Kensington, New South Wales

Last updated

Kensington
Sydney,  New South Wales
(1)California Bungalow Sydney-1.jpg
A California bungalow in Kensington
Kensington, New South Wales
Population15,004 (2016 census) [1]
Postcode(s) 2033
Elevation30 m (98 ft)
Location4 km (2 mi) south-east of Sydney CBD
LGA(s) City of Randwick
State electorate(s) Heffron
Federal division(s) Kingsford Smith
Suburbs around Kensington:
Waterloo Moore Park Centennial Park
Zetland Kensington Randwick
Rosebery Eastlakes Kingsford

Kensington is a suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located four kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area (LGA) of the City of Randwick.

Contents

Kensington lies to the immediate south of Moore Park and west of Randwick Racecourse. The principal landmarks of the suburb are the main campus of the University of New South Wales, National Institute of Dramatic Art and the Australian Golf Club. Kensington is also a residential suburb close to the Sydney central business district.

History

Indigenous inhabitants

Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Cadigal people, one of the salt-water clans of the Darug language group. The Cadigal people were known for their fishing skills and often travelled in canoes. The 1828 census showed some 50–60 clans of Cadigal people living by the Lachlan swamps of Kensington and surrounding areas. Swamps provided fruit, nectar, roots and tubers. Very few Aboriginals live in Kensington today. [2]

European settlement

The suburb now known as Kensington was once called the "Lachlan Mills Estate", "Stannumville" and then "Epsom". It became Kensington in the late 1880s, starting life as an industrial suburb. Samuel Terry, the convict who became Australia's first millionaire, received a land grant in 1819. Daniel Cooper (1785–1853), also an ex-convict acquired land here in 1825 with his partner Solomon Levey, whom he later bought out. Cooper's nephew Daniel (1821–1902) planned to subdivide but in 1865 all developments was forbidden. Residential land was issued in the late 1880s and Kensington was to be the equivalent of London's distinguished suburb, Kensington.

Kensington Racecourse opened in 1893 on the site of the current University of New South Wales. It did not compete with nearby Randwick Racecourse because it held midweek meetings, pony racing and related sports like polo. The course was also used to house troops and horses during the Boer War, World War I and World War II. [3] Many of the first Anzacs trained at Kensington Racecourse in 1914 before leaving for Egypt and Gallipoli. [4] It was a migrant hostel during the late 1940s. The land was resumed in 1950 to construct Sydney's second university. [5]

Sacred Heart Monastery A Sacred Heart Monastery.JPG
Sacred Heart Monastery
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Convent 1 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.JPG
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Convent
NIDA, Anzac Parade Nida sunset.jpg
NIDA, Anzac Parade

The WD & HO Wills tobacco factory opened in Todman Avenue in 1902. [6] The factory site also featured the Raleigh Park Social Club, an extensive sporting complex named after Sir Walter Raleigh who first introduced tobacco from North America to Europe. The factory closed in 1989 and was slowly converted into a residential neighbourhood by the Mirvac Group and Westfield in a joint venture known as Raleigh Park. [7] The building used by the company is a two-storey brick building in the Georgian Revival style. It was designed by Joseland and Gilling and built c.1930. It was used by the Menzies Group of Companies as of 2013. It is heritage-listed. [8]

Kensington's streets are named after local people, places in London and local flora. Some examples are:

Sacred Heart Monastery

The hill that dominates West Kensington is occupied by the Sacred Heart Monastery, the Australian headquarters of the Catholic Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. [10] The monastery was designed by Sheerin & Hennessy and built in 1895. It is a large stone building in the Gothic style and features an attic storey and a prominent central tower. It also includes a brick chapel in a Romanesque-Byzantine style which was designed by Mullane and built in 1939, and which is joined to the monastery by a matching brick cloister. The monastery is a prominent landmark which can be seen from various parts of Kensington and is now listed on the Register of the National Estate. [11] In the mid-twentieth century, the monastery was the home of the anti-Communist organiser Dr P.J. ('Paddy') Ryan, the popular Catholic controversialist Dr Leslie Rumble, [12] the former athlete Jim Carlton, the retired missionary Francis Xavier Gsell and the editor Fr Paul Stenhouse. The monastery published the long-running magazine Annals Australasia .

Adjacent to the monastery is the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Convent, a brick building in Federation Gothic style, which was built in 1897. It was the original site for primary and secondary colleges that were established soon after the construction of the convent, but these soon outgrew the premises. It is now the base for OLSH Provincial House and St Joseph's Aged Care Facility, while Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College is situated next door. Across the road is Our Lady of the Rosary Church (built 1906), Jubilee Hall and the Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School, which complete a large religious complex. The convent and church are heritage-listed. [13]

Tram history

The line from Surry Hills to West Kensington commenced as a steam powered system in 1881. At this point the line travelled along Crown Street as far as Cleveland Street. The line was then extended to Phillip Street in 1909, Todman Avenue in 1912, and then to its final terminus down Todman Avenue, West Kensington in 1937.

The line commencing from the city branched off from the tramlines in Oxford Street and ran down Crown Street to Cleveland Street in Surry Hills, then south along Baptist Street to Phillip Street, where it swung left into Crescent Street before running south along Dowling Street, tuning left into Todman Avenue where it terminated. [14] Services operated full-time from Circular Quay, and to Railway Square in peak hours. The line down Crown Street closed in 1957, the remainder stayed open until 1961 [15] to allow access to Dowling St Depot, (the current site of the Supa Centa Moore Park – Shopping Centre). [16]

As well as servicing West Kensington, tram services also operated on Anzac Parade, servicing the Maroubra and La Perouse line. [17] [18]

Tay Park (bounded by Tay Street, Anzac Parade and Alison Road) is the site of the old Toll Bar where local maintenance revenue was collected from 1854 to 1894. The toll was 1 shilling for a four-wheeled wagon drawn by 2 horses. [19]

Commercial area

Doncaster Hotel (1)Doncaster Hotel Kensington.jpg
Doncaster Hotel
Federation house in Kensington (1)Kensington house 004.jpg
Federation house in Kensington

Kensington is heavily influenced by the University of New South Wales and the racing industry. It has a handful of cafes, restaurants and shops. Kensington has a shopping strip that extends most of the length of Anzac Parade and further south into Kingsford. Peters of Kensington is a well known retail store on Anzac Parade. Kensington is next to Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park.

Transport

Anzac Parade is the main road through Kensington. Numerous buses frequently service Kensington, linking it with the city and surrounding suburbs. A proposed extension of the Eastern Suburbs railway line to Kingsford was abandoned in 1976.

In April 2020, the CBD and South East Light Rail from Circular Quay opened. [20]

Geography

Topography

Barker Street: The terrain of Kensington is naturally rugged and hilly, but has been levelled over time. Barker Street Kensington 002.jpg
Barker Street: The terrain of Kensington is naturally rugged and hilly, but has been levelled over time.

Kensington is located in the geographic zone known as the Botany Lowlands. The sands beneath Kensington act as a large water reservoir. Originally, Kensington was quite rugged, consisting of hills, deep gullies and 768 acres (3.1 km²) of swamps, crossed by the Lachlan Stream. [ citation needed ] Evidence of the swamps can be seen in the south-west corner of the Royal Randwick Racecourse and the ponds of Centennial Park. After long periods of heavy rain some parts of Kensington are prone to flooding. Today Kensington has been levelled with hills cut down and voids filled with the excess soil from the hills. [ citation needed ]

Parks, flora and fauna

Ibis in Kensington Park (1)Ibis Kensington Park-2.jpg
Ibis in Kensington Park

In the three square kilometres that cover Kensington, there are six parks. [21] Banksia, Bottlebrush, Waratah, Wattles and Eucalypt are some of the approximately four hundred native plants found in Kensington. Randwick City Council has recorded approximately two hundred and fifty species of indigenous native vertebrates. Two hundred and six species of native birds have been identified since 1788. [ citation needed ] The largest park, Kensington Park, covers approximately 2.8 hectares and attracts a wide variety of birdlife, including galahs, crows, ibises and magpies.

Parks:

Water supply

Kensington has two natural water sources: the Lachlan Stream and an underground reservoir. [22] Due to water restrictions and council initiatives, more residences are using bore water on their gardens. Others are installing tanks and using 'grey' water.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
200110,680    
200610,849+1.6%
201112,776+17.8%
201615,004+17.4%

In the 2016 Census, there were 15,004 people in Kensington. 41.6% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were China 13.8%, Hong Kong 2.9%, Indonesia 2.9%, Malaysia 2.6% and England 2.5%. 47.3% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 14.6%, Cantonese 5.5%, Greek 3.0%, Indonesian 2.5% and Spanish 1.9%. The most common responses for religion in Kensington were No Religion 36.9% and Catholic 20.4%. [1]

Of occupied private dwellings in Kensington, 72.9% were flats or apartments, 19.2% were separate houses and 6.5% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc. [1]

Politics

In local government, Kensington is in the West Ward of Randwick City Council. It is in the electorates of Coogee and Heffron for the State parliament; and the Kingsford-Smith electorate represented by Matt Thistlethwaite (Labor) for the Federal parliament.

Schools and churches

Our Lady of the Rosary Church (1)Our Lady of the Rosary Church Kensington.jpg
Our Lady of the Rosary Church
Kensington Public School, Doncaster Avenue KensingtonPublicSchool1.JPG
Kensington Public School, Doncaster Avenue

Heritage listings

Kensington has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Other heritage-listed buildings include:[ citation needed ]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randwick, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Randwick is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwick. The postcode is 2031.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)</span> Region in New South Wales, Australia

The Eastern Suburbs is the eastern metropolitan region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsford, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Kingsford is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kingsford is located 7 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick. Kingsford is part of the Eastern Suburbs region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moore Park, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Moore Park is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the CBD, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of local government area of the City of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Randwick</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The City of Randwick is a local government area in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia located south-east of the CBD. Established in 1859, Randwick is the second-oldest local government area in New South Wales, after the City of Sydney. It comprises an area of 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi) and as at the 2016 census had a population of 140,660.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosebery, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Rosebery is an inner southern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 6 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Bayside Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroubra, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Maroubra is a beachside suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 10 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Randwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malabar, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Malabar is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 12 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daceyville</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Daceyville is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Daceyville is 7 km south of the Sydney central business district and is now part of Bayside Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anzac Parade, Sydney</span> Road in Sydney, Australia

Anzac Parade is a major road in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia which travels south-east from the CBD, named in memory of members of the First Australian Imperial Force who marched down the street from their barracks to Sydney Harbour, where they were transported to Europe during World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malabar Headland</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Malabar Headland is a heritage-listed former public recreation area and military installation site and now nature conservation and public recreation headland area located at Franklin Street, Malabar in the City of Randwick local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is also known as Long Bay Rifle Range, Anzac Rifle Range and Boora Point. The property is owned by the New South Wales Government. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 July 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial Parklands</span> Trio of parks in Sydney, Australia

Centennial Parklands is the name given to a group of three urban parklands located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Comprising approximately 360 hectares, the lands encompass Centennial Park, Moore Park and Queens Park. The Parklands are listed on the New South Wales Heritage Register, with various components of national, state or local heritage significance. The parks are contained within the local government areas of City of Randwick, Waverley Municipal Council, and City of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Sydney</span> School in Australia

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for girls, conducted in the traditions of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, located in the eastern Sydney suburb of Kensington, New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, Randwick</span> Church in New South Wales, Australia

The National Shrine and Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic church in Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is heritage-listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Jude's Church, Randwick</span> Church in New South Wales, Australia

The St Jude's Church is an active Anglican church in Randwick, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of a significant heritage group that includes the church, cemetery, rectory and original Randwick Borough Chambers, later converted to church use. The group is located on Avoca Street, Randwick, and has a federal heritage listing. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBD and South East Light Rail</span> Light rail line in Sydney, Australia

The CBD and South East Light Rail is a pair of light rail lines running between Sydney's central business district (CBD) and the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It consists of the L2 Randwick Line which runs between Circular Quay and Randwick, as well as the L3 Kingsford Line which runs between Circular Quay and Kingsford. Construction commenced in October 2015, with the L2 Randwick Line commencing services on the 14 December 2019 and the L3 Kingsford Line on the 3 April 2020. It is part of Sydney's light rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ventnor, Randwick</span> House in New South Wales, Australia

Ventnor is an historic home in the suburb of Randwick, a suburb of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It was built as the home of George Kiss, one of the earliest politicians in Sydney. It is listed on the local heritage register and is listed on the Register of the National Estate.

<i>Sandgate, Randwick</i> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Sandgate is a heritage-listed former residence, repatriation hospital and heritage centre at 128 Belmore Road, Randwick, City of Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. It was built during 1879 by Simeon Pearce. It is also known as Kilkerran and Felton. The property is owned by Randwick City Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corana and Hygeia</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Corana and Hygeia are a heritage-listed pair of semi-detached residences at 211-215 Avoca Street in the Sydney suburb of Randwick in the City of Randwick local government area of New South Wales, Australia. They were built from 1893 to 1894. They are also known as Corana & Hygeia Victorian Terraces,Corona, Randwick Lodge and has recently re-branded to The Lurline. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooper Cottage</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Hooper Cottage is a heritage-listed residence at 17 Gilderthorpe Avenue in the Sydney suburb of Randwick in the City of Randwick local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1847 to 1848. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Kensington (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 July 2017. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. Turbet. P. (2001). The Aboriginies of the Sydney District before 1788. Roseville, N.S.W: Kangaroo Press.
  3. "Campus Development Exhibition | Records & Archives - UNSW Sydney".
  4. Bradley, Alice (2015). "100 years on: WWI army camps". realestate.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  5. Waugh, J. W. (1997). Kensington Racecourse – 1890 – 1942. Randwick, N.S.W: Randwick and District Historical Society Inc.
  6. Randwick City Council. Industry & Innovation in Randwick Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed 5 February 2008.
  7. Lang, J. Urban Design: A Typology of Procedures and Products.Accessed 5 February 2008.
  8. State Heritage Register
  9. "Origins of Street and Place names in Randwick". Anonymous.
  10. Caruana, Anthony (1997). Monastery on the Hill: A History of the Sacred Heart Monastery, Kensington, 1897-1997. Kensington NSW: Nelen Yubu Missiological Unit. ISBN   0958786925.
  11. "Sacred Heart Monastry [sic] & Chapel excluding 1921 & c1960 additions". Australian Heritage Database. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  12. E. Campion, Leslie Audoen Rumble (1892-1975), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 16 (2002).
  13. State Heritage Register
  14. Gregory's Street directory, circa 1945, map 11, ref K6
  15. http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/video/19048 Last tram on Anzac Parade 1961 (video)
  16. Gregory's Street directory, circa 1945, map 11, ref J/3
  17. "Bring back trams: mayor makes a pitch for Anzac Parade". Sydney Morning Herald . 22 September 2009.
  18. "Sydney 1958".
  19. Keenan, D. (1982). The South-Eastern lines of the Sydney tramway system. Sans Souci, N.S.W: Transit Press.
  20. "Sydney's Light Rail Future". Transport for NSW. 13 December 2012. pp. 15, 24. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  21. Randwick Council Website
  22. Waugh, J. W. (1997). Kensington – Land use, Development, Ownership and Control on the Lachlan Stream 1810–1890. Randwick, N.S.W: Randwick and District Historical Society Inc.
  23. "OLSH Welcome". Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  24. "Carthona". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Department of Planning & Environment. H00555. Retrieved 18 May 2018. CC BY icon.svg Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence .

33°54′27″S151°13′32″E / 33.90750°S 151.22556°E / -33.90750; 151.22556

Sources

  • Destitute Children's Asylum Cemetery. South Eastern Sydney Health Service, 1996, p. 2.
  • Fitzgibbon, W. (2003, June, 3). Doncaster Plaza Development Approved. Southern Courier, p. 6.
  • Lawrence, J. (2001). Pictorial History, Randwick. Alexandria, N.S.W: Kingsclear Books.
  • McMahon, J. F. (1986). Kensington – A Model Suburb. Randwick, N.S.W: Randwick and District Historical Society.
  • Quick, D. (1985). Randwick- A social History. Kensington, N.S.W: New South Wales University Press.
  • Randwick Historical Society. (1986). A Randwick Ramble Part 2 – Randwick and Kensington. Randwick, N.S.W: Randwick Historical Society.