BARLOWS – PART OF THE COMMUNITY & THE WEST SINCE 1862
Founded in 1885, Barlows is the oldest Real Estate Agency in the Western Suburbs and the second oldest Real Estate Agency in Melbourne. (Source “The Property Adviser”). We are currently working with the REIV to clarify a more detailed history and background for Barlows and our ranking in industry achievements in Victoria and association with the community.
The Barlows family moved to the area in 1862 during the time of the Gold Rush where there was enourmous growth, change and development.
Our founder, Issac Barlow, is shown in the records of Museum Victoria as a respected businessman in the area, “Issac was a man of quiet and retiring nature, he was highly esteemed in the area”. His reach extended out to Sunshine and the Melbourne CBD. Issac, along with his son Vivian, represented the West for 50 years before the Real Estate Association (REIV) was even formed. Like other pathfinders in the industry at that time, he helped towards the recognition of Real Estate as a professional part of the business community and we would like to think his practices found their way into the Real Estate Industry Association (REIV) which was formed 52 years after his family set-up the Barlows business.
Issac Barlow moved to the area in 1885 and lived with his wife Rosina at 44 Hall Street, which was also the first Barlows office. In our company archive we have some wonderful nostalgic examples of Barlows listings, adverts and Auction notices.
Mr. Vivian Barlow the son of Issac was also a recognised leadership representative in the area and represented Williamstown, Footscray & Sunshine real estate members of the Real Estate Association (REIV) in its year of formation in 1938 and this commitment to the industry continued throughout the rest of his life.
We see from archives held at the Museum of Victoria that he represented the Real Estate Agents in the West at many business meetings and including a Melbourne Business Leaders meeting and get together on 13th February 1948 in Sunshine – this was a meeting with important people in the municipal, banking, insurance, legal and newspaper fraternity.
BARLOWS BEGININGS AND TIMELINE IN THE AREA
Barlows was formed in 1885 and, as mentioned, is the oldest Real Estate Agency in Melbourne’s West. The 1880s was a decade of extraordinary growth, when consumer confidence was strong, there was easy access to credit, steep increases in land prices and an enormous amount of construction. During this ‘land boom’, Melbourne reputedly became the richest city in the world, and also the largest after London. Issac Barlow and his sons participated in this boom and continued to to be a key leader and key representative for the Real Estate agents for Williamstown to Footscray and as far as Sunshine.
The Barlow family was known to have moved to the area around 1860, the same year that the HMS Palmerston arrived, amazingly enough, with 296 convicts being deported from England. It was also the year that an expedition led by Burke and Wills set out from Melbourne Post Office in an attempt to win the ‘race to the north’ – the first attempt to cross the continent from south to north. Growth in the Hobsons Bay area rose from 10,000 to 92,000 today.
Barlows was formed in the tradition of the many immigrants with dreams of a new life in Australia and to attain success as part of a great community. Large numbers arrived in Melbourne and Williamstown (Williams Town) and many left from there to find their fortune in the goldfields. Many merchants and miners who found their fortunes then returned to Williamstown to build grand mansions, seaside allotments and cottages in the expanding dirt roads, tracks, lanes and streets.
The Williamstown and Hobsons Bay community should be very proud that Australia’s first telegraph line began operating between Melbourne and Williamstown on 3 March 1854. Equally amazing, the first railway in Australia was established by the Melbourne & Hobson’s Bay Railway Company in 1854, and ran from Flinders Street to Station Pier in Sandridge (Port Melbourne) followed by a line to Williamstown.
As one of founding land agents in the area Barlows played a key role in this vibrant settlement and growth in the subdivision of farms to create the sounding suburbs of Newport, Footscray and Spotswood. Since then Barlows’ growth has reached to Altona, Altona North, Altona Meadows, Braybrook, Brooklyn, Footscray, West Footscray, Kingsville, Laverton, Maidstone, Mt Cottrell, Rockbank, Seabrook, Seddon, South Kingsville, Spotswood, Strathtulloh, Williamstown and Yarraville
In those early days Barlows played a key part in supporting the strong demand for vendor and buyer assistance in this area of land acquisition, land subdivision and the ongoing creation of its many beautiful mansions and lovely classic cottages and terraces.
The sense of Community and the Community Groups in the area are a key focus for Barlows since 1885 to the present. Barlows has served the community and the community groups from the very beginning from our very first display of a “For Sale” sign. Continuing that community spirit, Barlows is the only Real Estate Agency in the area to accept Senior discount cards and discounts to Community Club & Associations.
We cater for the specific needs of Seniors, Millennials, X&Y Generation, as we are well aware that the different generations have different perspectives, tastes and needs. This understanding is always an important consideration for us to ensure empathy and value to our vendors, buyers, landlords and tenants. Being the oldest agency in the west, the Barlows founders and team have witnessed much change and participated in the community groups formed in the early days and our ongoing support and active membership continues today.
The sense of Community – Barlows participation with the oldest sporting and community clubs in Australia.
Barlows was in business long before most of our regional Community groups were formed and we have supported many of those. Once again this longstanding sense of community is demonstrated by Barlows discount for Seniors Card holders and Community groups.
Williamstown (Williams Town) Timeline & Barlows:
1885 – Barlows formed by the Barlows family. Barlows witnessed the formation of many community groups and participated in this sense of community spirit.
1886 – The Williamstown CYMS football club was formed and remains one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia.
1888 – The Hobsons Bay Yacht Club was established and was situated on Nelson Place at the end of Ferguson Street and adjacent to the pier.
1892 – The Yacht Club Hotel was built at 207 Nelson Place, a site previously occupied by an iron-framed ‘wooden’ hotel called The Lord Clyde.
1894 – The Williamstown Hospital opened when the community responded to the increased risk of accidents from a busy port, the railway workshops and the growing industrial area of Newport, Spotswood, and Footscray.
1896 – Williamstown Central Tennis Club was established on a site at the corner of Ferguson Street and Melbourne Road.
1898 – The Williamstown Lacrosse Club was founded at a meeting in the Williamstown Baptist Sunday School
1914 – The Williamstown Sailing Club was formed and its facilities situated on The Strand at the end of Stevedore Street.
1920 – The Electrification of the Williamstown railway that travelled to Melbourne
Proud of our early beginnings and our significant involvement in the local history, Barlows will continue its commitment, involvement and support for the local communities in the West and as part of that ethos our goal is to be the “Best in the West” for Real Estate services and results.
This History was provided by Andrew Matler from his research – if you see any inaccuracies or omissions please email him at itwire.com News Service andrew@andrewmatler.com