Windsor, Queensland

Windsor is an inner northern suburb of Brisbane, located about 3.5 km from the CBD. It is largely residential, featuring many old Queenslanders, although there is also considerable retail commercial activity, primarily concentrated along Lutwyche and Newmarket Roads.

History

Land was first sold in this remote part of then New South Wales in 1854 and development was slow until the opening of the Bowen Bridge in 1860, named after the newly arrived first governor of Queensland—Sir George Bowen,, allowing easier access to the district. At that time the district was known as Breakfast Creek or Upper Breakfast Creek. Distinctive homes including Rosemount, Oakwal, The Bower, Wilston House and Eildon were built on large portions of land.

In 1864, pioneer settlers approached the Government for aid to establish a local school. "The Bowen Bridge Road National School" consisted of a simple wooden building and headmaster's house erected on a stone foundation and opened on 17 July 1865 on Bowen Bridge Road, adjacent to Thondley's Farm. Sixteen students enrolled for the first day and by the end of the first year, 112 students were on the register. In 1915, the school transferred across the road and was renamed "Windsor State School". After World War I, the original school and headmaster's house was demolished and the land developed as the Windsor Memorial Park upon which a war memorial was constructed. For more information refer to publications of the Windsor and District's Historical Society.

Swan Hill, O'Connell Town, Eildon, Albion, and Lutwyche were locality names before the appearance of the Windsor name when the shire council was formed.

The Windsor Shire Council was formed in 1887. It was named after Windsor Castle in England as it was Queen Victoria's golden jubilee year. In July 1895 the Council decided to erect permanent chambers and consulted Brisbane-born architect Thomas Coutts, to design a council chambers. The first meeting of the Windsor Shire Council in the new premises was conducted on 9 March 1897. The building, constructed out of Brisbane tuff from the adjacent quarry, now home of the Windsor and Districts' Historical Society, is open every Sunday and Monday from 1 - 4 pm.

In 1904, Windsor Shire Council became the Windsor Town Council. It contained the suburbs of Lutwyche, Wilston Albion, Swan Hill, Eildon, O'Connell Town, The Grange and Wooloowin and portions of Kedron , Newmarket, Queensland, and Eagle Junction.

In 1925, Windsor Town was amalgamated with 19 other shires and towns to form Greater Brisbane and former Windsor Town mayor, William Jolly became Mayor, and in the second term—Lord Mayor of Greater Brisbane.

The 1974 floods affected the suburb. Various streets close to Breakfast Creek were affected.

Transport

Windsor railway station provides access to regular Citytrain services to Ferny Grove, Brisbane and Beenleigh.

Prior to December 1968 the suburb was served by frequent Brisbane City Council tram services along Lutwyche Road, with routes converging from Chermside, Kalinga (until 1962), Stafford, and Grange the latter tram line branching off Lutwyche Road at Maygar street, on the border of Lutwyche and Windsor. These services combined to provide the suburb with an off-peak service of a tram every 2½ minutes along Lutwyche Road in the late 1950s.

Two former tramway electrical substations remain features of Lutwyche Road, near Albion Road. One of these now houses the heritage collection of the Queensland Electrical Engineers Association.

Windsor contains a corridor gazetted by the Queensland government since the 1960s for the construction of the Northern Freeway between Bowen Hills and Carseldine. Although the freeway was not built, the official plan still exists and a freeway through Windsor may be constructed in the future [1]. Part of the original Northern Freeway is now to become the North-South Bypass Tunnel. It will emerge close to Campbell Street, Bowen Hills. Several businesses along Lutwyche Road in Windsor have been resumed as part of this process and as part of the inner-northern busway project. Several of these businesses have protested the City Council's moves.

Landmarks

In 1925, a Cenotaph was erected on the site of the old school in the memory of the men who had enlisted from the Town of Windsor and who had lost their lives in World War I. A rotunda bandstand was erected in War Memorial Park and provided shelter for the Windsor Town Band, which played there on Sundays.

The former Windsor Shire Council Chambers is bounded by Lutwyche Road, Hawkins and Palmer Streets. The building was erected in 1896–97 and housed the offices and chambers of the Windsor Shire Council and Windsor Town Council until 1925. It was constructed by William Parsons from locally quarried porphyry (Brisbane tuff), with dressed sandstone facings and trimmings. It is capped with a corrugated iron gabled roof. A sandstone slab on the front gable bears the inscription Windsor Shire Council Chambers, with the word 'Shire' overwritten by 'Town'.

Downey Park, the so-called "home of women's sport in Brisbane" is located in Windsor. Just next to the park is the Northey St City Farm, which first opened in 1994 and provides hands-on education and training in agricultural activities. The farm also features a plant nursery and markets every Sunday morning.

Notable residents

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman is a resident of the suburb.

References

• http://www.brisbanelivingheritage.com/01_cms/details.asp?ID=439

External links

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Windsor