Newington, New South Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Newington Sydney, New South Wales |
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 Newington Marketplace |
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| Postcode: | 2127 | ||||||||||||
| Property Value: | AUD $590,000 (2007) | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 19 km (12 mi) west of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | Auburn Council | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Auburn | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Reid | ||||||||||||
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Newington is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Newington is located 19 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council.
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[edit] Landmarks
Newington is located on the western side of Homebush Bay, on the Parramatta River. It is best known as the location of the Athletes Village for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and 2000 Summer Paralympics. Most people believe that Newington was only conceived as a suburb during the planning of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, however, plans to create a suburb in the Newington area have existed as early as 1878. The Athlete's Village was converted to residential apartments after the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. A memorial featuring all the names of the Australian athletes who participated at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and 2000 Summer Paralympics stands on a reserve opposite Newington Marketplace.
 Olympic Village Memorial |
 Olympic Village Memorial |
 Athletes Village |
[edit] History
The suburb of Newington took its name from the Newington Estate which was named by John Blaxland after his family estate in Kent, England.
[edit] Aboriginal Culture
Newington is situated on the traditional aboriginal lands of the Wann clan, known as the Wann-gal. The lands of the Wann-gal stretched along the southern shore of the Parramatta River between Cockle Bay (Cadi-gal land) and Rose Hill (Burramatta-gal land). The other side of Parramatta River was occupied by the Wallumetta-gal people.
[edit] European Settlement
Within ten days of the First Fleet arriving in Australia, records had been made of "The Flats", the extensive tidal wetlands at Homebush Bay. Between the years 1788 to 1831, blocks of land ranging from 100 to 10,000 acres (40 km²) were given out to the first European settlers by dividing up the Wanng-al clans' land. These land grants were inked in on County of Cumberland maps, with names of owners and land granted clearly indicated on the maps.
[edit] Establishment of Newington Estate
In 1807, John Blaxland acquired 520 hectares of land, reserving the original grants of Waterhouse, Shortland, Archer and Haslam. He named the estate Newington his family estate in Kent, England. Blaxland established a series of salt pans on the banks of the Parramatta River and by 1827, was producing 8 tons of salt each week for the Sydney market. Blaxland also established a tweed mill, limekiln and flourmill. Newington House was completed in 1832 and St Augustine's Chapel in 1838.
In 1843, Blaxland mortgaged the property to the Australian Trust Company. After he died in 1851 the Trust Company sold the property to John Dobie to recover the mortgage. The Blaxland family re-purchased the estate from Dobie in 1854 but offered it as security against a large loan. The property was transferred to the Official Assignee of the Insolvent Estate of Edward James Blaxland in 1860 and subsequently leased to the Methodist Church, who established Newington College on the site. The property, extending from near the current Holker Street to the current Carnarvon Street, was sold to John Wetherill in 1877.
Coal mining explorations were undertaken by Blaxland in 1841. He dug several six metre pits which gained the interest of the Australian Mining Company. The two parties reached agreement and, subsequently, undertook several unsuccessful explorations. In 1878, the City of Sydney Coal Company acquired the right to bore for coal at the site. The company drilled to 457 metres with no success. In 1855 the Australian Timber Company formed to exploit the timber stands in the Newington and surrounding areas.
In the late 1870s and 1880s, Sydney's suburbs were expanding rapidly and it was hoped that the creation of a residential settlement between the large centres of Sydney and Parramatta would be a profitable exercise. This did not prove to be the case.
In 1878, John Wetherill registered a subdivision plan for the entire 520 hectare Newington Estate. This proposal comprised an extensive grid layout, of some 114 lots, which extended well into the mud flats and mangroves of Wentworth Bay and Homebush Bay. In 1906 and 1909, Wetherill further subdivided his property as Riverside Heights, with the first allotments sold in that year. It was hoped that the location of the subdivision in close proximity to the developing State Abattoir and Brickworks would attract people to the area in association with the employment opportunities offered by these establishments. This venture was largely unsuccessful, with only a few lots being sold. However the layout of the western part of the Newington subdivision remains obvious in the current street pattern and street names.
[edit] Newington College
Support for the concept of Newington College was fostered by the Rev John Manton, who successfully put a motion before the Methodist Conference of 1862. Manton was later appointed Principal-elect of Newington and is rightly regarded as the founder of the College. At the Conference it was decided that the institution should be "decidedly Wesleyan in character" and at the very start it was expected to "be open to the sons of parents of all religious denominations".
There being no suitable buildings in Sydney, Newington House was leased and on Thursday 16 July 1863, 16 "miserable boys" – as one of their number later described them – became the foundation students.
The College prospered and during its time at Silverwater made a significant impact on the education, as well as on the sports field. It was one of the first two schools to play Rugby union in Australia, the first school in Australia to hold an athletics carnival, it was virtually undefeated at rifle shooting – often in contests against mature army and marine teams – and it contributed to the membership of early Australian cricket teams. With the successes of Newington College came expanding numbers, and it soon became clear that Newington House was not to be a suitable home into the future. More extensive premises closer to the city were sought and a bequest of land, The Stanmore Estate, provided the opportunity for the College to relocate in 1880. The new College buildings at Stanmore were designed by Thomas Rowe who had previously overseen renovations to Newington House. The College Council decided that the name Newington College should continue to be used after its removal from Silverwater and this day and boarding school currently educates 1600 boys on three Sydney campuses.
[edit] Early public use
The Newington Estate was first offered to the Government for use as an Asylum for the Insane in 1874. The Government did not accept this offer, however in 1879, Government Architect James Barnett prepared a report on the suitability of the Newington estate for a Reformatory School for Boys. His report concluded that the site was suitable for a Boys Reformatory or a Benevolent Asylum for Aged Women. In September 1897 the Crown Solicitor confirmed that 5000 pounds would be paid to John Wetherill to acquire about 19 hectares of land, which included Newington House.
A then new Aged Women's Asylum was constructed to replace the existing asylum which was housed within the Immigrant Depot at the Hyde Park Barracks. The first buildings were established in 1886 on this new site to house 300 patients. At this time, the hospital was categorised as a state asylum for dependent adults' with infirmity or illness of 'incurable character'. Various additional buildings and structures were added to the Newington Hospital over the years. In 1960 it was proposed that the hospital should be closed and the site sold to industry. The significance of the site, however, stimulated significant public opposition to the plans. In 1968, after a series of drawn out negotiations, the Government of the day decided to close the hospital and transfer the property to the then NSW Department of Prisons. Some of the buildings are preserved in the grounds of the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre where they are still in use.
[edit] Commercial Areas
Newington Marketplace is an outdoor shopping centre featuring a Woolworths supermarket and specialty shops, cafes and restaurants. Newington also features a number of commercial buildings providing office and warehouse space.
 A dusk view of Olympic Village (now known as Newington) |
 Present Day Suburb of Newington (former Athlete's Village) |
[edit] References
- Sydney Olympic Park Authority - Five Layers of History
- Rev Dr Peter Swain, Across the Years 1863–1998, Newington College, 1998
- The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8
[edit] External links
- Newington, New South Wales is at coordinates Coordinates:
- Newington College website
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