‘Edgbaston’ Alphington: Home of Thomas Stokes.

Thomas Stokes was born in the Parish of Edgbaston, which today is an affluent suburb of Birmingham. Here is his family’s listing in the 1841 census. His parents, Thomas (carpenter) and Ann, aged 50, are living at Wheeleys Lane with seven of the children, aged from 5 to 15 years (three elder children were not living there). Thomas junior, who would move to Melbourne, Victoria, was aged 10 years. (The ages written for the children are inaccurate. There were not three 15 year olds! Isabella was 20,  William 18, and Eliza was 15 years.)

By the 1851 census,  Thomas, now 20 years, is listed as a die sinker apprentice.

On New Year’s Day, 1854, he arrived at Melbourne to try his luck during the gold rush. However, later that year he returned to his trade. It was the start of big things!

From 1883-1886 he built a grand family home on Heidelberg Road, Alphington that he named after his birth place; Edgbaston. He lived there until his death in 1910.

Weekly Times (Melbourne), 18th June 1910 page 24.

The residence was  divided into 3 townhouses, and the land subdivided and sold in 1914.

Heidelberg News and Grennsborough and Diamond Creek

From Google Street View, Jan 2019, the residence can be seen at the corner of Margaret Grove and Tower Avenue.

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