Lambton, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Lambton is a suburb of Newcastle
, New South Wales
, Australia
, located 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Newcastle's central business district
.
(including Jesmond, New South Wales
), on 24 June 1871. The 1891 Census gave the population as 3,434. It was the first municipality in Newcastle district to be lit by electric light.
In the early years the miners of the township used to entertain themselves gambling on dog races known as the "Dog & Rat" because they would release a rat (wallaby) on flat open area then let their dogs chase it down the dog that caught the rat won (the rat won if it made it to the scrub)
In 1901 there were 14 churches, a Music Hall, Assembly Rooms, a Temperance Hall, a Mechanics' Institute, Miners' Institute, a Post, Telegraph and Money Order Office, a Savings Bank, Court House, Fire Brigade, Council Chambers, and fine public schools. There were collieries, coke-ovens and a soap-works at Jesmond.
In 1901 the Municipal Council had as Mayor: Matthew Thornton and Town Clerk: Thomas Johnson. In 1938 an Act of the New South Wales Parliament created a "City of Greater Newcastle", incorporating 11 municipalities into one local government area, including Lambton.
Historically Lambton has played an important part in the sporting history of the Hunter Region. Lambton Park was also the location of the first organised soccer match played in Australia between miners from Lambton and miners from Weston. Newcastle oldest rugby league football club "Western Suburbs (NCLE) Rosella's" was formed at Smiths Pub (also known as "Snake Gully" and "Bar 121")
The Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
who represented Lambton was Arthur Hill Griffith
, Member for Waratah.
One of the great attractions of the town centre is the magnificent Lambton Park, which contains a 19th century bandstand (Renovated since, better known to locals as "The Rotunda"), children's play area, bowling greens, tennis courts, cricket, soccer and rugby league fields, Olympic size swimming pool, diving pool, children and toddler pools, and beautiful gardens.
Lambton Jaffa's Soccer team boast products such as Australian Woman team captain "Cheryl Sailsbury" and Australian Women's basketball player Suzy Batkovic-Brown.
A song called "The Lambton Lights" by Newcastle musician Bob Corbett was written about the electrification of the town.
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...
, 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 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Newcastle's central business district
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"...
.
Early days
Originally a coal-mining township, Lambton was incorporated as a MunicipalityMunicipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
(including Jesmond, New South Wales
Jesmond, New South Wales
Jesmond is a suburb of the City of Newcastle LGA, located about west of the Newcastle CBD in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is both a commercial centre and residential area catering to Newcastle residents including Australian and international students attending the University...
), on 24 June 1871. The 1891 Census gave the population as 3,434. It was the first municipality in Newcastle district to be lit by electric light.
In the early years the miners of the township used to entertain themselves gambling on dog races known as the "Dog & Rat" because they would release a rat (wallaby) on flat open area then let their dogs chase it down the dog that caught the rat won (the rat won if it made it to the scrub)
In 1901 there were 14 churches, a Music Hall, Assembly Rooms, a Temperance Hall, a Mechanics' Institute, Miners' Institute, a Post, Telegraph and Money Order Office, a Savings Bank, Court House, Fire Brigade, Council Chambers, and fine public schools. There were collieries, coke-ovens and a soap-works at Jesmond.
In 1901 the Municipal Council had as Mayor: Matthew Thornton and Town Clerk: Thomas Johnson. In 1938 an Act of the New South Wales Parliament created a "City of Greater Newcastle", incorporating 11 municipalities into one local government area, including Lambton.
Historically Lambton has played an important part in the sporting history of the Hunter Region. Lambton Park was also the location of the first organised soccer match played in Australia between miners from Lambton and miners from Weston. Newcastle oldest rugby league football club "Western Suburbs (NCLE) Rosella's" was formed at Smiths Pub (also known as "Snake Gully" and "Bar 121")
The Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
who represented Lambton was Arthur Hill Griffith
Arthur Hill Griffith
Arthur Griffith was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1894 until 1917 and held a number of ministerial positions in the Government of New South Wales...
, Member for Waratah.
Colliery
The largest and principal industry was the Scottish-Australian Coal Mining Company's Lambton Colliery, mine and estate managed by the three Croudace brothers: Frank, Thomas, and Sydney. It finally closed in the late 1950s although the railway line which connected it with Newcastle harbour was operational for about another decade because of other coal-loading facilities still operational at the mine. Today the entire area is covered with housing.Other
Lambton boasted a popular cinema, the King's Theatre, which still operated as such into the 1980s. It is today a theatre-restaurant known as "Lizottes".One of the great attractions of the town centre is the magnificent Lambton Park, which contains a 19th century bandstand (Renovated since, better known to locals as "The Rotunda"), children's play area, bowling greens, tennis courts, cricket, soccer and rugby league fields, Olympic size swimming pool, diving pool, children and toddler pools, and beautiful gardens.
Lambton Jaffa's Soccer team boast products such as Australian Woman team captain "Cheryl Sailsbury" and Australian Women's basketball player Suzy Batkovic-Brown.
A song called "The Lambton Lights" by Newcastle musician Bob Corbett was written about the electrification of the town.