Bytes: Sydney's Suburbs, continued: Ashford to Asquith

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Ashcroft:

Location:

35 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool.

About:

According to the 2011 census, there were 3,308 residents in Ashcroft. 57.7% of residents were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were Lebanon 6.0%, Vietnam 5.6% and Iraq 2.6%. 45.2% of residents spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Arabic 19.4%, Vietnamese 8.8% and Samoan 2.3%.

Name origin:

Developed as part of the Housing Commission's Green Valley development, it was named Ashcroft after the pioneering family in the district that gave the land for the site of this development. E J Ashcroft was a butcher at Liverpool in the 1890’s and his family was active in establishing meat wholesaling and retailing activities at the Homebush abattoir. The name was not officially gazetted until 1972, although the suburb had been named earlier.

Gallery:

E.J. Ashcroft & Sons Butchery on the corner of Macquarie Street and Scott Street Liverpool. The trading name of the butcher shop became known as ‘Quality Corner’.

E.J. (Edward James) Ashcroft

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Ashfield:

Location:

9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district.

About:

Ashfield's population is highly multicultural. In the 2011 census Ashfield had a population of 22,189 people, in an area of 3.5 square kilometres. One area where Ashfield differed markedly from the national figures was in its ethnic mix. Australian born residents are a minority with only 41% of Ashfield residents being Australian-born. Foreigner birth were from 15% born in China and 6% born in India. A fifth of the population spoke a Chinese language at home (Mandarin 14% and Cantonese 6%).

The other area where Ashfield differs is its housing. Of the 8,215 occupied private dwellings counted, 63% were flats. The high number of flats contributed to a higher than average number of people renting (46%) compared to houses owned outright (24%) or being purchased (26%).

Also:

This is where my office is located.

Name origin:

In 1793 Lieutenant John Townson was granted 100 acres of land in the area, as was the first colonist to settle in the area, Augustus Alt (1731-1815), Governor Phillip’s surveyor-general, who received a 100 acre land grant in 1794. The grant to Alt was in the area which is now the neighbouring suburb of Croydon but in 1801 Alt acquired another 250 acres which covered most of Ashfield. Robert Campbell (1789-1851) some years later managed to purchase several farms and landholdings in the area, including the 100 acres originally granted to Townson and Alt’s 250 acres, thereby building an estate of 480 acres. Campbell’s father William was laird of Ashfield in Scotland and Robert’s tombstone, when he died, bore the words “the last of the lairds of Ashfield in Argyllshire”. Campbell named the area Ashfield after his Scottish home. In 1815 Campbell sold his land to John laurie who in turn sold to Joseph Underwood (1779-1833), who came from the parish of Ashfield in Suffolk and who would have continued support for ths uburb name.

Gallery:

Western Suburbs' first leagues club at Ashfield, New South Wales

Parramatta Road, Ashfield, looking east from Orpington Street, October 1950

Hercules Street, Ashfield, Sydney, from an old postcard

Peak Freans American biscuit factory (1937) corner Frederick Street and Parramatta Road Ashfield. It is now a Bunnings outlet.

Ashfield Town Hall in 1938. The original Victorian building was extensively remodelled in the Art Deco style in the 1920s. This building was demolished in the 1970s to make way for Ashfield Mall

A.J. Brackpool's mercery and drapery shop, Liverpool Road, Ashfield, 1918

The above pic is of King’s Cinema, Ashfield, demolished in 1981 to make way for the office building Ashfield Court, corner Liverpool Road and Holden Street. One of the old style cinemas.

Corner Parramatta Road and Great North Road, Ashfield, 1930.

Where the people are sitting, bottom left, is now the exit from the BP service station

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Asquith:

Location:

26 km north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. The suburb contains a section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park on its eastern side. It may be considered part of the Hills District, the Upper North Shore, or the Northern Suburbs.

About:

According to the 2011 census the population of Asquith then was 3,474 people. 66.9% of residents were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 4.3%, China 2.9% and New Zealand 2.4%. 75.7% of residents spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 3.5%, Cantonese 2.9% and Korean 1.6%.

Name origin:

Halloran & Company, estate agents, subdivided the area to the north of Hornsby at the time of the First World War. When their request for a railway station, to enhance their land sales, was refused, they offered to pay for it. The railway authority agreed and the station was opened in 1915. It was named after the then British Prime Minister, Henry Herbert Asquith.

Gallery: