was quite aware of the value of the booty. Professor Hopf, who is well known in musical circles, arrived in Australia 18 years ago with the famous Liepzig instrumental concert company which was managed by Mr Marcus, the present manager of the New Tivoil Theatre.
5 January 1914, page 1g.
A "new pleasure resort" (White City) on North Terrace is discussed in the Register,
13 and 14 July 1914, pages 7-11c and 8c.
- The White City - Objects of the Company - This company is formed to acquire from Mr T.H. Eslick the option of lease for seven years of a magnificent site of about four acres on the Payneham Road, Hackney... [It] will be conducted on high class lines and its entertainments are expected to appeal to a very wide public; good taste will be the keynote and no rowdyism or larrikinism will be tolerated.
As there appears to be some misunderstanding in regard to the exact location of Palm Place, the chosen site for the White City, the promoters desire to state that it is situated on North Terrace, Kent Town, a few yards past the penny section on Hackney Road and nearer the city than Payneham Road.
5 April 1919, page 28.
The golden wedding of Mr & Mrs Henry Anders is reported in the Register,
9 October 1920, page 10d;
an obituary of Mrs Sophie Anders is in the Register,
8 and 10 June 1926, pages 8g and 8h;
Mr Henry Anders Career" is in the Register,
21 June 1926, page 13g.
Biographical details of John Hammer are in the Register,
9 March 1926, page 8h.
Historical information on the district is in the Register,
14 May 1923, page 10a.
The opening of the Salvation Army Boys' Home is reported in the Advertiser,
29 April 1929, page 10i.
Photographs are in the Chronicle,
2 May 1929, page 54.
Also see Religion - Salvation Army.
"An Aquarium Few Have Seen" is in the Advertiser,
20 November 1929, page 24f.
Photographs are in the Observer,
30 November 1929, page 32.
Also see Adelaide - Entertainment and the Arts - Miscellany.
A fire at the Adelaide Confectionery Works is reported in the Advertiser,
11 May 1937, page 24c.
Kent Town - Obituaries
An obituary of Thomas Chalwin is in the Register,
8 and 10 September 1888, pages 5b and 7c.
An obituary of D.H. Weidenhofer is in the Register, 20 June 1889, page 5a,
of Henry Warren on 2 September 1891, page 4g,
of Mrs Mary Lamb on 29 February 1892, page 4h,
of Elliott Coppen on 14 June 1892, page 5d,
of Mrs Sarah Chewings on 19 December 1892, page 5b,
of Thomas Padman on 1 August 1893, page 5d,
of Mrs Samuel Griffiths on 30 July 1895, page 4h,
of Mrs W.B. Skinner on 10 March 1897, page 5d,
of Alexander Gordon on 21 February 1898, page 5a,
of Frederick Hannaford on 18 March 1898, page 4i.
An obituary of George Young is in the Observer, 20 March 1897, page 10b,
of Frederick Hannaford on 19 March 1898, page 30b,
of James McNicol on 12 April 1902, page 22b,
of Mrs W. Jeffries on 28 February 1903, page 34e,
of E.K. Griffiths on 9 January 1904, page 34c,
of P.E. Hoare on 1 October 1904, page 34b,
of Mrs Charles Fisher on 25 February 1905, page 34e,
of W.C. Calder, printer, on 4 November 1905, page 38d.
An obituary of Theodore Kneese is in the Register, 4 June 1900, page 5a,
of Thomas Graves on 13 August 1900, pages 4h-6f,
of Mrs Mary Stevenson on 27 November 1900, page 5d,
of J.W. Naylor on 1 August 1901, page 5b,
of J.H. Reed, architect, on 10 August 1901, page 5a,
of James McNicol on 7 April 1902, page 4h,
of Dr C.G. Lermitte on 18 October 1902, page 7a.
An obituary of Mrs W. Jeffries is in the Register, 26 February 1903, page 4i,
of F.K. Griffiths on 1 January 1904, page 5a,
of H.C. Cocker on 2 June 1904, page 4h,
of Mrs Stuart on 25 August 1904, page 4i,
of P.H. Hoare on 23 September 1904, page 4h,
of T. Millner on 6 October 1904, page 5a,
of William Booker on 10 and 11 November 1904, pages 4i and 6g.
An obituary of Victor Streich is in the Register, 21 March 1905, page 4h,
of C.T. Hargrave on 17 and 20 May 1905, pages 4h and 7b, 15 June 1905, page 5b,
of Mrs Jane McLean on 27 September 1905, page 5a,
of Harry E. Kuhnel on 8 November 1905, page 7b.
An obituary of George White is in the Observer, 28 July 1906, page 38a,
of Thomas Rhodes on 16 March 1907, page 40d,
of Mrs Jane Pearce on 29 June 1907, page 40c,
of Mrs Elizabeth A. Fisher on 23 November 1907, page 26e,
of Mrs William Roach on 20 February 1909, page 40c,
of Frederick W. Thomas on 8 October 1910, page 43a,
of John Barbour, plumber, on 12 November 1910, page 41a.
An obituary of T.B. Bancroft is in the Register, 31 July 1906, page 5d,
of J.B. Muirhead on 2 February 1907, page 7a,
of Thomas Rhodes on 8 March 1907, page 4i,
of Charles A. Murphy on 12 June 1907, page 4h,
of G. McDonald on 16 July 1907, page 4h,
of Mrs Elizabeth H. Fisher on 18 November 1907, page 6h,
of John Carter on 7 December 1907, page 9d.
An obituary of Mrs James Robin is in the Register, 5 August 1907, page 4h.
An obituary of Mrs William Roach is in the Register, 17 February 1909, page 4h,
of George Cockburn on 3 December 1909, page 4i,
of John Barbour on 9 November 1910, page 6h,
of Mrs J. Main on 10 January 1911, page 6h,
of William Fisher on 19 June 1911, page 6h,
of Isaac T. Barnett on 9 January 1912, page 6g.
An obituary of Mrs J. Main is in the Observer, 14 January 1911, page 39a,
of A.S. Chapman on 2 March 1912, page 41a,
of Mrs Ann W. Fisher on 1 May 1915, page 45a,
of Richard Spencer on 30 September 1916, page 35b,
of William Goodall on 20 October 1917, page 12e,
of Thomas H. Hill on 6 April 1918, page 19d,
of H.E. Bock on 14 September 1918, page 13a.
An obituary of Mrs Caroline Johns is in the Register, 10 February 1913, page 6h,
of Charles Drummond on 15 February 1913, page 15a,
of Rev J.J. Nichols on 22 January 1914, page 8a,
of Mrs Ann W. Fisher on 26 April 1915, page 4g,
of Major Frank M. Blair on 17 December 1915, page 4g,
of Mrs G. McDonald on 11 February 1916, page 4h,
of Mrs F. Ward on 19 March 1918, page 4f,
of Thomas H. Hill on 28 March 1918, page 6h,
of Alfred Cornelius on 17 September 1918, page 4h.
An obituary of Arnold Giles is in the Register, 4 July 1919, page 6g,
of Rev Samuel Lenton on 25 May 1920, page 7c,
of J. Edwin Thomas on 11 September 1920, page 9b,
of Mrs Anna Basedow on 22 June 1921, page 9a,
of James Ballantyne on 17 August 1921, page 6i,
of A.E. Molineux on 4 December 1922, page 11c.
An obituary of J.E. Thomas, accountant, is in the Observer, 18 September 1920, page 37d,
of Mrs G.F. Claridge on 25 March 1922, page 31c,
of A.E. Molineaux on 9 and 16 December 1922, pages 35d and 29c,
of Louis Saunders on 8 October 1927, page 32a,
of George Hannaford on 12 November 1927, page 46c,
of William Hollis on 18 August 1928, page 49c.
An obituary of Mrs William Rhodes is in the Register, 26 July 1924, page 11f, o
f Alwin Fisher on 20 July 1925, page 6h,
of Mrs Walter G. Hackett on 3 August 1925, page 6h,
of James Hawkes on 5 May 1926, page 8i,
of Mrs Susannah Harris on 1 June 1926, page 8f,
of Alexander McG. Dey on 19 and 24 June 1926, pages 13e and 8g,
of Mrs Margaret D. Bateman on 16 July 1927, page 12c,
of Mrs Margaret D. Bateman on 3 August 1927, page 8h,
of Colonel James Stuart on 6 September 1927, page 8h,
of Miss Caroline Chapman on 8 September 1927, page 8g,
of Louis Saunders on 5 October 1927, page 12c,
of George Hannaford on 8 November 1927, page 15c,
of Mrs F.H. Edwards on 16 November 1927, page 15a.
An obituary of Mrs T. Playford is in the Register, 26 May 1928, page 12f,
of William Hollis on 11 August 1928, page 3h.
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
K
Place Names
Kenton Valley
Nomenclature
W.B. Randell, born in Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England in 1799 was married in Kenton, Devon in 1823 to Mary Ann Elliott Beare. See GR 3/1330 and J.E. Monfries, Gumeracha and District, 1839-1939, pp. 56 and 127.
General Notes
Information on the Baptist Church is reported in the Register,
7 March 1850, page 2e; also see
19 December 1864, page 3e,
Chronicle,
24 December 1864, page 2g.
- On Sunday March 3rd the new Baptist Chapel at Kenton Valley, Gummaracka (sic) was opened for public worship. The Rev G. Pinkstone of Gawler preached in the morning. The Rev G. Stonehouse of North Adelaide in the afternoon and evening... The pastor of the Church is Rev. J.P. Buttfield, late missionary at Beloye, Honduras, who arrived in the colony about twelve months ago with the highest testimonials from the Baptist Missionary Society...
14 October 1871, page 7e.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Flax.
A "fatal occurrence" is reported in the Observer,
4 May 1872, page 6f.
Parliamentary Paper 26/1875 shows the school being conducted in a dwelling-house by Sophia S. Tuck with 64 enrolled pupils; it opened circa 1858 and closed in 1943. See
Register,
26 May 1858, page 2g.
19 May 1904, page 3g,
13 and 31 October 1904, pages 8e and 6d,
30 October 1905, page 3f,
12 November 1924, page 13g.
An Arbor Day is reported in the Register,
19 August 1905, page 9c.
Also see South Australia - Education - Arbor Days.
Photographs of school children is in the Chronicle,
6 January 1917, page 30,
Observer,
15 November 1924, page 35e.
The district is described in the Register,
28 September 1910, page 8c,
Observer,
8 October 1910, page 15a.
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
K
Place Names
Keppoch
Nomenclature
Thirteen kilometres south-east of Padthaway. The diagram of the original survey in 1870 by James Elder shows the 'Village of Cockatoo Lake', but it was named 'Keppoch' by Governor Fergusson after a village in Argyll, Scotland with the first lots being offered or sale on 24 October 1872. For many years it was misspelt as 'Keppach' until on 25 October 1938 it was officially altered to 'Keppoch' 'as three of the latter name and none of the former exist in Scotland'.
General Notes
Its school opened as "Keppach" and was altered in 1942;
it closed in 1951.
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
K
Place Names
Kersbrook
Nomenclature
John Bowden (c.1801-1874) took up land in the district in 1841 and called his property 'Kersbrook' after his birthplace in Cornwall,
General Notes
Information on its school is in the Register,
26 May 1858, page 2g.
Observer,
18 November 1905, page 15c.
An Arbor Day is reported in the Chronicle,
23 August 1890, page 23d (See South Australia - Education - Arbor Days) and
a "Hoisting the Flag" ceremony on
25 May 1901, page 19c,
Register,
15 November 1905, page 8g.
Also see South Australia - Miscellany - Flags and Patriotic Songs.
The town and local gardens are described in the Register,
24 December 1881 (supp.), page 2d.
- [It] is about 22 miles north-east of Adelaide and was first named by Mr J.H. Bowden's father after his birthplace in Cornwall in 1841. There are several nice cottages, two churches (Baptist and Wesleyan), a District Council chamber, a public school and what was once the Wheatsheaf Inn, but which owing to the influence of a Band of Hope has had to write "Ichabod" over its doors. Mr J.H. Bowden has a very nice residence here and a splendid garden of some thirteen acres...
16 January 1904, page 14d.
A gold discovery on section 1548, Hundred of Para Wirra is reported in the Register,
3 April 1909, page 5g; also see
21 July 1916, page 5a,
17 March 1923, page 13g.
Also see South Australia - Mining - Gold.
"Kersbrook Apple Groves" is in the Register,
12, 13,14, 16 and 19 January 1914, pages 3f, 10a, 10a, 10a and 10a.
"Kersbrook Orchards" are described in the Observer,
24 January 1914, page 11b.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Fruit and Vegetables.
The opening of a new Institute is reported in the Chronicle,
27 March 1915, page 15a,
Register,
29 June 1915, page 9g,
Observer,
3 July 1915, page 45c.
Photographs of the opening of a memorial park are in the Observer,
8 October 1921, page 24.
Also see South Australia- World War I - Memorials to the Fallen.
A Show is reported upon in the Advertiser,
5 March 1923, page 12g.
"Back to Kersbrook" is in the Advertiser,
29 May 1934, page 10h.
Kersbrook - Obituaries
An obituary of Pastor T.T. Vercoe is in the Register, 22 February 1902, page 5b,
of J.H. Bowden on 24 June 1909, page 4g,
of John Smithers on 4 October 1916, page 6h,
of Mrs John Smithers on 19 February 1917, page 4g,
of Robert Ross on 23 October 1923, page 10g.
An obituary of G.F. Nepean-Smith is in the Observer, 22 July 1916, page 19d,
of John Smithers on 7 October 1916, page 35b,
of Mrs John Smithers on 24 February 1917, page 31e.
An obituary of W. Bartley is in the Register, 2 July 1918, page 4h,
of Mrs Mary J. Barrett on 18 November 1922, page 8g,
of Mrs E. Belcher on 26 and 27 June 1924, pages 8h and 8f.
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
K
Place Names
Keswick
Nomenclature
This English name was applied to a subdivision of section 45, Hundred of Adelaide by Charles John Everard in 1883 when it was said that it was an 'extremely healthy position. Beautiful refreshing sea breezes continually sweep across the locality'. The name is written as chesuic in the Domesday Book which means 'cheese farm'; the noted author, John Ruskin, observed that it was 'a place too beautiful to live in'.
General Notes
A plan of the subdivision is in the Express,
19 October 1882, (supp.).
Information on a proposed Keswick and South Road tramway is in the Register,
29 September 1883, page 7d.
"Keswick Electric Tram" is in the Register,
22, 25 and 26 February 1918, pages 6f, 4d and 5b,
12 March 1918, page 4f,
23 and 29 April 1918, pages 4d and 2h,
21, 25 and 31 May 1918, pages 4d, 6e and 7b,
18 September 1918, page 8h.
Also see Adelaide - Transport - Tramways
A fox terrier coursing meeting is reported in the Express,
2 February 1886, page 4d. Also see South Australia - Sport - Coursing.
- Keswick was the scene of a coursing meeting last Saturday afternoon. The wind and dust made it rather unpleasant for the spectators who numbered over 200. Shortly after 2 pm the judge, Mr Pearce, was at his post... The dogs ran well but Charlie Brown turned and killed very sharply... The third was a good course, the rat running well, Duke giving the go-by to Brown, working his game well and killing...
18 April 1889, page 4h.
The flooding of the district is reported in the Register,
15 February 1897, page 5f,
Express,
17 May 1898, page 3e.
Register,
1 September 1925, page 13g,
31 March 1928, page 7h.
Flood damage is reported in the Advertiser,
17 November 1934, page 16e;
photographs are in the Observer,
14 February 1925, page 32-33,
Chronicle,
15 November 1934, page 34.
Also see South Australia - Natural Disasters - Floods.
A pigeon shooting match is reported in the Express,
15 April 1901, page 2h,
Observer,
8 June 1901, page 19d.
Also see South Australia - Pigeon Racing and Shooting.
The removal of the Beehive Hotel is reported in the Register,
24 February 1911, page 6f. This house was for some years kept by a Mr Honey and "old residents will remember the rhyme upon the walls":
-
In this hive we're all alive,
Good liquor makes us funny,
If you're dry come in and try
The flavour of the honey.
23 October 1911, page 8e and
the opening of a hospital wing for crippled soldiers on
4 May 1918, page 6h; also see
13 June 1922, page 7e.
Photographs are in the Chronicle,
15 June 1918, page 25.
"Overway Bridge at Keswick" is in the Register,
17 November 1911, page 7c.
Information on proposed military headquarters is in the Register,
12 April 1912, page 6d,
4 November 1913, page 8e,
Advertiser,
12 April 1912, page 8d; also see
9 January 1914, page 17d.
Photographs are in the Observer,
12 April 1913, pager 31.
Also see South Australia - Defence of the Colony.
Information on a new railway station and line is in the Register on
7 April 1913, page 6f and
on the tram line on
26 February 1918, page 5b,
12 March 1918, page 4f,
23 April 1918, page 6d,
21, 25 and 31 May 1918, pages 4d, 6e and 7b,
18 September 1918, page 8h.
Photographs are in the Observer,
12 April 1913, page 30.
Information on of Thomas Day is in the Observer,
9 January 1915, page 41a,
26 February 1921, page 31b (obit.);
also see Register,
2 January 1915, page 8g,
21 June 1916, page 7c.
Biographical details of Thomas Day are in the Register,
21 June 1917, page 4g,
21 June 1918, page 7b and
an obituary on 28 February 1921, page 9d.
"A Visit to Keswick - Where the Wounded are Cared For" is in the Advertiser,
17 August 1915, page 6h;
Register,
16 August 1915, page 9h,
25 December 1915, page 11f,
4 May 1918, page 6h;
photographs are in the Observer,
19 February 1916, page 28,
The Critic,
7 February 1917, page 13,
4 April 1917, page 17,
14 November 1917, page 18.
An obituary of Staff Nurse Edith N. Reed is in the Register,
9 August 1921, page 8g.
"Our Sick Soldiers" is in the Register,
13 June 1920, page 7f.
"Life at The Keswick Hospital" is in The Mail,
5 May 1923, page 17d; also see
Advertiser,
21 May 1925, page 8h.
Fire at the military hospital is reported on
28 February 1933, page 9a.
A photograph of a military funeral is in the Chronicle,
3 September 1931, page 32.
Richards' Motor Body Works is described in the Register,
20 May 1920, page 5b and
The Mail,
28 February 1925, page 28e,
the Loyal Women's Hostel on
20 November 1920, page 5g and
Henry Jones and Co's Jam Factory on
9 December 1920, page 5d.
A photograph of reaping is in the Observer,
19 February 1921, page 26.
A strike at the IXL Jam Factory is reported in the Register,
11 February 1925, page 9d.
H. Jones & Co's canning factory is described in the Register,
20 March 1925, page 7,
Advertiser,
27 March 1925, page 21.
Information on the Keswick Bridge is in The News,
12 May 1927, page 12d.
Information on the Keswick Creek is in The News,
16 may 1928, page 8d,
"Condition of Keswick Creek" is in the Advertiser,
6 August 1929, page 15b; also see
29 October 1929, page 7d,
The News,
10 January 1930, page 7g.
Keswick - Obituaries
An obituary of William Gard is in the Register,
9 March 1909, page 7a,
of J.H.H. Lewis on 24 November 1916, page 4i.
An obituary of J.H. Hardy is in the Observer,
2 December 1916, page 22b.
An obituary of Charles Thompson is in the Register,
19 March 1925, page 8g.
Kensington Gardens - Keswick
K
