ALFRED SHAW & CO in QUEENSLAND

Queensland Intercontinental Exhibition 1876

The first "Ekka" was held at Bowen Park in 1876. The site, still used by the Ekka today, was then on the outskirts of Brisbane as can be seen by the view above that looks back over Bowen Bridge.

Part the Alfred Shaw & Co stand can be seen at the left with it's grandiose display of "Brisbane, Melbourne & London". Apparently the windmill, pictured right, was one of many diifernet designs imported by the company and was used to power much of the machinery at on display. A windmill was to be used as a company logo in Queensland appearing in much of the advertising and in miniature on the roof of company buildings.

Note also the newly built Royal Brisbane Hospital behind the windmill.

Brisbane Stores in the 1890s

Alfred Shaw & Co facilities in Brisbane in the 1890s were described in some detail in the newspapers of the time. The Queenslander on the 23rd August 1890 published a short item accompanying the first image below. On Christams Eve, 1892, the Queenslander ran a larger article on the store. The Australian Tropiculturalist & Stockbreeder, 1st June 1895 p.101, presented an image of the Shaw premises during the major flood of 1893 and the next year a special edition of the same publication included a detailed three page illustrated description of the business and its wares. The "Top" logos at the head of this page and the rightmost two images below are from this item. The full text can be accessed below them.

The cover and three pages on Alfred Shaw and Co from "Special Exhibition Number - The Australian Tropiculturalist & Stockbreeder with which is incorporated the Australian Agriculturalist and The Queensland Manufacturer", August 11th, 1896.

Townsville

"..... Early in 1888 they purchased the hardware business of Messrs. McPherson & Co. of Townsville placing the same in charge of Messrs. Moore and Rodgers, two young men formerly in their Brisbane branch but who now have an interest in the Townsville branch. The stores of the firm cover nearly three-quarters of an acre and their business is by far the largest in Northern Queensland." (Sutherland)

Below is an 1890s(?) directory advertisement for the Townsville business, an 1890 photograph showing the Alfred Shaw & Co store and buildings on the Ross River² and a newspaper item from the same year describing a fire on the premises. A few years later the Queensland business suffered a flood: "A cabinet photo view of Creek Street, Brisbane, Australia during the devastating floods of February 1893. This view looks from Adelaide Street to the wharves on Eagle Street. The building with the windmill on the roof is Alfred Shaw & Co's store. Opposite is the Gresham Hotel."³