George Robert Ashley - curator of the St Kilda foreshore gardens

The Catani Gardens in St Kilda were designed by Carlo Catani on reclaimed land. The reclamation work on the foreshore, began in the 1890s with a sea wall built out of rubble between St Kilda Pier and Captain Keeny’s Bathing Ship, which allowed for the creation of the Pier Lawns around the St Kilda Yacht Club by 1896. In 1899, a bluestone wall was set to further extend to Cowderoy Street, completed around 1906. Also in 1906, the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee, the special duties of which should be the work of reclamation and of beautification, according to St Kilda historian, J.B. Cooper (1).  Carlo Catani was involved in this reclamation project from the beginning and was an inaugural member of the Fore Shore Committee. The gardens on this reclaimed land were designed by Carlo Catani and his ongoing work was recognised by having them named after him in October 1927. Before the area was renamed for Carlo it was known as the Captain Cook Lawns, due to it being the location of a statue of Captain Cook (see here) and, as I said, previous to this it was known as the Pier Lawns.

Catani is deservedly credited with the garden design, but he always generously shared praise with the curator of the gardens, George Robert Ashley (1871 - 1952) and this post looks at the life and work of Mr Ashley.

George was the second curator of the foreshore gardens.  The first curator, employed by the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee, sometimes called the St Kilda Fore Shore Trust (2) was Arthur W. Kenny. He was a man of some talent and the Prahran Telegraph had this to say about him and his work -  It is very noticeable what an excellent crop of grass Mr. Kenny the curator has been able to grow this year. This is all the more creditable when it is remembered that it was the end of November before some of the seed was sown. Mr. Kenny knows his work, and the Trust are to be complimented in getting such a fine gardener. (Prahran Telegraph February 2, 1907 see here)

However, Mr Kenny soon had a 'tree change' and on May 1908 he is listed as the gardener at the guest house, Kerami, at Marysville. The grounds around "Kerame," (sic) the new tourists' resort built by Miss Glover, of Melbourne, are now completed and present a fine appearance. The work was carried out by Mr. A. W. Kenny, late curator of St. Kilda foreshore, and reflects great credit on his ability in this class of work. (Healesville and Yarra Glen Guardian, June 19, 1908 see here)

I am assuming that George Ashley was appointed after Mr Kenny left for Marysville, but I do not have proof of his appointment at that time but neither can I find evidence of the  appointment of another person. However supporting his appointment at this time is the fact that in 1906 George and his wife Alice are listed in the Electoral Rolls at 13 Budd Street, Collingwood and in 1908 they are living at 57 Clyde Street in St Kilda. So, I believe that Ashley's role as the curator of the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee commenced in 1908.

The role of the Curator was varied - he obviously created and cared for the gardens that Carlo had designed  - more of which later -  but he also had administrative duties.

Left: Auction of Katzenjammer Castle.
The Argus, September 13, 1913
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/7259067


In 1913, the Fore Shore Committee had for sale 'The Glidaway', an open air skating rink which had opened in November 1907 on the foreshore, and Katzenjammer Castle, which was part of the Princes Court, the Acme Pleasure Resort according to their advertisements, which was established in 1904 on St Kilda Road, where the Arts Centre is  now located. It closed in 1909. I assume that Katzenjammer Castle was then re-located to the Lower Esplanade in  St Kilda as in September 1912 it was advertised for sale, due to the expiration of the lease. It must not have sold as it then became the responsibilty of the Fore Shore Committee to dispose of both attractions and it was auctioned in September 1913. The point of telling you this is that George Ashley was the contact person for further particulars.

Katzenjammer Castle, 1909. Photographer: Frank Ernest Allen.

State Library of Victoria Image Image H2009.29/161

Other administrative jobs included being the contact person for people wanting to run refreshment stands on the St Kilda foreshore and giving evidence in Court cases. In May 1914, Alice Maud Cummings was charged with having damaged flowers valued at one shilling in the Luna Park Reserve. The case was heard at the St Kilda Court and Mr Ashley, who had caught Mrs Cummings cutting the flowers, was the main witness. Mrs Cummings was found guilty of stealing dahlias, cosmos and chrysanthemums and was fined five shillings with  three pounds in cost. It does seem a small matter but Ashley was concerned because much damage had been done to the beauty of the reserve. He gave evidence in a similar case in March 1917 where two sisters were charged with the larceny of a bunch of flowers. The girls were fined 20 shillings each. The Chairman of the St Kilda Court, Cr John Jeremiah Love, said that the curator, Mr. Ashley, was a generous man, and was always willing to give anyone a bunch of flowers, bulbs or seeds. 

Mr Ashley worked closely with Carlo Catani in the design and maintenance of the garden. The Prahran Telegraph had this tribute to Carlo and it shows the role that Ashley played in maintaining the gardens - Early in the morning, and on almost any morning of the week, Mr. Carlo Catani, Chief Engineer in the Public Works Department of Victoria, may be seen on the St. Kilda foreshore generally in consultation with Mr. Ashley, the curator of the Foreshore Committee, and in the evenings again, on his way home from his department; he may again be observed. His has been the artistic mind which has planned to make the sea beach of St. Kilda a place of beauty and of attraction to the countless thousands of visitors who resort to it during the summer time.....Where when Mr. Catani first assumed charge, only Mr. Ashley and a boy were engaged in these works of improvement, to-day there are five men regularly engaged. One begins from what has been accomplished to understand the design as a whole, and to appreciate the artistic ability of Mr. Catani as a landscape gardener. (Prahran Telegraph, August 19, 1916, see here)

The same issue of the Prahran Telegraph had a report about the unveiling of the plaque that was affixed to the Captain Cook statue which we mentioned before. This report also paid tribute to Carlo and Mr Ashley - Mr. Catani, with the assistance of Mr. Ashley, had been giving the citizens of St. Kilda beautiful lawns, against all the false prophecies which were made a few years ago, prophecies over which those gentlemen had triumphed. (Prahran Telegraph, August 19,  1916, see here)

St. Kilda foreshore and the arrival of the Prince of Wales, 1920. 

You could image how busy George Ashley and his team would have been preparing the Garden for this event. The Prince has arrived at Port Phillip Heads on May 26, 1920 on the H.M.S Renown, which was prevented from entering due to fog. He transferred to the Destroyer, Anzac, which took him up the Bay to Port Melbourne, where he transferred to the Hygeia and landed at the St Kilda Pier, where the leaders of Australia had assembled to meet him. (The Herald May 26, 1920, see here)

State Library of Victoria Image  H36170

Because this is a  post celebrating Mr Ashley skills and commitment as a curator here are two other tributes to him. In  a report about the opening of a new cafe on the Upper Esplanade, the Malvern Standard said The surroundings of the new cáfe are also very finely laid out. They were designed by Mr. Catani the Public Works Department, and valuable assistance in the work of laying out was given by Mr. G. R Ashley, curator of the foreshore, whose success as an artistic gardener shows practical evidence wherever the eye turns. The cafe building was erected by the Prahran and Malvern Tramway Trust and was operated by Mrs Leonard a lady well suited to manage and conduct a public business of the kind, according to the report.  (Malvern Standard, January 6, 1917, see here.)  The cafe was opened on December 23, 1916 and was called the Empire cafe.  It was on the corner of Acland Street,  on the same site which was at one time occupied by Baxter's Merry-Go-Round. The site was originally surveyed by Carlo Catani.

The Prahran Chronicle had an article about a perambulation the St Kilda Councillors undertook around the municipality and regarding the foreshore gardens the paper said Mr Curator Ashley is deserving of much commendation for the attractiveness and beauty which is to be seen on all sides. (Prahran Chronicle, October 27, 1917 see here)

As we know, Carlo sadly passed away on July 20, 1918 and Mr Ashley ensured that his plans and vision for the foreshore garden were completed. In October 1919 a journalist from the Prahran Telegraph paid a visit of inspection to the beach, and saw the curator, Mr. G. R. Ashley, with plan in hand. Mr. Ashley shows us how the splendid scheme of foreshore improvement designed by the late Mr. C. Catani, the State Surveyor-General, is being faithfully carried out by him. Mr. Ashley has an intense regard for Mr. Catani's works, in which, we think, most people, competent to judge, share...... Unfolding Mr Catani's plan which he carries in his pocket, Mr. Ashley shows us what has been done and what is blocked out to be done. The design, as might be expected is a composite picturesque whole. Much of the detail work was carried out as the work progressed. In this Mr. Ashley explained, Mr. Catani showed his elasticity of mind. Generally, Mr Catani imbued his ideas on Mr. Ashley's mind, and it may be said he could not have left the completion of his work in more capable hands, nor with an expert curator with more sympathetic understanding. (Prahran Telegraph, October 11, 1919, see here). How wonderful it would be to find Carlo's plan which Mr Ashley carried in his pocket.

It was another four years of work to complete Carlo's vision as The Age reported Mr. George Ashley, the curator of the St. Kilda foreshore management committee, states that he can now see signs of coming to the end of his constructive work in carrying out the plans of beautification of the late Mr. Catani, "the engineer artist," who designed the garden landscape of lawns and shrubberies alongside the beach.  (The Age November 27, 1922 see here)

I know from newspaper reports that Mr Ashley was employed by the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee until at least 1926, but I do not know when he retired. He is listed in the 1928 Electoral Rolls at 45 Clyde Street and his occupation is curator. In the 1931, when he was 60, George and Alice are living in Wilson Street in Cheltenham, so I believe he would have retired from the Fore Shore Committee at that time.

Before I get onto George's family life I can tell you that he had a love of dahlias. During the First World War there was a shortage of seeds and bulbs as they could not be imported so gardeners had to create new varieties and at a meeting of the Malvern and District Horticultural Society some of these new creations were displayed including Mr Ashley's collarette and single dahlias. At the same meeting, George Cooper, who was the curator of the Alexandra Gardens and who also worked closely with Carlo was reported to have a promising Japanese iris bed, in which there are nearly 1000 seedlings of his own raising by the judicious crossing of imported varieties. (The Herald, April 18, 1917, see here) You can read more about George Cooper, here.

 The lawn and pier, St Kilda. Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co.

Carlo Catani's design, George Ashley's work

State Library of Victoria Image H32492/605

George Robert Ashley, was born in 1871 in Collingwood to James and Mary (nee Hogan) Ashley.  He married Alice Maud Rickards in 1893. She was the daughter of William and Sarah (nee Keeble) Rickards. They had eight children, the first three were born in Carlton and the rest in Collingwood. Sadly for the family three of the children died very young.

1. Gladys Maude, 1893 - 1982.  Gladys married James Miller in  1923.
2. Sarah Florence, 1896 - 1898, died aged 2
3. Mary Ellen,  1898 - 1977.  In October 1915, when Mary was seventeen she was the subject of a drama when she was reported missing by her father. It was reported on in The Herald (see here).  Shortly after this she married Edward Rufus Schofield in 1916, had a baby Hector Ward Schofield, but  he sadly died at 5 months old in 1916. The couple then  had another baby Edward Gordon in 1918. When Edward Rufus died in 1942, Mary married Matthew Gilmore Lawson.  
4. Martha Keeble, 1901 - 1967. Martha married Donald Wallace Cameron in 1930, I believe they were divorced and she married John Sexton in 1950.
5. George Arthur,  1903 - 1903, died at the age of seven months
6. George Lewis,  1904 - 1904, died at the age of one month
7. Sarah Violet , 1905 - 1993. Sarah married John Henry Hodges in 1926.
8. Florence Emily 1908 - 1991. Florence married Bernard William Duthie in 1930. 

There is a story connected to the wedding of Sarah to John Hodges in 1926. On April 22 in that year George was found lying in the street in mysterious circumstances, the story was reported in The Argus -  At half past 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon George Robert Ashley, aged 55 vears, of Clyde street, St Kilda, was found found on the roadside in Martin street, Elwood. He told the police that he had been robbed of about £50 in notes. Senior-detective R. Brennan, Detective E. Ethell, and Plain clothes Constable Smith, of St Kilda, made premliminary inquiries into the incident, but, owing to his dazed condition, Ashley was unable to give them a coherent account of his movements. He said, however, that he has drawn the money the bank on Tuesday for the purchase of presents in connection with his daughter's wedding.

Ashley, who is a foreman gardener employed on the St Kilda foreshore, told the detectives that he had several drinks in an hotel at St Kilda yesterday morning, and that he remembered entering a motor-car driven by a man with coloured glasses. He knows nothing of his movements after that until he was found in Martin street. About £50, which he had in his possession was then missing. (The Argus, April 23, 1926, see here)

George Ashley's death notice from The Argus November 15, 1952.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23206087

Apart from the few years spent in Cheltenham in the early 1930s, George and Alice and family lived at three addresses in  Clyde Street in St Kilda - No. 57, No. 55 and from around 1936 at No. 45. Alice Ashley died June 14, 1959 aged 86. George predeceased her as he passed away November 14, 1952. He was cremated at Springvale and his ashes were scattered. His death notice described him as a loving father and devoted grandfather of Gladys, Shirley, Jean, Gordon, Robert, John and Brian. That's really sweet. I wish I had a  photo of George to show you, but I don't.

Holiday Makers at St Kilda - perhaps some of the many who flocked to St Kilda and left their rubbish behind for Mr Ashley to clean up (see below)

Image: The History of St Kilda from its first settlement to a City and after, 1840 - 1930 (see footnote 1)

We will finish this tribute to Mr Ashley, who not only worked closely with Carlo to ensure his vision of the St Kilda foreshore came to fruition but who was also clearly devoted to his role, with this excerpt taken from the Prahran Telegraph. The report was on the hundreds and thousands [who] flocked to the beaches. St. Kilda foreshore, from, west to south, was particularly crowded over the Christmas and New Year period..... One particular sore point about the business is that when Mr. George Ashley, the foreshore curator, gazes upon a scene such as that described, with the place littered with so much rubbish and cast off food pieces, he simply breaks down and weeps. But in course of time a transformation is brought about, and within a comparatively few hours the foreshore is looking as neat and trim as if tens of thousands of holiday makers had never been near it. It is said that George Ashley can get rid of the heaps of cast-off lunch-wrappers on the foreshore in as quick time as Byron Moore (3) can dispose of myriads of discarded betting tickets at Flemington. (Prahran Telegraph January 9, 1925, see here) 

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Acknowledgement
The information about the early history of the reclamation works of the St Kilda foreshore was provided to me by my research colleague, Isaac Hermann. Some of the first paragraph is actually his writing, so I am, as always, grateful to him for sharing this with me. Isaac also provided me with information about the Empire Cafe including its name, the date of opening and the fact that it was built on the site of  Baxter's Merry-Go-Round.  Thank you, Isaac.

Trove List
I have created a list of newspaper articles on Trove, connected to George Ashley. You can access it here. All the articles referred to here are on the list.

Footnotes
(1) John Butler Cooper wrote the two volume The History of St Kilda from its first settlement to a City and after, 1840 - 1930. It was published by the St Kilda City Council in 1931. The quote about the role of the Fore Shore Committee is from Volume 2, page 203. The image of the Holiday Makers is from Volume 2, facing page 190.

(2) The St Kilda Fore Shore Committee is also sometimes called the St Kilda Fore Shore Trust. My fellow historian, the aforementioned Isaac Hermann who has a particular interest in the history of Elwood and St Kilda,  explained to me that [he considers]  the Trust to be the legal and financial entity, while the Committee to be the operational body of members that constitute the Trust: so the Fore Shore Committee would meet to facilitate the projects, aims, goals, statutes of the Trust.

(3) Henry Byron Moore  (1839 - 1925) was Secretary of the Victorian Racing Club. You can read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, here.