Summary

Cream veil, headpiece, horseshoes and Kewipe dolls worn by Ada Henrietta Blakeley (nee Gibson) on her wedding day, 12 May 1937. She married William Gillott Blakeley (1905-1995), son of saw manufacturer William Henry Blakeley and his second wife Annie, at the Congregational Church in Windsor. Ada was the organist there at the time and her father, John Conway Gibson, a lay preacher.

Ada was a budding concert pianist, William a saw and knife manufacturer like his father. After Ada and William married they moved to a purpose-built house in Marriage Road, Brighton (plans for the house have been donated to the State Library of Victoria). After World War II they moved to William's family farm at Red Hill. They became Presbyterians - the local Presbyterian church heard that Ada could play piano and organ beautifully so welcomed her.

William Gillott assumed management of his late father's business from 1970 to 1989, following the end of his brother Herbert Leslie's tenure.

William Henry Blakeley was the first saw manufacturer in Australia and operated his manufacturing business, W.H. Blakeley and Co (which became W.H. Blakeley and Company Proprietary Limited in 1922), at several locations in inner Melbourne. The Blakeley business has continued into the 21st century.

Physical Description

Cream netting wedding veil with chain stitch floral pattern at edge. Accompanied by four fabric-covered horseshoes - three peach, one cream - with long ribbons. Accompanying floral headdress consists of a green fabric-wrapped wire frame onto which are attached white wax 'buds' and peach-coloured flowers, to be worn as band across top of head. Two plastic kewpie dolls accompany the set, both showing deformation of their plastic.

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