Black and white photograph

Unidentified Photographer

c1880s

This rustic gate, stone wall and building once stood near the Middle Falls in the present day Park. The building, seen earlier in Image 26, is said to have housed a store in the years before Mr Letchworth arrived at Portage Falls. The structure appears to have been incorporated into the original design for the Glen Iris Estate done by landscape architect William Webster in the early 1860s. It is likely that the walls and gates were added at that time. (See the Ornament Farm). The buildings appears on the 1902 map of the Glen Iris.

Note the wagon to the right and the individual standing in front of the wall. The photographer probably placed that individual on purpose - look how tall the wall looks, especially in comparison to Image 26. Mr. Letchworth would have never built a high wall blocking the view of the nearby Middle Falls - the individual is just a young boy!

This location is also visible in Image 28 and 182. No traces of the wall, gate, or building survives, though there is a small mound in the general location today.

Thanks to Karen Gibson Strang for sharing this image with us.!