Benjamin Bolton, Cash and Family Grocer

by David Thompson

If you have visited Coles supermarket, in Bay Street, via the travellator leading from the rooftop car park, you will be familiar with this photograph. Taken by Algernon Darge around 1913-16, it shows the interior of Benjamin Bolton’s Grocery store. It is held by the State Library of Victoria as part of the National Cash Register Company collection. Presumably, the photo shows Benjamin standing behind the counter next to his rather impressive National Cash Register.

The name B Bolton appears as one of the local agents for Bushells Tea in advertisements in the local Standard newspaper from June 1903ⁱ. A year later on 25 June 1904, an ad for Benjamin Bolton … Cash and Family Grocer, that became a constant in the Standard for the best part of the next two decades, appeared for the first timeⁱⁱ.

Benjamin Bolton’s store, 87 Raglan Street, at the corner of Heath Street, is listed in the 1904 Sands & McDougall Directory. By 1920 the directory shows Benjamin at the corner shop and the house next door at 89 Raglan Street but about three years later Benjamin had left Port Melbourne and set up a store in Malvern.ⁱⁱⁱ

As well as recording the interior of the shop, Algernon Darge also took a photo of the exterior of the shop.

After Bolton’s departure from Port, 87-89 Raglan remained as a grocery store and adjoining house with various occupants until at least the Second World War. The 1939 Sand and McDougall directory lists Mrs A M Mounsey, Grocer and Mr James D Mounsey in the two buildings. Mrs Mounsey remained there into the 1950s however the directory does not indicate whether it was still operating as a shop. By the 1960s and through the 1970s, the Popazzo family took over the buildings but by the mid-1980s the old corner shop was vacant and falling into disrepair.^iv

Tony Cannatelli took this photo of the corner around 1992.

Although looking much better, the basic structure of the building had not changed by 2012-23 when Robyn Clinch took this photo.

In August 2016, the properties were auctioned by Chisholm & Gammon as a combined four bedroom house with the lounge room at the front in the old shop.^v Since that time, the property has been restored and extended to two storeys at the rear.

However it still retains a nod back to its time as a grocery store. The exposed brick section along Heath Street has a ghost sign for the White Crow brand.

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ⁱ 1903 ‘Advertising’, Standard (Port Melbourne, Vic. : 1884 – 1914), 20 June, p. 3. , viewed 01 May 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164948511

ⁱⁱ 1904 ‘Advertising’, Standard (Port Melbourne, Vic. : 1884 – 1914), 25 June, p. 2. , viewed 01 May 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164432783

ⁱⁱⁱ 1900-1925 Sands and McDougall Directories

^iv 1939-1974 Sands and McDougall Directories

^v ’89 Raglan Street’, Domain, viewed 02 May 2025, https://www.domain.com.au/89-raglan-street-port-melbourne-vic-3207-2012921145