Circa 1880s: William Davies was a native of Carmarthenshire Wales, and four days before his marriage to Mary Ann Hamblyn Hore at Christ Church, Castlemaine on 18th December 1858, he purchased a half section of this allotment No 69, section G at the top of Wesley Hill from William Barker and gave it to his wife on the eve of the marriage. In 1872 and 1873 he was able to acquire two adjoining sections thus creating a good sized block with access from Duke Street in the north and Prendergast Street from the south. He established a boot and shoe maker business on the site and William and Mary Ann Davies with their children and employees are seen here standing outside the business circa 1880s. Information and photograph provided by Peter Bottomley.
2024: This is the same building approximately 170 years later showing that little seems to have changed in the intervening period. However after the business closed, the building was for many years us...
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