Ashfield, New South Wales

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Ashfield Sydney, New South Wales
NASA image of Sydney's CBD and inner west suburbs, with borders of Ashfield shown in orange
Population:	21,079 (2001 census)
Established:	1838
Postcode:	2131
Area:	3.5 km²
Property Value:	AUD $565,000 (2007)
Location:	9 km from Sydney CBD
LGA:	Municipality of Ashfield
State District:	Strathfield, Canterbury
Federal Division:	Grayndler
Suburbs around Ashfield Croydon Five Dock Haberfield Croydon Park Ashfield Summer Hill Ashbury Hurlstone Park Dulwich Hill

Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 9 kms south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.

Ashfield is a middle-class suburb, with a mixture of transient residents (who tend to live in rental units), and longer-term residents (who tend to like the architecture, closeness to the city, and the quality of the public transport). Housing is characterised equally by a mixture of 'grand Victorian' and Federation-era freestanding homes, and post-war medium-density unit dwellings ('flats' in Australian parlance). Commercial and light industrial developments are located along the main roads.

The main shopping precinct is located along Liverpool Road and around Ashfield railway station. Along this strip, there are a few large office towers, many street-level shops and Ashfield Mall, a medium sized shopping centre with pedestrian access to Liverpool Road. The mall contains supermarkets, a discount department store and specialty shops. A second commercial precinct is located along Parramatta Road consisting mostly of car yards and light industry.

[edit] History

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 Concord 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 eucalypts 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.^[1]

By 1790, a road had been built between the colony's two settlements at Sydney Cove and Parramatta. This rough track 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.

1850s subdivision plan between what is now Holden St, Norton St, Milton St and Park Ln. None of these streets are named but three purchasers of allotments (A'Beckett, Carlisle and Holden) lend their names to current streets in the area. Photo courtesy National Library of Australia

Hercules St c.1905 looking from Liverpool Rd to Ashfield Station. Photo courtesy Ashfield District Historical Society

Workers in the old AWA factory in 1936. Photo courtesy State Library of NSW

Tower of the old Peek Frean biscuit factory (now Bunnings) on Parramatta Rd

In 1838, Elizabeth Underwood, 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.^[2]

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 in 1920. This 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 Frean 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 mega hardware store. In recent times, the suburb has made the news for the wrong reasons with the Ashfield gang rapes in 2001-02 and the Brescia Furniture Fire in 2005.

[edit] Residents

In the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing, Ashfield had a population of 20,681 people, in an area of 3.5 square kilometres. For most statistics, the suburb was similar to the national averages. The population was 51% females, 49% males. The number of people aged over 65 was slightly higher (15.4%) than the national average (12.6%) while the number of children under 14 was lower (14.7%) than the national average (20.8%). The family breakdowns of 44.9% couple families with children, 35.6% couple families without children, 15.4% one parent families and 4.1% other families were very similar to the national averages.^[3]

Shanghai restaurants on Liverpool Rd, Ashfield

One area where Ashfield differed markedly from the national figures was in its ethnic diversity. Just 43% of Ashfield residents were Australian born with 11.1% born in mainland China and a further 1.6% born in Hong Kong. In total, 16.8% spoke a Chinese language at home. Other significant places of birth included India (3.4%), UK (2.9%), Italy (2.6%), Philippines (2.4%), New Zealand (2.1%), and South Korea (2.0%) while other major languages spoken at home included Arabic (2.5%), Greek (2.3%) and Spanish (2.1%). Ashfield Council celebrates the area's multiculturalism with a 'Carnival of Cultures' each year while the preponderance of Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese shops and businesses located along the main artery of Liverpool Road is also testament to the areas diversity. Colloquially among Chinese Australians, Ashfield is often called "Little Shanghai" for the sheer number of Shanghainese shopkeepers along the suburb's main business street.

The other area where Ashfield differs is in housing. There were 8,446 occupied private dwellings counted, 58% were flats (compared to the national figure of just 13%), 28% were stand-alone houses, while 9.6% were semis, terraces or townhouses. The high number of flats contributed to a higher than average number of people renting (43%) compared to houses owned outright (31%) or being purchased (15%).

10,449 people were in the labour force with 64% employed full-time, 26% employed part-time and 7.0% unemployed. Fifteen percent of the labour force were professionals, significantly up on the national average of 10.2%. The most common industries were business services (8.0%), hospitality (4.1%), education (4.1%) and health (4.0%).

On the question of religion, 55% reported being a Christian (31% Catholic, 9.9% Anglican), 5.4% Buddhist, 4.4% Hindu, 2.4% Islam, 0.3% Jewish and 0.5% other religious groups. A substantial number (17.6%) said they had no religion. The number of Anglicans is less than half the national average and an indication of the suburb's reputation as a Catholic stronghold for much of the 1900s.

[edit] Notable Residents

The following notable people were born or lived in Ashfield:

Statue of Mei Quong Tart in Hercules St, Ashfield

Statue of Mary Poppins in Ashfield Park

• Daphne Akhurst (1903-1933): Five times Australian Open tennis champion. Educated at the Normanhurst School in Ashfield and Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
• Augustus Alt (1731-1815): First surveyor-general of New South Wales. He arrived with the First Fleet in 1788 and was granted a substantial parcel of land in northern Ashfield.^[4]
• Richard Baker (1854-1941): Curator/Director of the Technological Museum in Ultimo (now known as the Powerhouse Museum). Lived in Ashfield for 30 years in a house named "Eudesmia", which still stands. Proponent of the decorative use of the Waratah in the logos and symbols.
• Geraldine Brooks (1955-): Journalist and author who wrote about her childhood in the suburb in a book "Foreign Correspondence".
• Robert Campbell (1769-1846): Early settler responsible for giving Ashfield its name.^[5]
• Frederick Clissold: businessman and wealthiest citizen of the municipality in the late 19th century. Co-founder of the Canterbury Park Racecourse. Owned Glentworth mansion.
• Ian Clunies Ross (1899-1959): Veterinary scientist and founder of the CSIRO, he was for a while commemorated on the Australian $50 note.^[6]
• Rev Bill Crews (1944-): As the Minister of Ashfield Uniting Church, he created the Exodus Foundation to assist homeless and abandoned youth.^[7]
• Professor Edgeworth David (1858-1934) was a noted geologist and Antartctic explorer.
• Bea Miles (1902-1973): Eccentric Sydneysider, born in Ashfield but spent much of her later life living on the street and whose life was the inspiration for the book and movie, Lilian's Story.
• Sir Henry Parkes (1815-1896): Former NSW Premier, lived in Ashfield during the 1870s.
• Herbert Pratten (1865-1928): Jam maker and politician, was mayor of Ashfield and later Federal Minister for Trade and Customs from 1923-1928. Pratten Park named in his honour.
• Major General Gustave Ramaciotti (1862-1927): Owned the Theatre Royal property by the corners of King and Castlereagh Streets. Was a base commander during World War 1, from 1915-1917. Retired in 1917 and was appointed C.M.G.
• Stanley Rowley (1876-1924): Australian Olympic athlete who won three individual bronze medals (60m, 100m, 200m) at the Paris Olympics in 1900 and also picked up a gold medal as part of the British cross-country team.
• Louise Taplin (1859-1901): Matron of The Infants Home Ashfield until her death in 1901. Lead the home through the 1890s depression.
• Mei Quong Tart (1850-1903): Prominent Sydney businessman, tea house owner and acting consul to the Imperial Chinese government in the late 19th century. Lived at Gallop House, 48 Arthur St, Ashfield.
• Evelyn Tildesley (1882-1976): School teacher, principal of Normanhurst School from 1913 to 1925, when she was appointed acting principal of The Women's College at the University of Sydney. Awarded MBE in 1950.
• P. L. Travers (1899-1996): Author of five volumes of Mary Poppins stories, she boarded at Normanhurst School beginning in 1912 and later lived with her mother and younger sisters at 17 Pembroke Street.

[edit] Transport

According to the 2001 census, the most common way of getting to work from Ashfield was by car (41%) followed by train (36%). Nine per cent of people used buses for all or part of their journey while four percent walked and one percent rode a bike. The total patronage of public transport (39%) is almost double the rate for Sydney overall.

Parramatta Rd in the 1930s looking east towards Ashfield. Photo courtesy State Library of NSW

Ashfield is located close to Liverpool Road and Parramatta Road, and so is well served by road. Unfortunately Liverpool Road is often congested through Ashfield. Another major road is Frederick/Milton St which connects the City West Link at Haberfield with Georges River Rd at Croydon Park. There is also a proposal to build a tunnel connecting the City West Link with the start of the M4 at Concord. However, the proposal has drawn substantial local opposition and the plan is currently under review.

Ashfield railway station is on the Inner West line of the CityRail network. Ashfield was opened in 1855 as part of the original New South Wales Railways Sydney to Parramatta rail line. It was renovated and reopened in 2002. There are express and all stations services to the City Circle, Bankstown, Liverpool and Campbelltown.

Ashfield is the terminus for five Sydney bus services: 409 (to Burwood via Five Dock), 411 (to Roselands via Earlwood), 462 & 464 (to Mortlake via Enfield & Burwood) and 466 (to Cabarita via Enfield & Burwood). Another six lines pass through Ashfield: 413 (City to Campsie), 461 (City to Burwood), 471 & 472 (Five Dock to Rockdale) and 480 & 483 (City to Strathfield).^[8]

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.^[9]

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 this, 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.^[10]

[edit] Landmarks

Amesbury

Ashfield's main attractions are the many fine historic houses that date back to the suburb's glory days in the late 19th century when the colony's wealthy made their homes in the suburb. Ashfield Council produces a number of guides for heritage walks in the area^[11]. To the south of the town centre are Plynlimmon (built 1867) in Norton St and now a child care centre, Mountjoy (built 1870) now part of the hospital in Victoria St, Glentworth (built 1887) also in Victoria St and now part of a retirement village, Ambleside (built 1887) in Queen St which was once used as Our Lady of Snows convent, Thirning Villa, (built 1868) and now part of Pratten Park, Gallop House in Arthur St, 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 Parkes. North of the railway line are the impressive tower of Amesbury (built 1888) in Alt St, nearby Taringa in Taringa St and Gorton in Henry St, which was built in 1860 and since 1876 has been the Infants Home.

Ambleside

Thirning Villa

Water Tower

The highest point in Ashfield is at the Ashfield water reservoir in Holden Street to the south of the town centre. The tower was built in 1912 and provides the water supply for the surrounding areas^[12]. There are also a number of old churches and a couple of fine parks as well.

[edit] Churches

St. John the Baptist's Anglican Church, Ashfield

The first church in Ashfield was St. John the Baptist's Anglican Church in Alt St. 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 it was consecrated in 1845. It is the oldest surviving building in Ashfield.^[13]

In 1842, rival landowner Robert Campbell made an acre of land between Liverpool Rd and Norton St 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 were the next cab off the rank building their church on the corner of Liverpool Rd and Knox St in 1876. Prior to this, they had been going to St David's in Haberfield. Although they later built a larger church on the same Knox St 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 smallchapel and in 1894, the Vincentian Fathers started building a church in Bland St 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 Rd and Holden St. After building a small church further down Holden St 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.

[edit] Schools

Currently, 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.^[14]

Bethlehem was next cab off the rank, 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.^[15]

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 champions Daphne Akhurst and Rose Payton. There were a number of other private schools in the area during this period as well but none survived to the present day.^[16]

[edit] Sport and Recreation

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 sporting field and one of Sydney's oldest bowling clubs. The park was proclaimed in 1885 and it was claimed at the time you could 'see all the way to Martin Place'.^[17]

Cricket at Pratten Park with Thirning Villa on the far side of the ground and Ashfield town centre behind that.

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.^[18]

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 4km away. This park was also the site of an ice skating rink in the late 1800s.^[19]

Ashfield also has a long history with the sport of rugby league. 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.^[20]

[edit] Politics

For federal elections, Ashfield is part of the federal electoral division of Grayndler, currently held by Labor's Anthony Albanese. For state elections, the suburb is split between the NSW state electoral divisions of Strathfield, held by Labor's Virginia Judge and Canterbury held by Labor's Linda Burney. For local government elections, the entire suburb is part of the Municipality of Ashfield. The present council is composed of five Labor councillors, three independents, three Greens and one Liberal. The current mayor is Ted Cassidy, an independent.

Ashfield Town Hall in 1938. It was demolished in the 1970s to make way for Ashfield Mall and the current Council buildings. Photo courtesy State Library of NSW

The local government boundaries haven't been changed since the Municipality was formed in 1872 but the state and federal electorate boundaries have changed a few times over the years. 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. At a federal level, 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. Sine 1977, it has mostly been in the seat of Grayndler although parts have been in the electorates of Lowe and Watson at various times.

Generally speaking, Ashfield is considered a safe Labor area these days. The table to the right shows that when you just look at the polling booths in the suburb of Ashfield, Labor has consistently returned over 65% of the two-party preferred vote in recent years. The high number of people from a Chinese background contributed to a high Unity Party vote for a while but that has dwindled as the party itself has lost momentum. The Greens vote, while not as large as in other parts of the inner-west has been steadily increasing and environmental issues are now one of the big local issues.

Historically, the area was more conservative. From the foundation of the state seat of Ashfield in 1894 until 1976, the area returned members who were Free Trade, Nationalist, UAP or Liberal with two brief exceptions in 1894-5 and 1952-3 when Labor members were elected. Since 1976 when Labor's Paul Whelan won the seat, the area has always returned Labor members. A similar pattern can be seen in Federal results with mostly anti-Labor members being returned except for 1929-30, 1943-49, 1961-63 and 1972-75 then Labor members consistently from 1977.^[27]

Current local issues in the area include the redevelopment of Ashfield mall and concerns about over-development in general; and construction of the M4 East tunnel because it might lead to increased traffic pollution. Another contentious local issue 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 limits within residential areas.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Coordinates: -33.8828° 151.1207°

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.
• Ashfield & District Historical Society.
• Ashfield Municipal Council
• Places to eat in Ashfield.
• 2001 Census Information