From our Archives
In May, Niddrie, Avondale Heights and Sam Merrifield Libraries will hold displays of building plans and blueprints from the Coutts Family Collection held in the archive at Sam Merrifield Library. The Coutts family were prominent builders in the Moonee Valley area in the first half of the twentieth century. Many of the homes that they built still stand today and include examples of unique and unusual design. The history of the Coutts family of builders starts with John and Esther Coutts and their son William Earnest (W.E) Coutts who was born in 1887. The family moved to Morphett St, Ascot Vale in 1891. John Coutts established himself as a builder in the local area. Advertisements from The Essendon Gazette in 1914 show that houses were built on deposit and rent purchase terms. John Coutts died in 1926 and Esther remained in Ascot Vale till her death in 1946. William Coutts followed in his father’s footsteps, building over 30 h...