Islington, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Islington is a suburb of the city of Newcastle
in the Hunter Region of New South Wales
, Australia
. Located only 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) from the Newcastle CBD
on one of Newcastle's major arterial road
s, it was initially developed as a residential suburb. Today it includes a small industrial area and is adjacent to the Newcastle campus of the Hunter Institute of Technology. Its southeastern border is occupied entirely by the Hunter and Newcastle and Central Coast railway lines. The suburb has one railway station
, which is shared with, and named after, adjacent Hamilton
.
and was part of Highway 1
until the Minmi
to Beresfield
section of the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
was completed in 1998. The convenient location attracted small factories.
The Regent Theatre in Islington, located on the corner of Maitland Road and Beaumont Street, opened on 2 December 1928. In 1941 or 1942, Hoyts
Theatres obtained a majority interest in the property but, with the advent of television, the Regent was unable to survive and closed on 27 June 1964. After remaining empty for five years, the building reopened as a hardware store in August 1969 and operates in that capacity today.
In 1947, Lettesi (a settler group made up of nearly 150 families from the village of Lettopalena
in the
Abruzzo
region of Italy
) settled in the Islington region, primarily due to its proximity to the BHP steel works.
pub.
Islington has a problem with illegal street prostitution. A residents action group was formed to try to eradicate the practice although complaints continue.
, runs through the suburb and links it to Mayfield
and Newcastle West
.
Islington is served by bus services
operated by Newcastle Buses & Ferries, including routes 100, 101, 103 and 108 along Maitland Road, and route 111 through the suburb's east. In addition, the Hamilton railway station
, located on the Newcastle and Central Coast and Hunter Lines, is located on the suburb's southern boundary and provides regular services to Newcastle, Maitland
, the Central Coast and Sydney.
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
in the Hunter Region 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...
. Located only 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) from the Newcastle CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
on one of Newcastle's major arterial road
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
s, it was initially developed as a residential suburb. Today it includes a small industrial area and is adjacent to the Newcastle campus of the Hunter Institute of Technology. Its southeastern border is occupied entirely by the Hunter and Newcastle and Central Coast railway lines. The suburb has one railway station
Hamilton railway station, New South Wales
-Hamilton Junction Signal Box:Hamilton Junction Signal Box is separated from Hamilton Station by Beaumont Street Level Crossing. The elegant Victorian signal box was built by McKenzie & Holland in 1897, making it one of the oldest surviving mechanical signal boxes in Australia, and also one of the...
, which is shared with, and named after, adjacent Hamilton
Hamilton, New South Wales
Hamilton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. The main commercial centre is located around Beaumont Street and boasts a vibrant multicultural atmosphere providing an array of restaurants, retail, fashion and commercial outlets...
.
History
Islington was developed in the 1870s as a residential suburb. It is located on Maitland Road, which later became part of the Pacific HighwayPacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
and was part of Highway 1
Highway 1 (Australia)
Australia's Highway 1 is a network of highways that circumnavigate the Australian continent, joining all mainland state capitals. At a total length of approximately it is the longest national highway in the world, longer than the Trans-Siberian Highway and the Trans-Canada Highway...
until the Minmi
Minmi, New South Wales
Minmi is an outer western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area....
to Beresfield
Beresfield, New South Wales
Beresfield is a north-western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area.The suburb of Beresfield had a population of 3,118 in 2006....
section of the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
The Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales. It is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
was completed in 1998. The convenient location attracted small factories.
The Regent Theatre in Islington, located on the corner of Maitland Road and Beaumont Street, opened on 2 December 1928. In 1941 or 1942, Hoyts
Hoyts
The Hoyts Group is an Australian company consisting of Hoyts Exhibition, Hoyts Distribution and Val Morgan.Hoyts Exhibition manages 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes; making it Australia's second largest cinema chain. Val Morgan, the cinema advertising arm of the...
Theatres obtained a majority interest in the property but, with the advent of television, the Regent was unable to survive and closed on 27 June 1964. After remaining empty for five years, the building reopened as a hardware store in August 1969 and operates in that capacity today.
In 1947, Lettesi (a settler group made up of nearly 150 families from the village of Lettopalena
Lettopalena
Lettopalena is a comune and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy...
in the
Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) settled in the Islington region, primarily due to its proximity to the BHP steel works.
Present day
The residents demographic is rapidly changing from working class to young professional families as young couples buy into the area. Islington Park, located on Throsby Creek, has a cycleway that links Islington to the redeveloped Newcastle foreshore. Islington is located at the north-eastern end of Beaumont Street, the restaurant precinct of Newcastle. Known as the antique district of Newcastle, with numerous shops primarily located on Maitland Road, which also houses Islington's main trade area, with more shops on Beaumont Street. Located on Maitland Road is the Gateway Hotel which is a gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
pub.
Islington has a problem with illegal street prostitution. A residents action group was formed to try to eradicate the practice although complaints continue.
Transport
Maitland Road, a suburban carrier of the Pacific HighwayPacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
, runs through the suburb and links it to Mayfield
Mayfield, New South Wales
Mayfield is a north-western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, which takes its name from Ada May a daughter of the landowner there, John Scholey, J.P...
and Newcastle West
Newcastle West, New South Wales
Newcastle West is an inner city suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, part of which forms the western end of Newcastle's central business district...
.
Islington is served by bus services
Bus routes in Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle bus routes connect suburbs in and around Newcastle, New South Wales. Services are largely integrated with the public transport network of Sydney, to the south, however the route numbering system is separate....
operated by Newcastle Buses & Ferries, including routes 100, 101, 103 and 108 along Maitland Road, and route 111 through the suburb's east. In addition, the Hamilton railway station
Hamilton railway station, New South Wales
-Hamilton Junction Signal Box:Hamilton Junction Signal Box is separated from Hamilton Station by Beaumont Street Level Crossing. The elegant Victorian signal box was built by McKenzie & Holland in 1897, making it one of the oldest surviving mechanical signal boxes in Australia, and also one of the...
, located on the Newcastle and Central Coast and Hunter Lines, is located on the suburb's southern boundary and provides regular services to Newcastle, Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
, the Central Coast and Sydney.