Ashfield is a suburb in the Inner WestAustralian Suburb Guide: Sydney Inner West Retrieved 7 August 2013. of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about eight kilometres west of the Sydney central business district.

Ashfield's population is highly multicultural with the majority of the area's dwellings being a mixture of mainly post-war low-rise flats (apartment blocks) and Federation-era detached houses. Amongst these are a number of grand Victorian buildings that offer a hint of Ashfield's rich cultural heritage.

History

Aboriginal people Before the arrival of the British, the area now known as Ashfield was inhabited by the Wangal people. Wangal country 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 people hunted native animals and fish. 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.Coupe, S&R: Speed the Plough, page 9-19. Ashfield Municipal Council, 1988

Early British settlement By 1790, a rough track had been built between the colony's two settlements at Sydney Cove and Parramatta. This route 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 Road, and Parramatta Road) and Canterbury Estate (the area south of Liverpool Road). Ashfield Park was named by Robert Campbell, whose father was the laird of Ashfield in Scotland.Pratten, C: "A short walk through Ashfield's past", page 1>

Population growth

In 1838, Elizabeth Underwood, then owner of Ashfield Park, subdivided part of her land to form the village of Ashfield between Liverpool Road and Alt Street. Part of the subdivision was the building of St John's Church in Alt Street in 1841, now the suburb's oldest surviving building. 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.Pratten, C: "A short walk through Ashfield's past", page 1-2>

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 1930s and replaced with small art deco blocks of flats or semi-detached houses. A few remain, however, and are listed in the Landmarks section.Pratten, C: "A short walk through Ashfield's past", page 2-3>

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 1970s 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.Pratten, C: "A short walk through Ashfield's past", page 4>

Industrial history

While never a noted industrial suburb, Ashfield has had a couple of significant industries. On Parramatta Road near Frederick Street was the Australian Six motor car factory which opened in 1920. The site 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 Street was the Peek Freans biscuit factory, the tower of which was (and still is) a familiar site to passing motorists on Parramatta Road. However, this factory is also no longer industrial, serving today as a large Bunnings warehouse.Pratten, C: "A short walk through Ashfield's past", page 3,21,24>

Commercial area The main shopping precinct is located along Liverpool Road south of Ashfield railway station. Along this strip, there are a few medium-sized office blocks, many street-level shops and Ashfield Mall, a shopping centre containing supermarkets, a discount department store and specialty shops. This commercial area also extends into Charlotte Street and Elizabeth Street on the northern side of the station. A second commercial precinct is located along Parramatta Road consisting mostly of automotive-related retail and light industry.

Transport Ashfield is located at the intersection of two major roads. Parramatta Road runs from Sydney city to Parramatta and ultimately continues on as the Great Western Highway through Penrith and the Blue Mountains. Liverpool Road runs from Parramatta Road at Ashfield to Liverpool and ultimately continues on as the Hume Highway. While completion of the Sydney Orbital Network has bypassed these two roads somewhat, they remain busy and well connected to all parts of Sydney. Another major road is Frederick/Milton Street which connects the City West Link Road at Haberfield with Georges River Road at Croydon Park.

Ashfield railway station is on the Main Suburban railway line of the Sydney Trains network. Ashfield was opened in 1855 as part of the original Sydney to Parramatta railway.Bozier, Rolfe, "NSWRail.Net: Ashfield Railway Station". Retrieved 3 November 2007. It was renovated in 2002. There are express and all stations services to the City Circle, Homebush, Parramatta, Leppington and Liverpool.

Ashfield is the terminus for one Transit Systems bus services: 464 (to Mortlake, via Croydon Park, Burwood, and Concord). Another nine routes pass through Ashfield: 406 (to Five Dock and Hurlstone Park), 413 (City to Campsie), 418 (to Burwood and Sydenham station, and Tempe), 461X (City to Burwood), 490 & 492 (Drummoyne to Rockdale and Hurstville), 491 (Five Dock to Hurstville) and 480 & 483 (City to Strathfield).Region 6 Network Map Transit SystemsInner West Bus Change Frequently Asked Questions

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 then Ashfield Municipal Council to identify preferred routes through Ashfield for cyclists. The Strathfield-Newtown route is the most important of these, 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.

Education

Ashfield has three primary schools: Ashfield Public (on Liverpool Road), Yeo Park Infants (on Victoria Street at the southern extremity of the suburb). It also has two high schools: Ashfield Boys High School (next to Ashfield Public on Liverpool Road) and St Vincent's College (a Catholic co-educational school in Bland Street formed as a result of a merger in 2023 of adjacent schools Bethlehem College and De La Salle College).

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 been a public school operating briefly out of the Methodist church between 1862 and 1866 but it wasn't until 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 was not until 1965 that Ashfield Boys High was formally established and separated from the primary school.Coupe, S&R: Speed the Plough, page 74-75,107–110, 211-213. Ashfield Municipal Council, 1988

Bethlehem was the first high school in the area, 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 in 1915.Coupe, S&R: Speed the Plough, page 112-114,214-215. Ashfield Municipal Council, 1988

The year after Bethlehem was established, an Anglican girls boarding school called Normanhurst School was started in Bland Street. It moved to Orpington Street in 1888 where it remained until closure in 1941. It produced notable students including Pamela Travers (author of Mary Poppins) and tennis champion Daphne Akhurst. There were a number of other private schools in the area during this period as well but none survived to the present day.Coupe, S&R: Speed the Plough, page 112-114. Ashfield Municipal Council, 1988

Health There are no public hospitals in Ashfield although there are two private facilities. The Sydney Private Hospital on the corner of Victoria Street and Robert Street first opened in 1931 as the Masonic Hospital. It did at one point have an Accident and Emergency Unit, an Intensive Care Unit, and a Maternity Unit. All of these were closed down in 2000 when the hospital changed ownership. It now focuses on elective surgery. The Wesley Private Hospital in Frederick Street is a well-established mental health facility.

Landmarks

For visitors passing through Ashfield along Parramatta Road, Liverpool Road or the railway line, the three main landmarks that stand out are the tower of the old Peek Frean Biscuit factory (now Bunnings Warehouse) on Parramatta Road, Wests Leagues Club on Liverpool Road next to the railway line and the Ashfield water reservoir in Holden Street to the south of the town centre. The water tower was built in 1912 and provides the water supply for the surrounding areas.

Houses

Ashfield Council produced a number of guides for heritage walks in the area, but these guides are not being printed anymore. Some of the important heritage buildings in Ashfield, from Ashfield Council's heritage guide, are found in the section below. The Inner West Council does not currently have any guides for the Ashfield area although they do have heritage guides for Balmain and Leichhardt.