1 York Rd, Lambeth – who owned it?

[ShaunJ]

The enumerator's description of his district is worth looking at. He had part of St Luke's Ecclesiastical District which includes "2 houses on York Road occupied by Mr Drink and Mr Christmas" and part of St Peter's Streatham E.D. consisting of "York Crescent, Tonge House, and Cambrian House".  The Gardner's Lodge is in that latter group.

Looking at the map, Tonge House is right at the beginning of York Road and has extensive gardens so my guess would be that the Gardner's Lodge  belongs to Tonge House.

Is Lambeth a large area for the point of view of the census then?

It's the parish of St Mary Lambeth which reached south as far as Norwood. See http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/__data/assets/image/0005/304295/01296-640.jpg

[mazi]

Googling Tonge House. Suggests it was a charitable institution in 1929, set up by Bertha Portal.
Searching the 1881 for just the name portal gives a family of this name in York crescent Lambeth,

Retired wine merchant, wife, one daughter and several female servants.

Mike

[ShaunJ]

GARDENER.- WANTED: a man and his wife, as GARDENER and LAUNDRESS, without family, both thoroughly good. A comfortable dwelling, with coals and gas. Good wages.- Apply, by letter, addressed Mr. P., Tonge House, York-road, West Norwood.

(Sussex Agricultural Express, 7 May 1889)

Your Robert Warren's wife Ann was a laundress per the 1881 census so this is another pointer to the Portals of Tonge House being their employer at that time.

[Rian]

Wow!What a lot of information. It certainly looks like the Portals were his employers. I see that Tonge house is now in the centre of the Royal Circus roundabout and is a home for elderly ladies.

I know that Robert Warren went to Australia sometime prior to 1891, but not when. This ad would suggest that he had left before May 89 (his son was in Australia by 1884).
Robert became the head gardener at Government House in Brisbane, so he must have had good references.

I think you have cracked it – thank you so much!

[ShaunJ]

Just to add more circumstantial evidence there are newspaper ads in 1896 by a "T. Long, Gardener's Cottage,Tonge House, York-road, West Norwood".

[Rian]

That sounds like the clincher!
Thank you!