Sydney Suburbs, continued: Cheltenham, Cherrybrook, Chester Hill

Cheltenham:

Location: 

Cheltenham is located 21 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Cheltenham is considered to be part of the Northern Suburbs. 

Name origin: 

Cheltenham takes its name from a house built by William Chorley, a Sydney tailor and men’s outfitter, who acquired the land when it was released from the Field of Mars Reserve. He named the house after his birthplace of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Chorley asked the government to build a station here and to name it after his property when it opened in 1898. 

About: 

Cheltenham is a small residential suburb with a distinctive English atmosphere, with a number of 19th Century mansions on tree-lined streets. 

Cheltenham shares its postcode of 2119 with Beecroft and has sometimes been viewed as simply part of that suburb. Most residents of Cheltenham see themselves as distinct from Beecroft, although local issues are addressed together in the Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust. 

From its early days, Cheltenham was almost exclusively a residential suburb with no shopping area developed at all in its planning. Residents of Cheltenham often shop in Beecroft, Pennant Hills or Epping. The nearest shopping mall is in Carlingford.hhu9u9hu9uu9h=u9hhu9=u9huu 

Cheltenham railway station, built in 1898, was the last of the main line stations between Strathfield and Hornsby Junction to be opened. As noted above, it was built at the request of William Chorley, who owned a large parcel of land that he wished to subdivide. He suggested Cheltenham (his birthplace in England) as a suitable name for the station, and paid for the construction of a footbridge across the railway track. To maintain the value of the land, Chorley placed a covenant on the subdivision to prevent the overdevelopment of commercial operations and to stop unnecessary destruction of the surrounding bushland. Because of this, the area has retained its residential status and bushland character. 

Ahimsa (an Indian word meaning non-violence) is the name of a bush retreat located in Cobran Road. It was originally the home of the environmentalist Marie Byles, who died in the house in 1979. The site is administered by the National Trust of Australia. The house is leased privately but the bush area is open to the public within certain restrictions. 

Some pics: 

House opposite Cheltenham Station 

Cheltenham Station, 1900 

1938 advertising for an auction of subdivided land in the Chorley Estate 

Cheletnham home, 1944 

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Cherrybrook:

Location: 

Cherrybrook is located 27 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Cherrybrook is located in the Hills District of Sydney. 

Name origin: 

Joseph Harrison, who had married Mary Ann Thompson, settled on a block in the area in 1839, planted orchards and built a small timber cottage they called "Cherrybrook Cottage". The name "Cherrybrook" is believed to have come from the fact they grew cherry trees near the creek, which passed through their land. Their 65-acre (260,000 m2) block became known as "Cherrybrook Farm". Many years later the property was bought by Eric Vaux, who established a dairy and kept the name Cherrybrook. 

About: 

Castle Hill Government Farm included what is now the suburb of Cherrybrook. Most of the first land grants in the area were given to emancipated convicts from the government farm between 1818 and 1819. 

The original European settlers were mostly Wesleyans or Methodists. In 1845, they built a Wesleyan chapel and established a burial ground on New Line Road. The chapel is now the Cherrybrook Uniting Church Hall, and is one of the few reminders of the past of Cherrybrook and West Pennant Hills. 

Timber-cutting was the first industry in the area, and after the land was cleared of trees and scrub, orchards were established in the 1850s. In 1915, all but one of the ratepayers in the Cherrybrook area were listed as orchardists. After World War I, poultry was farmed in conjunction with the orchards. In the 1940s however, the orchards were broken up and sold to migrant gardeners and returned soldiers. 

Cherrybrook despite being under the Hornsby Shire Council jurisdiction is very much considered part of The Hills due to its picturesque quality of hills, trees (Berowra Valley Bushland that surrounds the area), parks and reserves. 

Some pics: 

Cherrybrook Railway Station 

Photograph of 'Cherrybrook', West Pennant Hills, home of the Harrison family c.1900. 

Lakes Of Cherrybrook 

A peaceful sanctuary in the neighbourhood with resident ducks all year round. The lake is surrounded by a circuit path that is suited for a leisurely stroll through the bush and gum trees. There is an enclosed playground for the kids and picnic and barbeque facilities on-site. 

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Chester Hill:

Location: 

Chester Hill, a suburb of the Canterbury-Bankstown Council local government area, is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Chester Hill shares the postcode of 2162 with the neighbouring suburb of Sefton. 

Name origin: 

An early market garden and orchard area north-west of Bankstown, it developed into a residential and light industrial area after the Regents Park railway line came through in 1924. The construction site of the station was known as Boroya, an aboriginal word of unknown meaning, but when the station open on 8th October 1924, it carried the name Chester Hill. 

A local resident, Miss H. A. McMillan first suggested that the new railway station should be called Hillcrest (after an estate near Regent's Park), but many objections were raised and the name was discarded. Miss McMillan then suggested Hillchester, after a quaint town in England, but this also wasn't well received by the community (It was later learnt that McMillian created the story of an English town to gain support for the name, as no such locality with the name Hillchester exists). Suggesting yet another name, McMillian recommended Chester Hill which was received far better than her previous suggestions.