Enfield, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
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
.
, an early market town of Middlesex
, England
.
in 1788, the Enfield area belonged to the Wangal people, a clan of the Eora
tribe, which covered most of Sydney. In the early years, the Eora people were badly affected by smallpox
, which arrived with the British. Many of the clans became unsustainably small and the survivors formed new bands who lived where they could. While it would be wrong to say that the local indigenous population gave no resistance to British land claims (Pemulwuy
being a notable example), within thirty years or so of the colony's establishment, most of the land in the inner-west had been conceded to British settlers.
In 1853, a post office
was built. This was the first recorded use of the name Enfield for the area although it may already have been unofficially known as that. In 1889, Enfield was deemed large enough to have its own municipal council which covered a larger area than the current suburb including those parts of the current Burwood and Strathfield councils south of Liverpool Rd. In 1891, its municipal population of 2,050 was larger than that of neighbouring Strathfield (1,850) and only just smaller than another neighbour Canterbury (2,426). Enfield retained its separate identity until 1949 when the NSW state government decided to abolish a number of small local councils by amalgamating them with their neighbours. Thus Enfield was absorbed into Burwood and Strathfield.
Enfield Olympic Pool, located in Henley Park is the oldest freshwater pool in Sydney, completed in 1933 and officially opened by the Hon. B.S Stevens, NSW Premier and Colonial Treasurer, on 18 November 1933.
The Enfield War Memorial is situated on the corner of Liverpool Road and Coronation Parade on the lawn outside the former Enfield Council Chambers. The memorial is a rectangular sandstone pedestal with four marble plaque panels with the engraved names of the men and women who served during World War I
. The top of the pedestal displays a 105mm French Howitzer
gun that was donated to the Australian Government by the French government as recognition of Australia’s wartime assistance during World War I. The Memorial was unveiled on 11 October 1924 by the NSW Attorney-General and later by the Premier of NSW from 1927-1930. Erection of the memorial was made possible by Mayor and Mayoress of Enfield, Mr and Mrs Ebenezer Ford. The wheel treads of the French howitzer gun which are made of wood are still intact.
The Enfield system began as a steam tramway opening in 1891 between Ashfield Station
and Enfield and was a separate group of lines that worked independently from the main Sydney network. The lines were based around a depot in Enfield. The green patch of grass that covers most of Coronation Parade lies on top of the original tram tracks that led, in a straight line, directly north onto the Boulevarde along a route that led originally from Ashfield. In 1901, this line was extended north to Mortlake
, and in 1909 a branch to Cabarita
Park was opened. The system was electrified in 1912.
Services operated from Ashfield Station
along Liverpool Road, Georges River Road and Tangarra Street, then north along Coronation Parade in a straight line passing what is now the Enfield War Memorial and back to Liverpool Road through Enfield, and then north along Burwood Road through Burwood
. The line then turned into Crane Street, then Majors Bay Road and Brewer Street to Cabarita Junction.
The line was double track until this point, it then split into single-track branches to Mortlake and Cabarita. Short services were turned back at Brighton Avenue, Plymouth Street, Enfield, Burwood Station
and Wellbank St.
Services operated every five minutes between Ashfield and Wellbank St in peak periods, and every 15 minutes (30 minutes at off-peak times) on the two branches. A depot on Tangarra Street served the lines. The lines closed in 1948, and were replaced by buses.
The road that is now used for motor traffic on Coronation Parade was the road that was built beside the original tram track until the main intersection where the road was then built over the tracks became the Boulevarde. The Coronation Parade arch that leads into the former Coronation Parade tram station displays 4 light bulbs which were originally the holders for the four electricity cables that ran along the old tram line.
St Joseph's Catholic
Church on Liverpool Road was built 1930-31. The church was designed by architect Clement Glancy in Inter-War Academic Classical style inspired by Église de la Madeleine
, Paris.
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Coronation Parade was built in 1848 in a Gothic Revival style and is now listed on the Register of the National Estate
;
and Strathfield
. Enfield itself is actually quite small in area being bounded by Liverpool Road, Coronation Parade, Mitchell Street and Burwood Road.
Three bus companies service the area. Sydney Buses provides six services:
Veolia Transport NSW
operates two services, the 913 from Bankstown to Strathfield via Enfield
and the 914 from Greenacre to Strathfield via Enfield. Punchbowl Bus Company
operates one service, the 450, from Hurstville to Strathfield via Lakemba and Enfield.
Prior to the 1960s, there was a tramline which ran from Ashfield to Mortlake and Cabarita via Enfield and Burwood following the route of the modern day 462, 464 & 466 bus services.
, Enfield had a population of 2,448. Like many neighbouring suburbs, it had a high migrant population with more than half the population speaking a language other than English at home. The most common languages were Italian
(8.0%), Arabic (7.8%), Greek
(6.1%), Cantonese
(5.8%) and Korean
(3.8%). There were 1,130 people in the labour force with the most common industries being business services (6.0%), health services (4.2%) and retailing (3.7%).
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...
. Enfield is located 13 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...
in the local government area of Burwood Council
Burwood Council
The Municipality of Burwood is a Local Government Area in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Suburbs in the local government area :Suburbs serviced by Burwood Council are:* Burwood* Burwood Heights* Enfield...
.
History
The suburb is named after Enfield TownEnfield Town
Enfield Town is the historic town centre of Enfield, formerly in the county of Middlesex and now in the London Borough of Enfield. It is north north-east of Charing Cross...
, an early market town of Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Aboriginal culture
Prior to the arrival of the First FleetFirst 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, the Enfield area belonged to the Wangal people, a clan of the Eora
Eora
The Eora are the Aboriginal people of the Sydney area, south to the Georges River, north to the Hawkesbury River, and west to Parramatta. The indigenous people used this word to describe where they came from to the British. "Eora" was then used by the British to refer to those Aboriginal people...
tribe, which covered most of Sydney. In the early years, the Eora people were badly affected by 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"...
, which arrived with the British. Many of the clans became unsustainably small and the survivors formed new bands who lived where they could. While it would be wrong to say that the local indigenous population gave no resistance to British land claims (Pemulwuy
Pemulwuy
Pemulwuy was an Aboriginal Australian man born around 1750 in the area of Botany Bay in New South Wales. He is noted for his resistance to the European settlement of Australia which began with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. He is believed to have been a member of the Bidjigal clan of...
being a notable example), within thirty years or so of the colony's establishment, most of the land in the inner-west had been conceded to British settlers.
European settlement
William Faithful was granted 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in 1810 covering what is now Enfield as well as much of Croydon Park and parts of Burwood and Croydon. In 1812, Liverpool Road was built through Faithful's land and the high position of Enfield made it a sensible spot for a staging post along the road. By the mid 1840s a small village had formed and the surrounding area supported vegetable gardening and a timber industry. St Thomas' Anglican Church was built in 1848 and is the oldest surviving building in the suburb.Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was built. This was the first recorded use of the name Enfield for the area although it may already have been unofficially known as that. In 1889, Enfield was deemed large enough to have its own municipal council which covered a larger area than the current suburb including those parts of the current Burwood and Strathfield councils south of Liverpool Rd. In 1891, its municipal population of 2,050 was larger than that of neighbouring Strathfield (1,850) and only just smaller than another neighbour Canterbury (2,426). Enfield retained its separate identity until 1949 when the NSW state government decided to abolish a number of small local councils by amalgamating them with their neighbours. Thus Enfield was absorbed into Burwood and Strathfield.
Enfield Olympic Pool, located in Henley Park is the oldest freshwater pool in Sydney, completed in 1933 and officially opened by the Hon. B.S Stevens, NSW Premier and Colonial Treasurer, on 18 November 1933.
The Enfield War Memorial is situated on the corner of Liverpool Road and Coronation Parade on the lawn outside the former Enfield Council Chambers. The memorial is a rectangular sandstone pedestal with four marble plaque panels with the engraved names of the men and women who served during 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 top of the pedestal displays a 105mm French Howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
gun that was donated to the Australian Government by the French government as recognition of Australia’s wartime assistance during World War I. The Memorial was unveiled on 11 October 1924 by the NSW Attorney-General and later by the Premier of NSW from 1927-1930. Erection of the memorial was made possible by Mayor and Mayoress of Enfield, Mr and Mrs Ebenezer Ford. The wheel treads of the French howitzer gun which are made of wood are still intact.
Enfield tram lines
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...
and Enfield and was a separate group of lines that worked independently from the main Sydney network. The lines were based around a depot in Enfield. The green patch of grass that covers most of Coronation Parade lies on top of the original tram tracks that led, in a straight line, directly north onto the Boulevarde along a route that led originally from Ashfield. In 1901, this line was extended north 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:...
, and in 1909 a branch 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....
Park was opened. The system was electrified in 1912.
Services operated from Ashfield 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 Liverpool Road, Georges River Road and Tangarra Street, then north along Coronation Parade in a straight line passing what is now the Enfield War Memorial and back to Liverpool Road through Enfield, and then north along Burwood Road through 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 line then turned into Crane Street, then Majors Bay Road and Brewer Street to Cabarita Junction.
The line was double track until this point, it then split into single-track branches to Mortlake and Cabarita. Short services were turned back at Brighton Avenue, Plymouth Street, Enfield, Burwood Station
Burwood railway station, Sydney
Burwood is a major station on the main suburban line in the suburb of Burwood in Sydney. The station is located on Burwood Road, close to major shops and schools, and consists of platforms on all six of the tracks through the station. The concourse is situated below the platforms with access to...
and Wellbank St.
Services operated every five minutes between Ashfield and Wellbank St in peak periods, and every 15 minutes (30 minutes at off-peak times) on the two branches. A depot on Tangarra Street served the lines. The lines closed in 1948, and were replaced by buses.
The road that is now used for motor traffic on Coronation Parade was the road that was built beside the original tram track until the main intersection where the road was then built over the tracks became the Boulevarde. The Coronation Parade arch that leads into the former Coronation Parade tram station displays 4 light bulbs which were originally the holders for the four electricity cables that ran along the old tram line.
Churches
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"...
Church on Liverpool Road was built 1930-31. The church was designed by architect Clement Glancy in Inter-War Academic Classical style inspired by Église de la Madeleine
Église de la Madeleine
L'église de la Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church occupying a commanding position in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed in its present form as a temple to the glory of Napoleon's army...
, Paris.
St Thomas's Anglican Church, Coronation Parade was built in 1848 in a Gothic Revival style and is now listed on the Register of the National Estate
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...
;
Commercial area
While Enfield is probably most notable for a large freight train marshalling yard, the yard is technically in the neighbouring suburb of South Strathfield. It has a small commercial area along Liverpool Road centred around the intersection with Coronation Parade and The Boulevarde. It is close to the larger commercial areas of BurwoodBurwood, 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 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...
. Enfield itself is actually quite small in area being bounded by Liverpool Road, Coronation Parade, Mitchell Street and Burwood Road.
Schools
Enfield Public School is on the corner of Shelley Street and Cobden Street. St Josephs Primary School is located on the corner of Burwood and Liverpool Roads and is a Catholic school for kindergarten to Year 6.Transport
Liverpool Road intersects with Coronation Parade and The Boulevarde at Enfield.Three bus companies service the area. Sydney Buses provides six services:
- 400 from Burwood to Bondi Junction via Enfield, Campsie and Sydney Airport
- 462 & 464 from Ashfield to Mortlake via Enfield and Burwood
- 466 from Ashfield to Cabarita via Enfield and Burwood
- 480 & 483 from the City (Domain) to Strathfield via Enfield
Veolia Transport NSW
Veolia Transport NSW
Veolia Transport NSW is a division of the global Veolia company that operates the Metro Light Rail, the Metro Monorail and commuter bus services in the southern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.-Metro Transport:...
operates two services, the 913 from Bankstown to Strathfield via Enfield
and the 914 from Greenacre to Strathfield via Enfield. Punchbowl Bus Company
Punchbowl Bus Company
The Punchbowl Bus and Coach Company operates public buses in the south and inner south western suburbs of Sydney. It currently operates routes 446, 450, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 953, 954, 955 and various school specials...
operates one service, the 450, from Hurstville to Strathfield via Lakemba and Enfield.
Prior to the 1960s, there was a tramline which ran from Ashfield to Mortlake and Cabarita via Enfield and Burwood following the route of the modern day 462, 464 & 466 bus services.
People
Demographics
According to the 2001 censusCensus
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...
, Enfield had a population of 2,448. Like many neighbouring suburbs, it had a high migrant population with more than half the population speaking a language other than English at home. The most common languages were Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(8.0%), Arabic (7.8%), Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
(6.1%), Cantonese
Standard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
(5.8%) and Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
(3.8%). There were 1,130 people in the labour force with the most common industries being business services (6.0%), health services (4.2%) and retailing (3.7%).
Notable residents
- James AndersonJames Anderson (tennis player)----James Outram Anderson was an Australian tennis player....
(1894–1973): tennis player, 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...
men's singles champion in 1922, 1924 & 1925. - Gerry HazlittGerry HazlittGervys Rignold Hazlitt, commonly known as Gerry, was an Australian cricketer who played in 9 Tests from 1907 to 1912....
(1888–1915): Australian test cricketer (9 tests). - Norman 'Wizard' Smith (1890–1958): racing car driver and holder of the Australian land speed record in the 1930s.http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110677b.htm
- Bob WindleBob WindleRobert George "Bob" Windle is a former Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1960s, who won four Olympic medals, including an individual gold medal...
(1944-): Australian swimmer, won the Olympic 1500 m gold at Tokyo in 1964.
Other places of interest
- Enfield Swimming Centre, a council-run swimming pool is located in Portland Street.
- The Royal Society for the BlindRoyal Society for the BlindThe Royal Society for the Blind is a not-for-profit organisation providing services to over 11,000 South Australians who are blind or vision impaired....
has a centre – operating as Vision AustraliaVision AustraliaVision Australia is a not-for-profit organisation and Australia's largest provider of services for people with blindness and low vision.-Vision and Mission:...
, in Mitchell Street