Gladstone House, corner Langhorne and Foster Streets, Dandenong.

Gladstone House hydropathic hospital on the corner of Langhorne and Foster streets (153 Foster Street) Dandenong opened in 1896, working on the theory of water therapy, no medicine or operations. Her husband passed away in 1911 at 77, around similar time Dr Barclay Thompson obtained control of the practice. Mrs Orgill remaining on in some capacity.

Elizabeth Mary Orgill (nee Gladstone) operated Gladstone House until at least 1911, along with another hydropathic hospital (Birthwood) on Cheltenham road. She was the daughter of William Gladstone (Nephew of William Ewart Gladstone, UK prime minister in 1874).

Around 1912 Dr A. E. Taylor took over the location from Dr. Barclay Thompson. Mrs Orgill was still working here but no longer controlled the prectice, having given it up to Barclay. Taylor served as medical officer for the Shire for before his death in 1939. After Taylor's death Dr. T. C. Reeves bought his practice in 1939, later that year being appointed medical officer,

Gladstone Road in Dandenong is named after her family, who owned and occupied a farming paddock in the area on former Police Paddock ground, the Police reserve having earlier been reduced back to Stud Road.

Hydropathy (now known as Hydrotherapy) and also called water cure, is a part of medicine and alternative medicine, in particular of naturopathy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment.

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Royal Hotel, Lonsdale/Walker Streets, Dandenong, 1897

Located on the corner where Dunbar's hotel once stood,later it would be occupied by the AMP building, and presently it is home to the Dandenong Civic Centre. Over the years, since Dunbar built his first hotel, this corner has seen many changes. The hotel pictured was built by Mr Charles Henry Dawson.

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The following is an extract from the Weekly Times, Sat 20 Nov 1897, Page 17.
"The Royal Hotel. Dandenong, which is occupied and owned by Mr C. H. Dawson, is a fine two-storied brick building, situated at the corner of Walker and Lonsdale streets, having a frontage to both. It is within five minutes' walk of the railway station .and the visitor to Dandenong, on putting up at the Royal, will be surprised to find such a spacious hotel in a town of its size. The building contains 43 rooms. and covers an acre of ground. There is a fine large dining room, where meals are served in a tasty manner, and the commercial rooms and parlours are nicely furnished and cosy."

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Furniture World, Lonsdale Street, Dandenong, 1970s

Furniture world used to be Partons drapery store. Whites shoes was located to the right with the old Gas Centre on the left, Furniture world also occupied the old Wessex building on the corner of Walker and Langhorne streets for some time before it was demolished.

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Walker and Langhorne Street, Dandenong, 1950-60

This view shows the intersection of Walker and Langhorne streets between 1950 and 1960, with Walker street running from left to right and Langhorne street running from top to bottom. On the lower corner can be seen the Wessex, with Maggs following at the bottom. The name of the business between Maggs and Wessex is unknown to us at this time.

The small hut on the upper corner was the Rest Hut (built in 1943), until late in 1953, the local branch of the R.S.L. met here. In November of 1953 they officially moved to their new rooms further up Walker Street. Sadly with the extensions of the Capital Centre, forming the Dandenong Plaza, Westwood was demolished, now forming part of the carpark.

With little tables, chairs, couches and easy chairs grouped about it, and a fire place in the centre of the room, the hall had been very comfortably furnished and was much admired. The land was supplied by Mr. Tom Caroll, as a generous offer of the use of the land on which the hut stood “to do as they liked, for as long as they liked.” With the locals working on it every Saturday afternoon for the four months it took to build.

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Springvale (main street) in the early 1970's

The name Springvale arose from a permanent water source for stock and travellers between Melbourne and Dandenong that was in the vicinity of the intersection of Dandenong and Centre/Police Roads.

It was near the springs in the 1850s that the Spring Vale hotel was built alongside the newly surveyed route between Oakleigh and Dandenong. From this hotel came the name of Springvale as we use it now.

The first Springvale Post Office opened on 12 September 1864 and closed in 1892. This office had been superseded by Springvale Railway Station office (opened 1887) which was renamed Springvale in 1902. A Springvale North Post Office was also open between 1946 and 1978.

In 1886, land was subdivided near the railway station and the area began to grow. By the 1920s the Spring Vale community had a lodge, brass band, a recreation reserve, a mechanics' institute, a few shops and some houses in the township.

A picture theatre opened in 1924. At the outbreak of the second world war Springvale was a pastoral, residential and industrial township with market gardens in the surrounding areas. Sand extraction industries were active, lasting until the 1990s.

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Walker and Langhorne Streets, Dandenong,1878-83.

Jones's New Dandenong bakery was the joy of .J. T. Thorpe, in the early days he was the only baker in Dandenong. He established his bakery in about 1878/79, and by 1883 had moved the bakery to new and bigger premises in Keys Buildings on Lonsdale Street. In 1896 R. F. Meyer took control of the bakery.

The small building used for the bakery was originally built by Mr Bowman In 1857. In turn it was occupied by butchers, bakers and other tradesmen. A baker named Gatling had it for a time, but the tenant occupying it prior to its being demolished was J. T. Thorpe. He baked there for many years, eventually removing to Keys’ Buildings.

Jones and his wife later moved to Cranbourne, where they continued to be involved in the bakery field, opening a local bakery. In the 1950s the Cranbourne business was still being carried on by Jack Thorpe, at the time it was the oldest bakery in Cranbourne.

Eventually the Twiss family took over the Dandenong Bakery, running it for some years.They later took over the Railway refreshment rooms at the Dandenong station from Mrs. Clinch, who took over from Miss Bottril (we believe the first to conduct them).

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Langhorne Street, Dandenong, Anzac Day 1970

Looking up Langhorne Street towards Foster street, from close to Princes highway. This shot shows part of the Anzac Day march in 1970. Sadly we don't have any names for the people.

The Dandenong Hub now stands where Cheney was, note that at this time Clark Rubber was in Langhorne street. They would also find a home in the corner building on McCrae Street and Princes Highway. Cheney later merged with Patterson to form the present Patterson Cheney business on Cheltenham road.

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