Ashfield, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Ashfield is a suburb
in the inner-west
of Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district
and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield
.
The official name for the Ashfield Local Government Area was changed to Ashfield Council in November 2011.
Ashfield's population is highly multicultural. Its urban density
is relatively high for Australia, with the majority of the area's dwellings being a mixture of mainly post-war low-rise flats (apartment
blocks) and Federation
-era detached houses. Amongst these are a number of grand Victorian
buildings that offer a hint of Ashfield's rich cultural heritage
.
and stretched east to the swampland of Long Cove Creek (now known as Hawthorne Canal
). The land was heavily wooded at the time with tall eucalypt
s covering the higher ground and a variety of swampy trees along Iron Cove Creek
. The arrival of the First Fleet
in 1788 had a devastating effect on the local people, mainly from the introduction of smallpox
, to which the indigenous people had little resistance.
. This route later became the main artery of the expanding Greater Sydney and, as the northern boundary of what is now Ashfield, dictated early British settlement in the area. The first land grant in the area was made to Rev Richard Johnson
in 1793 and all of it had been granted by 1810. By the 1820s, all the grants had been amalgamated into two large estates: Ashfield Park (the northern half between Liverpool Rd and Parramatta Rd) and Canterbury Estate (the area south of Liverpool Rd). Ashfield Park was named by Robert Campbell, whose father was the laird of Ashfield in Scotland
.
, then owner of Ashfield Park, subdivided part of her land to form the village of Ashfield between Liverpool Rd and Alt St. Part of the subdivision was the building of St John's Church
in Alt St in 1841. This is the oldest surviving building in Ashfield. By 1855, the village had about 70 houses and 200 residents. However, the opening of the Sydney-Parramatta railway line that year, with Ashfield as one of its six original stations, led to a population explosion. In 1872, there were enough residents for the area to be granted a municipal council. By 1890, the population had grown to 11,000.
During this time, Ashfield was seen as a highly desirable location compared to the city, which had become crowded and pestilent. Many grand Victorian
houses were built in the latter part of the 19th century. But by the time of World War I
, the suburb had fallen out of favour and the rich residents had mostly headed for the North Shore
. Many of the grand homes were knocked down in the 1920s and 30s and replaced with small art deco
blocks of flats or semi-detached houses. A few remain, however, and are listed in the Landmarks section.
By the 1950s, the population of Ashfield had begun to fall, as it had in many surrounding suburbs, as people moved to newer houses on larger blocks of land on the urban fringe. The Council's response was to start approving large blocks of flats, many of which were built during the 1960s and 70s but which also continue to be built today. There is, however, recognition of the area's heritage
with many buildings in the suburb protected by heritage orders
.
While never a noted industrial suburb, Ashfield has had a couple of significant industries. On Parramatta Rd near Frederick St was the Australian Six
motor car factory which opened in 1920. The site later became an AWA
factory producing radio valves
and other components. The site has since been turned into a commercial and residential development. On the other side of Frederick St was the Peek Freans
biscuit
factory, the tower of which was (and still is) a familiar site to passing motorists on Parramatta Rd. However, this factory is also no longer industrial, serving today as a large hardware store
.
The main shopping precinct is located along Liverpool Road
south of Ashfield railway station
. Along this strip, there are a few medium-sized office blocks, many street-level shops and Ashfield Mall, a shopping centre
containing supermarkets, a discount department store
and specialty shops
. This commercial area also extends into Charlotte Street and Elizabeth Street on the northern side of the station. A second commercial precinct is located along Parramatta Road
consisting mostly of automotive-related retail
and light industry
.
Ashfield is located at the intersection of two major roads. Parramatta Road runs from Sydney city to Parramatta
and ultimately continues on as the Great Western Highway
through Penrith
and the Blue Mountains to Bathurst
. Liverpool Road runs from Parramatta Road at Ashfield to Liverpool
and ultimately continues on as the Hume Highway
to Melbourne
via Goulburn
and Albury
. While completion of the Sydney Orbital Network has bypassed these two roads somewhat, they remain busy and well connected to all parts of Sydney. Another major road is Frederick/Milton Street which connects the City West Link Road
at Haberfield
with Georges River Rd at Croydon Park
. There is also a proposal to build a tunnel connecting the City West Link Road with the start of the M4 Western Motorway
at North Strathfield
. However, the proposal has drawn substantial local opposition and the plan is currently under review.
Ashfield railway station
is on the Inner West and South
lines of the CityRail
network. Ashfield was opened in 1855 as part of the original Sydney to Parramatta railway. It was renovated in 2002. There are express and all stations services to the City Circle
, Bankstown
, Liverpool
and Campbelltown
.
Ashfield is the terminus for three Sydney bus
services: 462 & 464 (to Mortlake
via Enfield
& Burwood
) and 466 (to Cabarita
via Enfield
& Burwood
). Another nine lines pass through Ashfield: 418 (to Burwood
and Tempe
), 406 (to Five Dock
and Hurlstone Park
), 413 (City to Campsie
), 461 (City to Burwood
), 490 & 492 (Drummoyne
to Rockdale
and Hurstville
) and 480 & 483 (City to Strathfield
).
From 1890s to 1948 a tram service ran from Ashfield to Enfield
and Burwood
. The trams were originally powered by steam, but were electrified in 1910. There are plans to reintroduce trams to Ashfield by extending the light rail
line which currently runs from Central Station to Lilyfield
. However, the plans are a bit vague and there is no target date for completion of the extension.
There are virtually no dedicated bicycle
paths in the suburb of Ashfield but there is a local bicycle users group which has worked with the Council to identify preferred routes through Ashfield for cyclists. The Strathfield
-Newtown
route is the most important of these, passing down Park Lane and Robert Street towards Summer Hill
where it links with the Cooks River
to Iron Cove Greenway Corridor providing access to those two popular local cycleways.
Ashfield has three primary schools: Ashfield Public (on Liverpool Rd), St Vincents (a Catholic school in Bland St), and Yeo Park Infants (on Victoria St at the southern extremity of the suburb). It also has three high schools: Ashfield Boys High School
(next to Ashfield Public on Liverpool Rd), Bethlehem College
(a Catholic girls school in Bland St), and De La Salle College
(a Catholic boys school next to Bethlehem in Bland St).
Ashfield Public is the oldest of these having been established in 1876 after much lobbying from local residents. Prior to that there had been schools operating out of the Methodist, Anglican and Presbyterian churches and there had even be a public school operating briefly out of the Methodist church between 1862 and 1866 but it wasn't till 1876 that it became a permanent fixture. In 1907, two years of secondary school were added and the school became a Superior School but it wasn't till 1965 that Ashfield Boys High was formally established and separated from the primary school.
Bethlehem was the first high school in the area, established by the Sisters of Charity
in 1881. It led to a Catholic primary school St Charles being established shortly after. When it burnt down in 1904, St Vincents became the replacement, taking on the name of the newly built church next door. The De La Salle
school was established a little later in 1915.
The year after Bethlehem was established, an Anglican girls boarding school called Normanhurst was started in Bland St. It moved to Orpington St in 1888 and stayed there till 1941 when it closed down. It produced a number of notable students including Pamela Travers (author of Mary Poppins) and tennis champion Daphne Akhurst
. There were a number of other private schools in the area during this period as well but none survived to the present day.
The nearest public hospitals to Ashfield are Canterbury Hospital in Campsie
and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
in Camperdown
.
There are a surprising number of residential aged care facilities in the suburb including stand alone services and services operated by larger organisations. Most are located in large buildings that were once rather grand domestic establishments with a small number of modern, purpose built faciilites.
For visitors passing through Ashfield along Parramatta Road, Liverpool Road or the railway line, the three main landmarks that stand out are the tower of the old Peek Frean Biscuit factory (now Bunnings) on Parramatta Road, Wests Leagues Club on Liverpool Road next to the railway line and the Ashfield water reservoir in Holden Street to the south of the town centre. The water tower was built in 1912 and provides the water supply for the surrounding areas.
. North of the railway line are Pittwood in Charlotte Street, formerly part of a nursing home but now used by Sydney Missionary and Bible College
; the impressive tower of Amesbury (built 1888) in Alt Street; nearby Taringa in Taringa Street; and Gorton in Henry Street, which was built in 1860 and since 1876 has been the Infants Home.
A number of these properties are listed on the Register of the National Estate
including Amesbury, Ashfield Castle, Buninyong, Glenore, Taringa and two unnamed Gothic
houses at 177-179 Norton Street. Also listed on the Register are Ashfield Park (see Parks section), the police and fire station in Victoria Street, and the band rotunda
in Yeo Park.
The first church in Ashfield was St. John the Baptist's Anglican Church in Alt Street. It was part of Elizabeth Underwood's 1838 subdivision that gave rise to the village of Ashfield and was reserved by her for the purpose of 'the erection of an Episcopalian Church'. Prior to then, Anglican church services had been held in her house. Work on St Johns began in 1840 and, after the project was taken over by colonial architect Edmund Blacket
, it was consecrated in 1845. It is the oldest surviving building in Ashfield.
In 1842, neighbouring landowner Robert Campbell made an acre of land between Liverpool Road and Norton Street available for a Methodist chapel and schoolhouse. In 1864, a larger building was erected on the site which still exists as the Ashfield Uniting Church
. It is also home of the Exodus Foundation providing 400 meals a day to the needy.
The Presbyterians didn't build a local church until 1876, choosing a site on the corner of Liverpool Rd and Knox Street. Prior to this, they had been going to St David's in Haberfield. Although they later built a larger church on the same Knox Street site, the original church is located at the South Western corner of the property, having been moved twice from its original location.
Catholic
services began in the area in 1880 with the establishment of Bethlehem College. Services quickly outgrew the school's small chapel and in 1894, the Vincentian
Fathers started building a church in Bland Street, opposite Bethlehem. Designed by Catholic Architects Sheerin and Hennessy in a grand Romanesque style, St Vincents was completed in 1907.
The Baptists held their first service in the School of Arts building on the corner of Liverpool Road and Holden Street. After building a small church further down Holden Street in 1886, they returned to the School of Arts in 1903 which then became known as the Baptist Tabernacle. In 1937, they sold the building, which was knocked down and replaced with a cinema, and moved to their current site on the corner of Holden and Norton Streets. It is Gothic in style with a landmark tower, an impressive street facade and a sympathetically designed adjoining hall.
Ashfield Park on Parramatta Road is one of the finest urban landscapes in Sydney. It features big phoenix palms
, a war memorial, a children's playground with a statue of Mary Poppins
, a monument to International Mother Language Day
built by former artist-in-residence Ian Marr and the Bangladesh
i community, a statue of Philippines
national hero Jose Rizal
, a sporting field and one of Sydney's oldest bowling
clubs. The park, which is just over 6 hectares in area, was proclaimed in 1885 when it was claimed at the time you could 'see all the way to Martin Place'.
The area's major sporting ground is Pratten Park
, home of the Western Suburbs grade cricket
club in summer and used by the Canterbury District Soccer Football Association in winter. There are also tennis courts and a bowling club adjacent to the main oval. Thirning Villa, located within the park, is home to the Ashfield District Historical Society and an artist
in residence sponsored by the local council.
The other sporting field in the area is at Hammond Park on Frederick Street. It predates both Ashfield Park and Pratten Park having begun life in 1877 as a private cricket ground. In 1888, it was intended to be the setting for the first descent of a parachute from a hot air balloon
in Australia. Unfortunately, the parachutist (JT Williams) missed the mark and landed in Homebush
, roughly 4 km away. This park was also the site of an ice skating
rink in the late 1800s.
The other parks of note in the area are Yeo Park on the southern edge of the suburb and featuring a National Heritage listed band rotunda, and Explorers Park on the corner of Parramatta Road and Liverpool Road, built to commemorate the point where many early British explorers began their journeys west and south. It also features engraved images from early indigenous people in Sydney.
The suburb of Ashfield is entirely within the Municipality of Ashfield
, the boundaries of which have not changed since the Municipality was formed in 1872. The area also falls under the jurisdiction of the New South Wales
state government and the federal government, the Commonwealth of Australia.
For federal elections, Ashfield is part of the electoral division of Grayndler
, currently held by Labor's
Anthony Albanese
. Since 1977, it has mostly been in this Division although parts have been in the neighbouring Divisions of Lowe
and Watson
at various times. Previously, the suburb was in the electorate of Parkes
from Federation in 1901 until 1949. From then until 1977 it was in the now abolished electorate of Evans
.
For state elections, the suburb is split between the electoral divisions of Strathfield
, held by Charles Casuscelli
of the Liberal Party
and Canterbury
held by Labor's Linda Burney
. Prior to 1894, Ashfield was in the state electorate of Canterbury
. From 1894 until 1999, there was a state electorate of Ashfield
, which was abolished when the state government decided to reduce the total number of electorates in the state.
Ashfield is generally considered a safe Labor area. As the attached table shows, Labor has outpolled all other parties in the area at the most recent federal, state and council elections. However, the Liberals and Greens have strong voices in the area with the Council electing a member of the Greens Party as mayor and the northern part of Ashfield represented by a Liberal Party member in the NSW Parliament. Prior to the 1970s, the area was more conservative, generally returning members who were Free Trade
, Nationalist
, UAP
or Liberal although it wasn't unheard of for Labor members to get elected during this period.
The present council is composed of four Labor councillors, three independents, three Greens and two Liberals. The current mayor is Lyall Kennedy from the Greens Party. Current local issues in the area include the redevelopment of Ashfield Mall and concerns about over-development in general; construction of the M4 East
tunnel because it might lead to increased traffic pollution; and the general state of the commercial area, which one councillor labelled 'Trashfield'. Also contentious is Ashfield Council itself. In 2003, it was described by the Daily Telegraph as one of the worst councils in Sydney after one councillor took out a restraining order against another. Since then another councillor has been sacked for not being a bona fide resident of the municipality while other councillors have made outspoken comments on issues such as the Iraq War, bird flu, the Monarchy and 30 km/h speed limit
s within residential areas.
In the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics
Census
of Population and Housing, Ashfield had a population of 21,260 people, in an area of 3.5 square kilometres. For most statistics, the suburb was similar to the national averages. The median age (35) was slightly younger than the national average (37). The number of people who had never married (39%) was slightly higher than the national figure (33%) and the median income ($478 per week) was slightly better off than the national average but lower than the figure for the Greater Sydney region.
One area where Ashfield differed markedly from the national figures was in its ethnic diversity. Just 40% of Ashfield residents were Australian-born with 14.5% born in China
and 5.2% born in India
. A fifth of the population spoke a Chinese language
at home (Mandarin 13.7% and Cantonese 6.0%).
The most common religion reported was Catholic
ism (29%), down slightly on the 2001 census figure but still higher than the national average. The number of people professing no religion (23%) was the next largest category, followed by Anglicans (7%), well below the national figure of 19%. Also significant were Hindu
s and Buddhists, both around 6%.
The other area where Ashfield differs is its housing. Of the 8,664 occupied private dwellings counted, 59% were flat
s (compared to the national figure of just 14%), 28% were detached houses, while 12% were semi-detached
or attached houses. The high number of flats contributed to a higher than average number of people renting
(45%) compared to houses owned outright (24%) or being purchased (21%).
The following notable people were born or lived in Ashfield:
. Held every year since 1996 in Ashfield Park, it includes performances, food stalls and children's entertainment. In recent years, the Sydney Writers' Festival
has also held part of its program in Ashfield as part of the regular Authors at Ashfield series of talks.
, made by former artist-in-residence Ian Marr and featuring a passage from the Iliad
by Homer
in twelve different community languages. Another former artist was the writer Van Badham
.
. The Western Suburbs Magpies
rugby league team was formed in Ashfield in 1908 and played in the inaugural New South Wales Rugby League
competition that year. The club won its four premierships (1930, 1934, 1948 & 1952) while based at Pratten Park. It moved west to Lidcombe in 1967, then southwest to Campbelltown in 1987. In 2000, the club merged with the Balmain Tigers
to create the Wests Tigers
which splits its games between Leichhardt and Campbelltown. The Wests Leagues Club has stayed in Ashfield since 1908 despite the wanderings of its home ground.
Ashfield also holds a cycling milestone when it hosted the first woman's cycling race in the world in 1888. Dorothy Morrell won the two-mile (3 km) race.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in the inner-west
Inner West (Sydney)
The Inner West is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia...
of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield
Municipality of Ashfield
The Municipality of Ashfield is a Local Government Area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It lies approximately 10 kilometres west of the central business district.- Demographics :According to the , there:...
.
The official name for the Ashfield Local Government Area was changed to Ashfield Council in November 2011.
Ashfield's population is highly multicultural. Its urban density
Urban density
Urban density is a term used in urban planning and urban design to refer to the number of people inhabiting a given urbanized area. As such it is to be distinguished from other measures of population density. Urban density is considered an important factor in understanding how cities function...
is relatively high for Australia, with the majority of the area's dwellings being a mixture of mainly post-war low-rise flats (apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
blocks) and Federation
Federation architecture
Federation architecture refers to the architectural style in Australia, which was prevalent from around 1890 to 1920. The period refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of Australia...
-era detached houses. Amongst these are a number of grand Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
buildings that offer a hint of Ashfield's rich cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
.
Indigenous people
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area now known as Ashfield was home to the Wangal people. Their territory was believed to be centred on modern-day ConcordConcord, New South Wales
Concord is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay....
and stretched east to the swampland of Long Cove Creek (now known as Hawthorne Canal
Hawthorne Canal
The Hawthorne Canal is a short canal that connects with Port Jackson, in Sydney, Australia. It was originally a natural waterway known as Long Cove Creek, that has been straightened and given artificial banks. It borders on Summer Hill, Lewisham, Leichhardt and Haberfield...
). The land was heavily wooded at the time with tall eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
s covering the higher ground and a variety of swampy trees along Iron Cove Creek
Iron Cove Creek
Iron Cove Creek was a creek in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the inner-western suburbs of Croydon, Ashfield, Haberfield and Five Dock...
. The arrival of the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
in 1788 had a devastating effect on the local people, mainly from the introduction of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
, to which the indigenous people had little resistance.
Early British settlement
By 1790, a rough track had been built between the colony's two settlements at Sydney Cove and ParramattaParramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
. This route later became the main artery of the expanding Greater Sydney and, as the northern boundary of what is now Ashfield, dictated early British settlement in the area. The first land grant in the area was made to Rev Richard Johnson
Richard Johnson (chaplain)
Richard Johnson was the first Christian cleric in Australia.Johnson was the son of John and Mary Johnson. He was born in Welton, Yorkshire and educated at Hull Grammar School under Joseph Milner. In 1780 he entered Magdalene College, Cambridge as a sizar and graduated in 1784...
in 1793 and all of it had been granted by 1810. By the 1820s, all the grants had been amalgamated into two large estates: Ashfield Park (the northern half between Liverpool Rd and Parramatta Rd) and Canterbury Estate (the area south of Liverpool Rd). Ashfield Park was named by Robert Campbell, whose father was the laird of Ashfield in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Population growth
In 1838, Elizabeth UnderwoodElizabeth Underwood
Elizabeth Underwood was a pioneering Australian land owner who founded the village of Ashfield, New South Wales....
, then owner of Ashfield Park, subdivided part of her land to form the village of Ashfield between Liverpool Rd and Alt St. Part of the subdivision was the building of St John's Church
St. John the Baptist's Anglican Church, Ashfield, Sydney
St John the Baptist Anglican Church is an active Anglican church located between Alt and Bland Streets, Ashfield, a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia...
in Alt St in 1841. This is the oldest surviving building in Ashfield. By 1855, the village had about 70 houses and 200 residents. However, the opening of the Sydney-Parramatta railway line that year, with Ashfield as one of its six original stations, led to a population explosion. In 1872, there were enough residents for the area to be granted a municipal council. By 1890, the population had grown to 11,000.
During this time, Ashfield was seen as a highly desirable location compared to the city, which had become crowded and pestilent. Many grand Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
houses were built in the latter part of the 19th century. But by the time of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the suburb had fallen out of favour and the rich residents had mostly headed for the North Shore
North Shore (Sydney)
The North Shore is an informal term used to describe the primarily residential area of northern metropolitan Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The term usually refers to the suburbs located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River, up to...
. Many of the grand homes were knocked down in the 1920s and 30s and replaced with small art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
blocks of flats or semi-detached houses. A few remain, however, and are listed in the Landmarks section.
By the 1950s, the population of Ashfield had begun to fall, as it had in many surrounding suburbs, as people moved to newer houses on larger blocks of land on the urban fringe. The Council's response was to start approving large blocks of flats, many of which were built during the 1960s and 70s but which also continue to be built today. There is, however, recognition of the area's heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
with many buildings in the suburb protected by heritage orders
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
.
Industrial history
Australian Six
The Australian Six was an Australian automobile manufactured from 1919 to 1925. It was a grandiose attempt to compete against imported cars from the United States, and was produced from a mixture of local and imported parts. Vehicles featured a conventional chassis layout and a choice of five...
motor car factory which opened in 1920. The site later became an AWA
Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited
Amalgamated Wireless Ltd . Throughout most of the 20th century AWA was Australia's largest and most prominent electronics organisation, undertaking development, manufacture and distribution of radio, telecommunications, television and audio equipment as well as broadcasting services.After the...
factory producing radio valves
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
and other components. The site has since been turned into a commercial and residential development. On the other side of Frederick St was the Peek Freans
Peek Freans
Peek Frean is a brand of biscuits and related confectionery. The brand is owned in the UK by United Biscuits, although the Peek Frean name is no longer used in the UK. In the US and Canada the brand is owned by Kraft Foods.-History:...
biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
factory, the tower of which was (and still is) a familiar site to passing motorists on Parramatta Rd. However, this factory is also no longer industrial, serving today as a large hardware store
Hardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
.
Commercial area
Hume Highway
The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 880 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and...
south of Ashfield railway station
Ashfield railway station, Sydney
Ashfield railway station is a station located on the Main Suburban railway line of the CityRail network. It is located in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield and features five platforms...
. Along this strip, there are a few medium-sized office blocks, many street-level shops and Ashfield Mall, a shopping centre
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
containing supermarkets, a discount department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
and specialty shops
Specialty store
Specialty stores are small stores which specialize in a specific range of merchandise and related items. Most stores have an extensive depth of stock in the item that they specialize in and provide high levels of service and expertise...
. This commercial area also extends into Charlotte Street and Elizabeth Street on the northern side of the station. A second commercial precinct is located along Parramatta Road
Parramatta Road
.Parramatta Road is the major historical east-west artery of metropolitan Sydney, Australia, connecting the Sydney with Parramatta. It is the eastern-most part of the Great Western Highway. Much of its traffic has been diverted to modern expressways such as the M4 and the City West Link...
consisting mostly of automotive-related retail
Car brokers in Australia
Car brokers specialise in helping car buyers source and buy cars. They typically offer services such as finding a particular used car model to fit a budget, getting the lowest price on a new car, or negotiating with a used car seller on behalf of a client that already located the car by...
and light industry
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
.
Transport
According to the 2006 census, the most common way of getting to work from Ashfield was by car (46%) followed by train (41%). Ten per cent of people used buses for all or part of their journey while six percent walked and one percent rode a bike. The total patronage of public transport (46%) is more than double the rate for Sydney overall.Ashfield is located at the intersection of two major roads. Parramatta Road runs from Sydney city to Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
and ultimately continues on as the Great Western Highway
Great Western Highway
The Great Western Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs 210 km from Sydney to Bathurst.Starting as Broadway at the intersection of City Road near the fringe of the Sydney CBD, and becoming Parramatta Road to Parramatta itself, the Great Western Highway heads due west from...
through Penrith
Penrith, New South Wales
Penrith is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Penrith is located west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Penrith...
and the Blue Mountains to Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
. Liverpool Road runs from Parramatta Road at Ashfield to Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
and ultimately continues on as the Hume Highway
Hume Highway
The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 880 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and...
to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
via Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
and Albury
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
. While completion of the Sydney Orbital Network has bypassed these two roads somewhat, they remain busy and well connected to all parts of Sydney. Another major road is Frederick/Milton Street which connects the City West Link Road
City West Link Road
City West Link Road is a link road in Sydney, Australia. It makes up a section of Metroad 4 between Leichhardt, Haberfield and Five Dock. As such, it provides an alternative route to Parramatta Road into Sydney's CBD from the Inner-West....
at Haberfield
Haberfield, New South Wales
Haberfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Haberfield is located 9 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield....
with Georges River Rd at Croydon Park
Croydon Park, New South Wales
Croydon Park is a suburb, in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Croydon Park is about 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is divided between the local government areas of the City of Canterbury, Burwood Council and Municipality of...
. There is also a proposal to build a tunnel connecting the City West Link Road with the start of the M4 Western Motorway
M4 Western Motorway
The M4 Western Motorway,, is a motorway in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
at North Strathfield
North Strathfield, New South Wales
North Strathfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Strathfield is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay...
. However, the proposal has drawn substantial local opposition and the plan is currently under review.
Ashfield railway station, Sydney
Ashfield railway station is a station located on the Main Suburban railway line of the CityRail network. It is located in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield and features five platforms...
is on the Inner West and South
South railway line, Sydney
The South Line is a railway line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and is part of the CityRail suburban network...
lines of the CityRail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
network. Ashfield was opened in 1855 as part of the original Sydney to Parramatta railway. It was renovated in 2002. There are express and all stations services to the City Circle
City Circle
The City Circle is a system of largely underground passenger railway lines located in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that make up the heart of the Sydney passenger railway network. The lines are owned by RailCorp, a New South Wales government agency, and...
, Bankstown
Bankstown, New South Wales
Bankstown is a suburb of south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bankstown is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Bankstown.-History:Prior to European...
, Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
and Campbelltown
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
.
Ashfield is the terminus for three Sydney bus
State Transit Authority of New South Wales
The State Transit Authority of New South Wales is an agency of the Government of New South Wales based in Sydney, Australia operating bus and ferry services. The STA is part of transport minister Gladys Berejiklian's portfolio...
services: 462 & 464 (to Mortlake
Mortlake, New South Wales
Mortlake is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mortlake is located 17 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay.-Transport:...
via Enfield
Enfield, New South Wales
Enfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
& Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
) and 466 (to Cabarita
Cabarita, New South Wales
Cabarita is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Breakfast Point is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay....
via Enfield
Enfield, New South Wales
Enfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
& Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
). Another nine lines pass through Ashfield: 418 (to Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
and Tempe
Tempe, New South Wales
Tempe is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Tempe is located 9 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Marrickville Council....
), 406 (to Five Dock
Five Dock, New South Wales
Five Dock is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Five Dock is located 10 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local Government Area of the City of Canada Bay.-Location:...
and Hurlstone Park
Hurlstone Park, New South Wales
Hurlstone Park is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hurlstone Park is located 10 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is mostly in the local government area of the City of Canterbury, and partly in the Municipality of...
), 413 (City to Campsie
Campsie, New South Wales
Campsie is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is the commercial and administrative centre of the City of...
), 461 (City to Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
), 490 & 492 (Drummoyne
Drummoyne, New South Wales
Drummoyne is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 6 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Canada Bay....
to Rockdale
Rockdale, New South Wales
Rockdale is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rockdale is located 13 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area...
and Hurstville
Hurstville, New South Wales
Hurstville is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hurstville is located 16 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of...
) and 480 & 483 (City to Strathfield
Strathfield, New South Wales
Strathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
).
From 1890s to 1948 a tram service ran from Ashfield to Enfield
Enfield, New South Wales
Enfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
and Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
. The trams were originally powered by steam, but were electrified in 1910. There are plans to reintroduce trams to Ashfield by extending the light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
line which currently runs from Central Station to Lilyfield
Lilyfield, New South Wales
Lilyfield is a small suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lilyfield is located 6 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
. However, the plans are a bit vague and there is no target date for completion of the extension.
There are virtually no dedicated bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
paths in the suburb of Ashfield but there is a local bicycle users group which has worked with the Council to identify preferred routes through Ashfield for cyclists. The Strathfield
Strathfield, New South Wales
Strathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
-Newtown
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
route is the most important of these, passing down Park Lane and Robert Street towards Summer Hill
Summer Hill, New South Wales
Summer Hill is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Summer Hill is located 8 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield....
where it links with the Cooks River
Cooks River
The Cooks River is a 23 kilometre long urban waterway of south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia emptying into Botany Bay. The course of the river has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore...
to Iron Cove Greenway Corridor providing access to those two popular local cycleways.
Education
Ashfield Boys High School
Ashfield Boys' High School is a Public, Secondary school for boys', located in Ashfield, an Inner West suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It can be found on Liverpool Road, just off Parramatta Road.-History:...
(next to Ashfield Public on Liverpool Rd), Bethlehem College
Bethlehem College, Ashfield
Bethlehem College is a high school in Ashfield, New South Wales originally founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity.Students are easily identifiable by the purple school uniform - fondly known around the inner western suburbs of Sydney as "Ribena Berries". Bethlehem excels in their sport as well...
(a Catholic girls school in Bland St), and De La Salle College
De La Salle College Ashfield
This article is about De La Salle College Ashfield, Sydney. For Ashfield College in Dublin, Ireland, see Ashfield College.De La Salle College is a Catholic systemic, secondary, day school for boys', located in Ashfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Established in...
(a Catholic boys school next to Bethlehem in Bland St).
Ashfield Public is the oldest of these having been established in 1876 after much lobbying from local residents. Prior to that there had been schools operating out of the Methodist, Anglican and Presbyterian churches and there had even be a public school operating briefly out of the Methodist church between 1862 and 1866 but it wasn't till 1876 that it became a permanent fixture. In 1907, two years of secondary school were added and the school became a Superior School but it wasn't till 1965 that Ashfield Boys High was formally established and separated from the primary school.
Bethlehem was the first high school in the area, established by the Sisters of Charity
Sisters of Charity of Australia
The Sisters of Charity of Australia is a congregation of Roman Catholic women religious who have served the people of Australia since 1838...
in 1881. It led to a Catholic primary school St Charles being established shortly after. When it burnt down in 1904, St Vincents became the replacement, taking on the name of the newly built church next door. The De La Salle
De La Salle
De La Salle is the name of several educational institutions affiliated with the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the Lasallian Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious teaching order founded by French priest Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle:* Lasallian educational...
school was established a little later in 1915.
The year after Bethlehem was established, an Anglican girls boarding school called Normanhurst was started in Bland St. It moved to Orpington St in 1888 and stayed there till 1941 when it closed down. It produced a number of notable students including Pamela Travers (author of Mary Poppins) and tennis champion Daphne Akhurst
Daphne Akhurst
Daphne Jessie Akhurst Cozens was an Australian tennis player. According to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Cozens was ranked World No. 3 in 1928....
. There were a number of other private schools in the area during this period as well but none survived to the present day.
Health
There are no public hospitals in Ashfield although there are two private facilities. The Sydney Private Hospital on the corner of Victoria Street and Robert St first opened in 1931 as the Masonic Hospital. It did at one point have an Accident and Emergency Unit, an Intensive Care Unit, and a Maternity Unit. All of these were closed down in 2000 when the hospital changed ownership. It now focuses on elective surgery. The Wesley Private Hospital in Frederick Street is a well established mental health facility.The nearest public hospitals to Ashfield are Canterbury Hospital in Campsie
Campsie, New South Wales
Campsie is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is the commercial and administrative centre of the City of...
and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown...
in Camperdown
Camperdown, New South Wales
Camperdown is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Camperdown is located 4 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Inner West region...
.
There are a surprising number of residential aged care facilities in the suburb including stand alone services and services operated by larger organisations. Most are located in large buildings that were once rather grand domestic establishments with a small number of modern, purpose built faciilites.
Landmarks
Houses
Ashfield Council produces a number of guides for heritage walks in the area. To the south of the town centre are Plynlimmon (built 1867) in Norton St and now a child care centre; Glenore ( built 1897) and Buninyong (built 1901), two adjacent properties in Tintern Road; Mountjoy (built 1870) now part of the hospital in Victoria Street; Glentworth (built 1887) also in Victoria Street and now part of a retirement village; Ashfield Castle (built 1887) in Queen Street and originally known as Ambleside; Thirning Villa, (built 1868) and now part of Pratten Park; Gallop House in Arthur Street, now part of a nursing home; and Milton in Blackwood Avenue, which was built in the 1850s and was once home to NSW Premier Sir Henry ParkesHenry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
. North of the railway line are Pittwood in Charlotte Street, formerly part of a nursing home but now used by Sydney Missionary and Bible College
Sydney Missionary and Bible College
Sydney Missionary and Bible College is an independent, evangelical interdenominational Bible college in Sydney, Australia.The college was formed in 1916 by Rev. C. Benson Barnett. Its goal is to train people for ministry in Australia and abroad...
; the impressive tower of Amesbury (built 1888) in Alt Street; nearby Taringa in Taringa Street; and Gorton in Henry Street, which was built in 1860 and since 1876 has been the Infants Home.
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
including Amesbury, Ashfield Castle, Buninyong, Glenore, Taringa and two unnamed Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
houses at 177-179 Norton Street. Also listed on the Register are Ashfield Park (see Parks section), the police and fire station in Victoria Street, and the band rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
in Yeo Park.
Churches
Edmund Blacket
Edmund Thomas Blacket was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St...
, it was consecrated in 1845. It is the oldest surviving building in Ashfield.
In 1842, neighbouring landowner Robert Campbell made an acre of land between Liverpool Road and Norton Street available for a Methodist chapel and schoolhouse. In 1864, a larger building was erected on the site which still exists as the Ashfield Uniting Church
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
. It is also home of the Exodus Foundation providing 400 meals a day to the needy.
The Presbyterians didn't build a local church until 1876, choosing a site on the corner of Liverpool Rd and Knox Street. Prior to this, they had been going to St David's in Haberfield. Although they later built a larger church on the same Knox Street site, the original church is located at the South Western corner of the property, having been moved twice from its original location.
Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
services began in the area in 1880 with the establishment of Bethlehem College. Services quickly outgrew the school's small chapel and in 1894, the Vincentian
Vincentian Family
Vincentian Family refers to organizations that are inspired by the life and work of St. Vincent de Paul, a 17th century priest who "transformed the face of France."...
Fathers started building a church in Bland Street, opposite Bethlehem. Designed by Catholic Architects Sheerin and Hennessy in a grand Romanesque style, St Vincents was completed in 1907.
The Baptists held their first service in the School of Arts building on the corner of Liverpool Road and Holden Street. After building a small church further down Holden Street in 1886, they returned to the School of Arts in 1903 which then became known as the Baptist Tabernacle. In 1937, they sold the building, which was knocked down and replaced with a cinema, and moved to their current site on the corner of Holden and Norton Streets. It is Gothic in style with a landmark tower, an impressive street facade and a sympathetically designed adjoining hall.
Parks
Phoenix (plant)
Phoenix is a genus of 14 species of palms, native from the Canary Islands east across northern and central Africa, the extreme southeast of Europe , and southern Asia from Turkey east to southern China and Malaysia. The diverse habitats they occupy include swamps, deserts, and mangrove sea coasts...
, a war memorial, a children's playground with a statue of Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for their...
, a monument to International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day is an observance held annually on 21 February worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. It was first announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999...
built by former artist-in-residence Ian Marr and the Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i community, a statue of Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
national hero Jose Rizal
José Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
, a sporting field and one of Sydney's oldest bowling
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
clubs. The park, which is just over 6 hectares in area, was proclaimed in 1885 when it was claimed at the time you could 'see all the way to Martin Place'.
The area's major sporting ground is Pratten Park
Pratten Park
Pratten Park is a sporting complex in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield featuring an oval playing field large enough to play cricket, a lawn bowling club and a tennis club. The Park is best known as the original home of the Western Suburbs Magpies rugby league team, who played there for around half a...
, home of the Western Suburbs grade cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket is a cricket competition played in Sydney, Australia. The competition began in 1893 when a number of clubs, which had been playing for many years on an ad hoc basis, voted to create a formal competition structure....
club in summer and used by the Canterbury District Soccer Football Association in winter. There are also tennis courts and a bowling club adjacent to the main oval. Thirning Villa, located within the park, is home to the Ashfield District Historical Society and an artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
in residence sponsored by the local council.
The other sporting field in the area is at Hammond Park on Frederick Street. It predates both Ashfield Park and Pratten Park having begun life in 1877 as a private cricket ground. In 1888, it was intended to be the setting for the first descent of a parachute from a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
in Australia. Unfortunately, the parachutist (JT Williams) missed the mark and landed in Homebush
Homebush, New South Wales
Homebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
, roughly 4 km away. This park was also the site of an ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
rink in the late 1800s.
The other parks of note in the area are Yeo Park on the southern edge of the suburb and featuring a National Heritage listed band rotunda, and Explorers Park on the corner of Parramatta Road and Liverpool Road, built to commemorate the point where many early British explorers began their journeys west and south. It also features engraved images from early indigenous people in Sydney.
Swimming pools
Ashfield Aquatic Centre has 3 swimming pools. The outdoor 50m pool is open all year round and heated in winter. There is also 25m indoor pool and 33m water polo pool which was refurbished in 2009.Governance
Municipality of Ashfield
The Municipality of Ashfield is a Local Government Area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It lies approximately 10 kilometres west of the central business district.- Demographics :According to the , there:...
, the boundaries of which have not changed since the Municipality was formed in 1872. The area also falls under the jurisdiction of the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
state government and the federal government, the Commonwealth of Australia.
For federal elections, Ashfield is part of the electoral division of Grayndler
Division of Grayndler
The Division of Grayndler is an Australian Electoral Division in inner Metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales. It is one of Australia's smallest electorates, located in the inner-southern Sydney metropolitan area, including parts of the inner-west...
, currently held by Labor's
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese
Anthony Norman Albanese , Australian politician, who serves as Leader of the House of Representatives and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport in the Gillard Ministry...
. Since 1977, it has mostly been in this Division although parts have been in the neighbouring Divisions of Lowe
Division of Lowe
The Division of Lowe was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, on the south shore of the Parramatta River...
and Watson
Division of Watson
The Division of Watson is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, and includes the suburbs of Belfield, Belmore, Burwood Heights, Campsie, Chullora, Clemton Park, Enfield, Greenacre, Lakemba, Mount Lewis, Roselands,...
at various times. Previously, the suburb was in the electorate of Parkes
Division of Parkes (1901-69)
The Division of Parkes was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the south-west of Sydney, and originally included the suburbs of Canterbury, Burwood and Ashfield...
from Federation in 1901 until 1949. From then until 1977 it was in the now abolished electorate of Evans
Division of Evans
The Division of Evans was anAustralian Electoral Division in New South Wales.The division was created in 1949 and abolished in 1977. It was named for George Evans, an early explorer. It was located in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, including Ashfield, Croydon and Drummoyne...
.
For state elections, the suburb is split between the electoral divisions of Strathfield
Electoral district of Strathfield
Strathfield is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was first created in 1988, and derives its name from the suburb of the same name. Strathfield is an urban electorate, covering 17.94 km² and taking in the suburbs of Strathfield,...
, held by Charles Casuscelli
Charles Casuscelli
Charles Casuscelli MP, an Australian politician in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Strathfield for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011.-Early years and background:...
of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
and Canterbury
Electoral district of Canterbury
Canterbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Linda Burney of the Australian Labor Party.-History:...
held by Labor's Linda Burney
Linda Burney
The Hon. Linda Jean Burney MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Canterbury for the Australian Labor Party since 2003...
. Prior to 1894, Ashfield was in the state electorate of Canterbury
Electoral district of Canterbury
Canterbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Linda Burney of the Australian Labor Party.-History:...
. From 1894 until 1999, there was a state electorate of Ashfield
Electoral district of Ashfield
Ashfield was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, first created in 1894 with the abolition of multi-member electoral districts from part of Canterbury, and named after the Sydney suburb of Ashfield. It was abolished in 1920, with the...
, which was abolished when the state government decided to reduce the total number of electorates in the state.
Politics
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Free Trade Party
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909...
, Nationalist
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
, UAP
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
or Liberal although it wasn't unheard of for Labor members to get elected during this period.
The present council is composed of four Labor councillors, three independents, three Greens and two Liberals. The current mayor is Lyall Kennedy from the Greens Party. Current local issues in the area include the redevelopment of Ashfield Mall and concerns about over-development in general; construction of the M4 East
M4 Western Motorway
The M4 Western Motorway,, is a motorway in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
tunnel because it might lead to increased traffic pollution; and the general state of the commercial area, which one councillor labelled 'Trashfield'. Also contentious is Ashfield Council itself. In 2003, it was described by the Daily Telegraph as one of the worst councils in Sydney after one councillor took out a restraining order against another. Since then another councillor has been sacked for not being a bona fide resident of the municipality while other councillors have made outspoken comments on issues such as the Iraq War, bird flu, the Monarchy and 30 km/h speed limit
Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...
s within residential areas.
Demographics
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Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of Population and Housing, Ashfield had a population of 21,260 people, in an area of 3.5 square kilometres. For most statistics, the suburb was similar to the national averages. The median age (35) was slightly younger than the national average (37). The number of people who had never married (39%) was slightly higher than the national figure (33%) and the median income ($478 per week) was slightly better off than the national average but lower than the figure for the Greater Sydney region.
One area where Ashfield differed markedly from the national figures was in its ethnic diversity. Just 40% of Ashfield residents were Australian-born with 14.5% born in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and 5.2% born in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. A fifth of the population spoke a Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
at home (Mandarin 13.7% and Cantonese 6.0%).
The most common religion reported was Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
ism (29%), down slightly on the 2001 census figure but still higher than the national average. The number of people professing no religion (23%) was the next largest category, followed by Anglicans (7%), well below the national figure of 19%. Also significant were Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s and Buddhists, both around 6%.
The other area where Ashfield differs is its housing. Of the 8,664 occupied private dwellings counted, 59% were flat
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s (compared to the national figure of just 14%), 28% were detached houses, while 12% were semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
or attached houses. The high number of flats contributed to a higher than average number of people renting
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
(45%) compared to houses owned outright (24%) or being purchased (21%).
Notable residents
The following notable people were born or lived in Ashfield:
- Daphne AkhurstDaphne AkhurstDaphne Jessie Akhurst Cozens was an Australian tennis player. According to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Cozens was ranked World No. 3 in 1928....
(1903–1933): Five times Australian OpenAustralian OpenThe Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
tennis champion, who was born and raised in Ashfield. - Robert Campbell (1769–1846): Early settler responsible for giving Ashfield its name.
- Ian Clunies RossIan Clunies RossSir Ian Clunies Ross, CMG is described as the 'architect' of Australia's scientific boom, for his stewardship of Australia's scientific organisation the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation - CSIRO.-Family:...
(1899–1959): Veterinary scientist and founder of the CSIRO, he was for a while commemorated on the Australian $50 note. - Rev Bill CrewsBill Crews (Australian clergyman)Rev. William David Crews is a Christian Minister of the Uniting Church in Australia. He is currently the Minister of the Uniting Church at Ashfield in Sydney's inner west. Rev...
(1944-): As the Minister of Ashfield Uniting Church, he created the Exodus Foundation to assist homeless and abandoned youth. - Geraldine Brooks (1955-): Pulitzer- Prize-winning author, she grew up in Ashfield and lived there during her University studies.
- Mei Quong TartMei Quong TartMei Quong Tart was a leading nineteenth century Sydney merchant from China. He was one of Sydney's most famous and well-loved personalities and made a significant impact on the social and political scene of Sydney at a time of strong anti-Chinese sentiment in Australia...
(1850–1903): Prominent Sydney businessman, tea houseTea houseA tea house or tearoom is a venue centered on drinking tea. Its function varies widely depending on the culture, and some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses or parlors that all qualify under the English language term "tea house" or "tea room."-Asia:In Central Asia this term...
owner and acting consul to the Imperial Chinese government in the late 19th century. - Sir Henry ParkesHenry ParkesSir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
(1815–1896): Former NSW Premier and "Father of Federation", he lived in Ashfield during the 1870s. - P. L. TraversP. L. TraversPamela Lyndon Travers OBE was an Australian novelist, actress and journalist, popularly remembered for her series of children's novels about the mystical and magical nanny Mary Poppins...
(1899–1996): Author of five volumes of Mary Poppins stories, she lived in Ashfield during her later school years.
Events
The major community event in Ashfield each year is the Carnival of Cultures, a celebration of the area's multiculturalismMulticulturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
. Held every year since 1996 in Ashfield Park, it includes performances, food stalls and children's entertainment. In recent years, the Sydney Writers' Festival
Sydney Writers' Festival
The Sydney Writers' Festival is an annual literary festival held in the Australian city of Sydney. The Festival's artistic director is Chip Rolley.-History:...
has also held part of its program in Ashfield as part of the regular Authors at Ashfield series of talks.
Arts
Ashfield Council has developed a program of community arts in the suburb. This includes the funding of an artist-in-residence, who is based at Thirning Villa in Pratten Park. The current artist is Chinese painter Liu Yanqin. Part of her residency involves artist talks, community workshops and teaching at local schools. In front of Thirning Villa is Ashfield's version of the Rosetta StoneRosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek...
, made by former artist-in-residence Ian Marr and featuring a passage from the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
by Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
in twelve different community languages. Another former artist was the writer Van Badham
Van Badham
Van Badham is an Australian writer. A playwright and novelist, she writes dramas and comedies.-Early life:Van Badham was born Vanessa Badham in Sydney in 1978 . Her mother and father worked in the New South Wales gaming and track industry, with her father eventually working for the registered club...
.
Sport
Ashfield has a long history with the sport of rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. The Western Suburbs Magpies
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
rugby league team was formed in Ashfield in 1908 and played in the inaugural New South Wales Rugby League
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
competition that year. The club won its four premierships (1930, 1934, 1948 & 1952) while based at Pratten Park. It moved west to Lidcombe in 1967, then southwest to Campbelltown in 1987. In 2000, the club merged with the Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
to create the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
which splits its games between Leichhardt and Campbelltown. The Wests Leagues Club has stayed in Ashfield since 1908 despite the wanderings of its home ground.
Ashfield also holds a cycling milestone when it hosted the first woman's cycling race in the world in 1888. Dorothy Morrell won the two-mile (3 km) race.