Ashbury is a
suburb in the
Inner West
The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River ...
of
Sydney, in the state of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia. It lies in the local government area of
City of Canterbury-Bankstown with some areas in the
Inner West Council
Inner West Council is a local government area located in the inner western region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council makes up the eastern part of this wider region, and was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merge ...
and is about 10 kilometres south-west of the
Sydney central business district. The
postcode is 2193, the same as neighbouring Canterbury and Hurlstone Park.
Ashbury is mostly residential and has no commercial centre, although there are a few shops on King Street. Its major landmark is Peace Park, the highest point in the Canterbury local government area. Ashbury derived its name from the two neighbouring suburbs
Ashfield and
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
. It is near
Canterbury Park Racecourse.
History
Before the British colony at Sydney, the Ashbury area was home to the
Wangal
The Wangal people ( Wanegal or Won-gal,) are a clan of the Dharug ( ?) Aboriginal people whose heirs are custodians of the lands and waters of what is now the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, centred around the Municipality of Strathfie ...
and
Cadigal
The Cadigal, also spelled as Gadigal and Caddiegal, are a group of Indigenous people whose traditional lands are located in Gadi, on Eora country, the location of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The Gadigal originally inhabited the area t ...
people, clans of the
Darug
The Dharug or Darug people, formerly known as the Broken Bay tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people, who share strong ties of kinship and, in pre-colonial times, lived as skilled hunters in family groups or clans, scattered throughout much ...
tribe. After pressure from colonists, the British administration began subdividing land in the area surrounding the Sydney settlement and granting it to colonists. The first land grant in the area was made to Reverend
Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to:
Academics
* Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic
* Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering
* Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...
(1753-1827), the colony's first chaplain.
The land that extended over Ashbury was known as Canterbury Vale. When it was sold to Lieutenant
William Cox in 1800, it covered . It was then sold to
Robert Campbell (1769–1846)
Robert Campbell (1769–1846) was a merchant and politician in Sydney. He was a member of the first New South Wales Legislative Council. Campbell, a suburb of Canberra was named in his honour.
Life and career
Campbell was born in Greeno ...
in 1803 when it covered and then proceeded to purchase more land to Liverpool Road. The estate passed onto his son-in-law Arthur Jefferey and was eventually split up. This area then became known as Goodlet's Bush, after an early settler,
John Hay Goodlet. In 1878 Goodlet had bought Canterbury House, which had been built by Arthur Jeffreys.
The South Ashfield Brickworks (later called the Ashbury Brickyard) opened in 1910 from the site of what is now Peace Park. Widescale housing development of the area began in 1919. A primary school began taking students in 1924 and in 1926 changed its name from South Ashfield to Ashbury Public School, leading to the area adopting its own identity. A non-official post office was established on King St in the same year. "Ashbury" combines the names of the two nearby towns of ''Ash''field and Canter''bury'', although Ashbury itself is also the name of several villages in the British Isles.
Early Subdivision Plans
File:Canterbury South Ashfield, 1929, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Canterbury South Ashfield, 1929, Richardson and Wrench, Alison St, Leith St, Leopold St, Forbes St, Goodlet St, lithograph F Cunningham and Co.
File:Goodlet Estate Ashfield , 1921, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Goodlet Estate Ashfield, 1921, Richardson and Wrench, Goodlet St, New St,
File:Ashfield The Hill Top Estate , 1924, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Ashfield The Hill Top Estate, 1924, Richardson and Wrench, Holden St, Trevenar Rd, lithograph F Cunningham and Co.
File:Ashfield Heights Estate Canterbury, 1920, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Ashfield Heights Estate Canterbury, 1920, Richardson and Wrench, New St, Trevenar Rd, Milton St, Goodlet St, lithograph F Cunningham and Co.
File:Ashfield South Hillcot Estate, 1912, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Ashfield South Hillcot Estate, 1912, Richardson and Wrench, Hanks St, Wattles St, Mount St, Hardy St, Old Canterbury Rd, lithograph William Brooks and Co.
File:Ashfield Cherrie Hynton Estate, 1919, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Ashfield Cherrie Hynton Estate, 1919, Richardson and Wrench, Holden St, Clissold St, lithograph William Brooks and Co.
File:Goodlet Estate Canterbury Ashfield South , 1920, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Goodlet Estate Canterbury Ashfield South, 1920, Richardson and Wrench, Alison St, Leith St, Goodlet St, Leopold St, Croydon St.
File:Canterbury Park Race Course, c.1920.jpg, Canterbury Park Race Course, c.1920, Princes St, First St, Second St, King St, Holden St.
File:Malvern Hill Mooney's Subdivison Croydon Ashfield, 1913, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Malvern Hill Mooney's Subdivision Croydon Ashfield, 1913, Richardson and Wrench, Liverpool Rd, Holborrow St, lithograph William Brooks and Co.
File:Ashfield Villa Sites, c.1890, W Pritchard.jpg, Ashfield Villa Sites, c.1890, W Pritchard, Arthur St, Croydon St, Liverpool Rd, Milton Rd.
File:Wattle Hill Estate Ashbury, 1915, Location Map, Richardson and Wrench.jpg, Wattle Hill Estate Ashbury, 1915, Location Map, Richardson and Wrench.
File:Suttonville, Ashbury, c.1900, W Pritchard.jpg, Suttonville, Ashbury, c.1900, W Pritchard, Liverpool Rd, Croydon Rd, Prospect St, Milton Rd.
Transport
![StMatthews AnglicanChurch Ashbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/StMatthews_AnglicanChurch_Ashbury.jpg)
Ashbury has no railway station but it is relatively close to both
Ashfield station on the
Inner West & Leppington Line
The Inner West & Leppington Line (numbered T2, coloured light blue) is a commuter rail service currently operated by Sydney Trains, serving the inner west and south-western regions of Sydney, Australia. Consisting of 37 stops, the service comm ...
and
Canterbury station on the
Bankstown Line
The Bankstown Line (numbered T3, coloured orange) is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It serves Canterbury-Bankstown and parts of the Inner West and Western Sydney. The Bankstown railway ...
.
Transit Systems
Transit Systems Group is an Australian-based public transport company, which also operates overseas through its subsidiary Tower Transit Group. Transit Systems Group is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group, formerly SeaLink Travel Group.
History
...
buses serve Ashbury. The 491
Five Dock
Five Dock is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Five Dock is located 10 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay.
Location
F ...
to
Hurstville
Hurstville is a suburb in Southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south of the Sydney CBD and is part of the St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Georges Riv ...
bus links Ashbury to both Ashfield and Canterbury stations from King Street. The 413 bus links Ashbury to both
Railway Square
Railway Square is a plaza at the southern end of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia, formed by the confluence of Broadway, Lee Street, Pitt Street and George Street. The square itself is a very busy intersection an ...
and
Campsie. Route 418 links Ashbury with Burwood, Ashfield,
Hurlstone Park
Hurlstone Park is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hurlstone Park is located nine kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is mostly in the local government area of the City of Cante ...
,
Marrickville
Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marrickville is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the largest suburb in the Inner West Council local gove ...
,
Sydenham Sydenham may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Sydenham railway station, Sydney
* Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...
,
Mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
and
Kingsford whilst the 406 connects Ashbury with Five Dock, Ashfield and Hurlstone Park via Victoria Street and Old Canterbury Road.
[Sydney Inner West/South Guide](_blank)
Transit Systems
Ashbury borders the
Cooks River and offers excellent access for
cyclist
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
s and walkers to the Cooks River Cycleway.
Schools
There are two schools in Ashbury. Ashbury Public School was built in 1928. Its catchment area includes students from southern Ashfield as well as Ashbury. St Francis Xavier's Primary School began in 1930.
File:Ashbury3.JPG, Ashbury Public School
File: Ashbury4.JPG, Ashbury Public School library dome
Housing
The area has a consistent subdivision pattern, building form and streetscape, largely because its development occurred over a relatively short period of time. A high standard of design and residential amenity was also achieved, and housing in this area has become increasingly sought after. Ashbury consists of character filled Federation and Californian bungalows which are under heritage conservation making the suburb highly sought after.
Parks
Ashbury has a multitude of parks. These Include Lees park, Peace park and Wagner Oval which is a ground for
AFL
AFL may refer to:
Sports
* American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues:
** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
.
Heritage Conservation in Australia
Recent decades have seen the greatest decline in the protection of the built environment,
with political control overseen by greed and vested interests, having become increasingly one-sided.
Although attempts have been made via periodically reviewing the Development Control Plan (DCP) for Ashbury, to maintain aesthetic character, by enforcing rulings which dictate that new work and additions be located to the rear of the dwelling, failure to dictate aesthetic compatibility, has resulted in a smorgasbord of blatantly visible aberrations.
Special character area
In 2000 the campaign to protect the suburb's period housing was formally joined by Canterbury Council's Labor Party.
Federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
,
Californian Bungalow, and
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
style dwellings were built mainly during a period that spanned four decades, from the beginning of the Twentieth Century, into the 1940s. Californian Bungalow and Art Deco style houses are referred to as Inter-War Period Housing. The homes built during this time reflected a sentiment which embraced the
Art Nouveau movement covering the period from 1890 to 1910.
Heritage Architecture
The predominant Architectural Style typifying Ashbury is "Californian Bungalow". Built in the nineteen twenties, the original allotments were occupied by single storey, single dwellings, which were designed and constructed using a variety of repeated floor plans. The architectural forms featured mostly gabled and hipped roofs, covered with unglazed red terra cotta tiles. The gables were clad in fibrous cement segmented with vertical timber strip covers. Generous verandahs and leadlight windows were also commonly featured. Timber-framed awnings with decorative timber brackets also enhanced elevations and exposed rafters, dressed-all-round, added to the character and attractiveness of the homely surrounds. External timber sills were often supported by corbelled brickwork, adding a three dimensional protrusion of the windows externally, and the opportunity for a recessed bay internally. This could be used for flower arrangements or placement of ornaments. Awning windows with high sill heights would allow for natural ventilation, weather protection, and security all at the same time. Tuckpointing on manganese or liver coloured face bricks on front elevations was featured, whilst side elevations were finished in common bricks set in lime mortar.
Leadlight windows in Malleny Street, Ashbury. A Californian Bungalow of the 1920's.jpg, 1920s leadlights
Californian Bungalow, Cheviot Street.jpg, Californian Bungalow Cheviot Street, Ashbury
Californian Bungalow Streetscape.jpg, Malleny Street; Californian Bungalow streetscape
Californian Bungalow in Cheviot Street, Ashbury, New South Wales.jpg, Californian Bungalow in Cheviot Street
Ashbury Federation with roughcast rendering.jpg, Federation house with roughcast rendering
Cheviot Street, Leadlight Window and Awning.jpg, Cheviot Street, leadlight window and awning
Ashbury, Heritage Conservation Suburb-Leadlight Window.jpg, Leadlight window
Federation and Inter-war Period architecture
Other architectural period styles include Federation and inter-war dwellings of the nineteen thirties. Some Federation Period dwellings included roughcast rendered gable faces and brick piers. Tulips were often incised in decorative timber fretwork, whilst elaborate floral leadlights were found on front and side elevations. Prior to listing the entire suburb for heritage conservation, many of the houses were modified and added to, with little or no consideration for either scale or style of the original architecture. Leadlight windows were designed in the Art Deco style, which is reflected in the many diverse geometric patterns, typical of the 1920s and 1930s. This manifested as a direct divergence from the floral designs of the preceding Federation Period from the first two decades of the 1900s. This artistic approach to home design was reflected in the many variations of detailed elements defining the Australian adaptation of the Californian Bungalow. Picture rails, ceilings, leadlight windows, chimneys and chimney pots, terra cotta tiles and finials were typical elements of this style. Inter-war Period dwellings were marked by the more austere hipped roofs, replacing gables, with leadlights being geometrical and without colour, and brickwork featuring inset textured, or herringbone designs. Some of the houses also included curved brick walls, and Art Deco ironwork of the Universal Style. The single storey, single dwelling streetscape has been largely retained in Ashbury. Where 1st floor additions have been allowed, under the Local Government's Development Control Plan, few have been designed to complement the original architecture.
Second Street Ashbury, Federation Streetscape.jpg, Second Street Ashbury, Federation streetscape
Californian Bungalow in Hay Street Ashbury.jpg, Californian Bungalow in Hay Street Ashbury
Nautical theme leadlight window.Cnr.Hay and Cheviot Streets, Ashburyjpg.jpg, Nautical theme leadlight window. Corner of Hay and Cheviot Streets, Ashbury
Rural scene leadlight, Ashbury.jpg, Rural scene leadlight, Ashbury
Cheviot Street Heritage Dwelling Addition.jpg, Cheviot Street Addition complements existing heritage dwelling
Ashbury Art Deco Universal Style.jpg, Ashbury Art Deco Universal Style
Ashbury Inter-war Period Home.jpg, Ashbury Inter-war Period Home
Trevenar Street, Streetscape.jpg, Trevenar Street, showing streetscape with complementary addition
Californian Bungalow Streetscape, Lasswade Street.jpg, Lasswade Streetscape, Ashbury
Heritage listings
* Holden Street:
Ashfield Reservoir
The Ashfield Reservoir is a Heritage register, heritage-listed reservoir located at Holden Street, Ashbury, New South Wales, Ashbury, City of Canterbury-Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the Sydney Water, Metro ...
Demographics
According to the , there were 3,329 residents in Ashbury. 65.8% of residents were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were Italy 5.8%, China 2.8% and Lebanon 2.8%. 59.4% of residents spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 9.3%, Greek 8.6% and Arabic 4.8%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
40.1%, No Religion 22.1%, Eastern Orthodox 12.5%, Anglican 8.2% and Not stated 6.9%. Christianity was the largest religious group reported (71.4% of those who answered this question).
Notable residents
The following people were either born or lived in Ashbury:
*
Selina Siggins
Selina Sarah Elizabeth Siggins (née Charters, previously Anderson; 12 May 1878 – 30 November 1964) was an Australian political activist who became the first woman to stand for the Australian House of Representatives. She ran as an independent ...
(née Anderson; 1878–1964): first woman to stand as a candidate for the
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The term of members o ...
(in 1903). She lived in Ashbury from 1928 till her death in 1964.
* Rev
Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to:
Academics
* Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic
* Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering
* Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...
(1753-1827): first chaplain of the colony in Sydney and first landowner in Ashbury, described by
Watkin Tench
Lieutenant General Watkin Tench (6 October 1758 – 7 May 1833) was a British marine officer who is best known for publishing two books describing his experiences in the First Fleet, which established the first European settlement in Australia in ...
as "the best farmer in the country".
*
Jake Lloyd-Jones
Jake Lloyd-Jones is an Australian television producer. He is best known for his documentary films on contemporary issues such as "Which Way is China" on the Chinese underground music scene, or "An Occupied Country" about Coal Seam Gas Mining in ...
: Australian television producer
Politics
Ashbury is located in the Canterbury Ward of the
City of Canterbury-Bankstown. Canterbury-Bankstown Council is dominated by
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
councillors. Canterbury Ward has one Labor, Liberal and Greens councillor, elected at the last council elections in 2017. The mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown is Labor's Khal Asfour.
Part of Ashbury is also located in the Ashfield Ward of the Inner West Council area.
For state government elections, Ashbury was in the
Electoral district of Canterbury
Canterbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, currently represented by Sophie Cotsis of the Labor Party.
Canterbury includes the suburbs of Campsie, Canterbury, Clemton Park, ...
, held by Labor's
Linda Burney
Linda Jean Burney (born 25 April 1957) is an Australian politician and is an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing Barton since the 2016 federal election. She is Minister for Indigenous Australi ...
, until 2015 when it was moved to the newly created
Electoral district of Summer Hill
Summer Hill is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Jo Haylen of the Labor Party.
Summer Hill is an urban electorate in Sydney's inner west centred on the suburb o ...
, held by Labor's
Jo Haylen
Joanna Elizabeth Haylen is an Australian politician who was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Summer Hill for the Labor Party at the 2015 New South Wales state election. She is currently the state's Minister ...
since 2015. For federal government elections, it was in the
Division of Grayndler
The Division of Grayndler is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
Grayndler covers most of Sydney's newly formed Inner West Council. The electorate includes the suburbs of Balmain, Birchgrove, Rozelle, Leichha ...
, held by Labor's
Anthony Albanese since 1996, until 2016 when it was moved to the
Division of Watson
The Division of Watson is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
Watson is an urban electorate and extends from the Hume Highway, Canterbury Road and the M5 as far west as Stacey Street and Joseph Street in Sydne ...
, held by Labor's
Tony Burke
Anthony Stephen Burke (born 4 November 1969) is an Australian politician serving as Leader of the House, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for the Arts since 2022. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP ...
since 2004. The table below details polling results from Ashbury Public School, which has remained Ashbury's sole polling location across elections and division changes, and shows a consistently strong Labor vote in both Federal and State elections.
References
{{City of Canterbury-Bankstown topics
Suburbs of Sydney
Inner West Council
City of Canterbury-Bankstown