2022 Christmas Social!
2022-12-17 14:30 - 18:00 (Australia/Sydney) | NSW
ADHS members and friends are invited to the 2022 Christmas Social!

Saturday 17th December 2022

A chance, at last, to have a social gathering!

Its also a chance to attend one of Summer Hill’s heritage homes, and to welcome the festive season. The address will be provided once you have registered for this event.

Bring along a plate for afternoon tea, from 2:30pm.

Annual General Meeting
2023-02-19 02:00 - 04:00 | Pratten Park Community, Sports and Bowling Club, 42 Arthur Street, Ashfield, NSW
Our Annual General Meeting will take place, our activities for the year reviewed and plans for 2023. Elections for the Committee.

50 Years On – What does one do?

A Presentation by Alan Croker

Frederick Clissold book will also be made available to members on the day.

Californian Bungalow: House Inspection, Summer Hill
2023-03-19 14:30 - 16:00 | NSW
An opportunity to learn more about the Californian Bungalow architectural style through a visit to this unusual home. A remarkably intact property, generously made available by its current owners.

Numbers limited to 25, Members only.

Registration essential. When Members register they will be provided with the address of the house.

A Saunter Down Smith Street, Summer Hill
2023-04-23 14:00 - 16:00 | John Paton Reserve, Smith Street, Summer Hill, N.S.W.
Summer Hill Anglican Church, a landmark of Smith Street. The starting point for this walk is opposite the church.

This event will be run in conjunction with the National Trust Heritage Festival. Mark Sabolch will delve into the history and heritage of Smith Street Summer Hill.

Walk commences at John Paton Reserve, corner of Henson and Smith Street.

This event is now fully booked.. Please see the repeat on May 7th.

Numbers limited to 25 for each date

Registration is essential

Cost

Members $5; non-members $10.

Organisers

A Saunter Down Smith Street, Summer Hill (A repeat of the previous week)
2023-05-07 14:00 - 16:00 | John Paton Reserve, Smith Street, Summer Hill, N.S.W.
A repeat of the earlier event.

Summer Hill Anglican Church, a landmark of Smith Street and Summer Hill. The walk commences opposite the church in the John Paton Reserve.

This event will be run in conjunction with the National Trust Heritage Festival. Mark Sabolch will delve into the history and heritage of Smith Street Summer Hill.

Walk commences at John Paton Reserve, corner of Henson and Smith Street.

Numbers limited to 25 for each date

Cost

50th Anniversary Celebration of A&DHS.
2023-06-24 11:30 - 14:00 | Wests Ashfield, 115 Liverpool Road, Ashfield, NSW
Our Jubilee Celebration

Members and their guests only. Invitations will be sent to members by email.

For this event, please specifiy any special dietary requirements.

Saturday

Book Launch: Ann O'Connell's 'John Jasper Stone',(1848-1921): Engineer, Architect and Baptist
2023-07-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
This project is supported by Create NSW’s Grant Program administered by the Royal Australian Historical Society on behalf of the NSW Government.

John Jasper Stone was born in Shoreditch, a poor part of London and at age seven, arrived in Australia in 1855 with his parents, settling in crowded Surry Hills. As a lad, he joined the Public Works Department in Sydney and trained as a draughtsman, later becoming a civil engineer. In 1888 Stone branched out on his own as a Consulting Engineer, Patent Attorney and Architect and over his working life was involved in many projects across New South Wales.

Ann O’Connell has researched and written a book about Stone, with information and images of his buildings, industrial works and patents that have been identified. Among these are several houses in Ashfield and also the original Baptist Church in Holden Street.

Ashfield Baptist Church, built in 1885 and opened in January 1886, survives today, hidden behind a shopfront in Holden Street Ashfield. (Photo courtesy of David Chivers, ADHS Collection)

Registration Required.

Organiser

Land Titles Talk
2023-08-20 14:00 - 16:00 | Room 4 Ashfield Civic Centre, 260 Liverpool Road, Ashfield, NSW
Talk by Carol Liston

Carol Liston will educate us on the value of Land Title records, what can be learned from them, and how to effectively search them. Venue has been secured in the Ashfield Civic CentreActivity Room #4.

Once you see how you can search these records you will be inspired! We will show you how to search and access documents from Land Titles and uncover information about title holders, sometimes back to the original land grants.

$5 for Members. $10 for Non-members.

Haberfield Walk...Regrettably, this event has been cancelled due to unforseen circumstances. We are hoping to relaunch this event in 2024.
2023-09-10 14:00 - 16:00 | NSW

State Archives/ Museums of History
2023-10-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
Christine Yeats, from the NSW State Archives at Kingswood, will walk us through some of the invaluable sources of information held by the State Archives. You can see a lot of information on-line but you can access the full and original documents through the State Archives. Knowing what is there and how to locate it makes th trip to Kingswood worthwhile.

Christine Yeats invites members to nominate areas of interest in advance. Members are asked to email their suggestions to: events@ashfieldhistory.org.au.

This event will be held at the Summer Hill Community Centre.

Launch of Our New Houses Journal
2023-11-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
The new Houses journal covers, in detail, twelve houses and their occupants, with copious illustrations. It is a follow up to our 2018 publication, Houses of the Ashfield District. The preparation of this publication was supported by an Inner West Council grant.

Members will be able to collect their copy of the new Houses journal at this event.

To launch this Journal, Society Member Dennis McManus PSM will speak on heritage in the Southern Highlands

Heritage in the Southern Highlands

This illustrated talk provides a background to a recent 2021-2023 Wingecarribee Shire Community Heritage Study. The illustrations will confirm that, like Ashfield, the heritage of the Shire is no accident. It is the result of people who had both the ideas and resources to employ competent and sometimes renowned local and Sydney based architects, builders and others to make their dream a reality. Like Ashfield, the work of local historians has been of major assistance to the Shire Council in providing the best possible advice to ensure informed heritage management.

Dennis is an Hon. Heritage Consultant and Retired Senior Officerof the NSW Heritage Council. He was awarded a Public Service Medal in 1997 for services to Heritage Conservation in NSW. Dennis wrote a 21 page article on Victoria Square, Ashfield and his home, Portland House, for the 2018 Houses of the Ashfield District.

Refreshments provided.

Registration Required.

Venue: Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill

End of our 50th Year Social Event
2023-12-03 13:00 - 17:00 | NSW
The end of the year is near. ADHS members are invited to our end of year social event, to celebrate our busy 50th year! Please come along and let us know the things that you have enjoyed this year and help us with ideas for 2024.

The event will be held at the home of our President, Alex Lofts on the 3rd of December 2023. Alex’s home is in Summer Hill and when you register for the event you will be sent the address.

Bring along a plate for BBQ and drinks from 1:00pm

Annual General Meeting of A&DHS
2024-02-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
The Annual General Meeting of the Society

Please join us for presentation of the reports,the election of the Committee for 2024 and afabulous afternoon tea.

Guest Speaker: Niall Macken

‘Hibernian heritage – Some conservation projects in Ireland’.

Niall Mackeb

Niall Macken, Team Leader – Heritage & UrbanDesign, Inner West Council

Niall Macken is an architect and heritage specialist with a Masters Degree in Conservation Studies from the University of York, UK. He has worked on significant historic sites, buildings and precincts in Australia, England and Ireland, within both the public and private sectors. He has a strong interest in best-practice conservation management, including the provision of creative and sympathetic interventions to historic places.

Niall is a registered architect with the NSW Board of Architects, and a member of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI). He is the Heritage and Urban Design team leader within Inner West Council, a member of the NSW Heritage Council’s Heritage Advisory Committee and a member of the Australian Institute of Architects heritage committee.

Event Organisers:

Who Do You Think You Might Be: The Nuts and Bolts of Genealogical Method
2024-03-24 14:00 - 16:00 | Ashfield Town Hall, 258 Liverpool Road, Ashfield, NSW
Ashfield Civic Centre, 258 Liverpool Road Ashfield

A presentation by Kerry Barlow.

Kerry Barlow has an extensive background in education, having taught economics, economic history and education for many years, at high school, TAFE and university levels. She has strong skills in research, having conducted numerous funded projects and published many reports, articles and learning guides on a wide range of social and economic issues.

Kerry’s passion also lies in family history and local history research, and she brings her teaching and research expertise to the genealogy field, where she has been teaching family history courses for the WEA for the past 7 years.

This presentation will cover:

Primary Sources

Birth Death Marriage records

civil registrationuse of Indexespurchases for verification of correct peopleeach jurisdiction collected different informationdependent on honesty and knowledge of informant

Baptism & Marriage records

record dates vary for all jurisdictionsoften provide more information than Birth, Marriage civil records (eg sponsors, witnesses, religion)

State Archives

some primary records – eg convicts, land grants, immigration

Secondary Sources

Newspapers

useful for birth, marriage, death sources (eg death notices, obituaries)useful for land purchases, court proceedings

”

Activity Rooms 3 & 4 in Ashfield Library in Ashfield Civic Centre

“Connections, Characters and Commerce "– Smith Street Summer Hill #1
2024-04-28 14:00 - 16:30 | NSW
Smith Street

A choice of two guided walk dates are available

Sunday 28 April, 2pm – 4:30pm. repeated on Sunday 19 May 2024, 2pm – 4:30pm

Please note that this event is limited to 15 people. You can register for the second of walk.

A guided walk to flesh out the characters, places and events that contributeto our heritage of Smith Street, Summer Hill. This event is part of theAustralian Heritage Festival for 2024.

The history beneath the surface of Smith Street is extraordinary. Thiswalking tour will uncover the natural features of the landscape, which by the1880s became the site for a late-Victorian building boom. How did the newsubdivisions respond to the landscape, and who were the first urban landownersand residents? Was Summer Hill the domain of the fashionable well-to-do,or the labouring class, or both? Why? The shops, the halls, the churches andthe meeting venues, the factories, the houses and the duplexes are still activeand visible today, and yet the pressure for change remains strong. The story ofSmith Street gives us a great insight into the complex nature of Summer Hilland Inner West society of today.

Meeting location at the park on the corner of Malthouse Way andSmith Street, Summer Hill.

Prior registration is essential and limited to a maximum of 15 people perevent. (A waiting list will be compiled if registrations exceed our maximumlimit).

Please bring a hat, a drink and good walking shoes

“Connections, Characters and Commerce' – Smith Street Summer Hill #2
2024-05-19 14:00 - 16:30 | NSW
We are contemplating running this event again later on in the year if we have enough people interested. If you would like to register a desire to participate in this event later in the year please email events@ashfieldhistory.org.au with the subject ‘Smith Street Walk’, your name and preferred time/date.

A guided walk to flesh out the characters, places and events that contribute to our heritage of Smith Street, Summer Hill. This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival for 2024.

The history beneath the surface of Smith Street is extraordinary. This walking tour will uncover the natural features of the landscape, which by the 1880s became the site for a late-Victorian building boom. How did the new subdivisions respond to the landscape, and who were the first urban landowners and residents? Was Summer Hill the domain of the fashionable well-to-do, or the labouring class, or both? Why? The shops, the halls, the churches and the meeting venues, the factories, the houses and the duplexes are still active and visible today, and yet the pressure for change remains strong. The story of Smith Street gives us a great insight into the complex nature of Summer Hill and Inner West society of today.

Meeting location at the park on the corner of Malthouse Way and Smith Street, Summer Hill.

Prior registration is essential and limited to a maximum of 15 people per event. (A waiting list will be compiled if registrations exceed our maximum limit).

Please bring a hat, a drink and good walking shoes.

Smith Street Summer Hill

"Connections, Characters and Commerce"– Smith Street Summer Hill #3
2024-06-02 01:30 - 03:30 | NSW
Each person registering for this event must register individually. This will help us keep limits on the number of people attending.

A guided walk to flesh out the characters, places and events that contribute to our heritage of Smith Street, Summer Hill. This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival for 2024.

The history beneath the surface of Smith Street is extraordinary. This walking tour will uncover the natural features of the landscape, which by the 1880s became the site for a late-Victorian building boom. How did the new subdivisions respond to the landscape, and who were the first urban landowners and residents? Was Summer Hill the domain of the fashionable well-to-do, or the labouring class, or both? Why? The shops, the halls, the churches and the meeting venues, the factories, the houses and the duplexes are still active and visible today, and yet the pressure for change remains strong. The story of Smith Street gives us a great insight into the complex nature of Summer Hill and Inner West society of today.

Meeting location at the park on the corner of Malthouse Way and Smith Street, Summer Hill.

Prior registration is essential and limited to a maximum of 15 people per event. (A waiting list will be compiled if registrations exceed our maximum limit).

Please bring a hat, a drink and good walking shoes.

Conformity and Individuality in the Californian Bungalow
2024-06-23 14:00 - 16:30 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
This presentation will look at the ubiquitous ‘Californian Bungalow’ prevalent in the Inner West with a particular focus on Ashfield and Ashbury. Colin Webb will look at some of the features of Californian Bungalows that make them unique and how they conform.

Were the Calfornian bungalows ‘unimpressive and uniformly dull?‘

Colin has taken numerous photographs of Californian bungalows in our local area to illustrate the points he will make in his presentation.

Effective Use of Trove
2024-07-21 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
Christine Yeats will share her knowledge of “Trove”, the free onlineresearch portal of the National Library of Australia. Christine is Senior Vice President of the RAHS, and has extensive experience in Historical research.

A Walk Through London Streets in Search of the Origin of our Victorian Italianate Legacy; a presentation by Mark Sabolch
2024-08-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
Registration for this event is closed.

In this pictorial presentation Mark will explore the varied examples of the Italianate architectural style as seen in London.

The Italianate style was very popular and versatile. Taking in the housing forms seen around Regents Park, Belgravia, Pimlico and Bloomsbury just after the turn of the nineteenth century and evolving as new estates extended into the Victorian growth areas in London’s south-east and north-west suburbs.

To what extent are the Victorian Italianate house styles we see in the Inner West derived from London housing? Mark will explore how the Victorian Italianate style evolved and consider possible translations from London to Sydney. This is a combined event of Ashfield and District Historical Society and Marrickville Heritage Society.

A guided tour and historical outline of the Trinity Grammar School site.
2024-09-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Trinity Grammar School, 119 Prospect Road, Summer Hill, NSW, Australia
Registrations for this event have now closed.

This visit has been unavoidably rescheduled to 28th September (Saturday), as now shown. The School Archivists offer their apologies. Those already registered will be contacted to confirm their attendance.

Alison Doran (School Archivist) has agreed to conduct a guided tour and historical outline of the Trinity Grammar School site, for History Week in September.

Trinity Grammar School occupies a site between Victoria Street and Prospect Road, with an interesting history in its own right. One of the earliest grants in this district by Acting Governor Francis Grose, it passed through several hands before attracting the eye of Sir Henry Parkes, who cancelled sales of asubdivision of a failed school in 1880 to secure a site for a Teacher Training School. Most of it has remained in the world of Education ever since !No less an interesting history is enjoyed by the School which now occupies most of that subdivision plan. It began in the Church Hall of Holy Trinity in Dulwich Hill, the far-sighted brainchild of The Reverend (later Bishop) Chambers, and despite many hurdles, survived and thrived.The Trinity Grammar School Archivist will examine both the School and its Site, conducting a group through some secret passages and mysterious stairways in doing so. Afternoon Tea is provided.Numbers must be limited, registration essential.NOTE: Unfortunately, some of the route could prove difficult for anyone with mobility issues.

Numbers will be limited for this event.

Note this is a Saturday event –

A meeting point, time and other details to be advised in due course.

Curious about Croydon and its Conservation?? Come on a Guided Walking Tour of one of its key Conservation Areas – Malvern Hill
2024-10-20 13:00 - 14:30 | Post Office Lane Croydon, 1 The Strand, Croydon, New South Wales, Australia
Joint Function – Ashfield and Burwood District Historical Societies

The guided walk will be led by John Johnson, Vice President of Burwood and District Historical Society. John has written a book about the history of the Malvern Hill estate which is shortly to be published.

Croydon falls into 2 local government areas – Inner West (incorporating the former Ashfield Municipality) and Burwood Local Government areas. Although administration is separate, the suburb is seen as one place for its identity, functions and history. For instance, the Gads Hill Conservation Area (Inner West) adjoins Malvern Hill, the subject of this walk. Malvern Hill was a later subdivision which was planned in accordance with the Local Government Act introduced in 1906. Principally a residential area, it was seen as a desirable place to live and features Federation and Californian Bungalow architectural styles.

The ADHS publication, Journal 18 -Croydon in Focus, can provide you with more insights into the suburb of Croydon.

Meeting Place: The small park/playground behind the Old Croydon Post Office (now the Adora Chocolate shop), The Strand Croydon.

Bring – any snacks and water you think you will need (there is no refreshment facility apart from the shops on The Strand).

Croydon Post Office

Registration via the website. Early registration is recommended as walks are limited in numbers.

A Guided Visit to History House -133 Macquarie Street Sydney
2024-11-14 10:30 - 12:00 | 133 Macquarie Street Sydney, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia
‘History House’ aka Wickham House is the home of the Royal Australian Historical Society (RAHS) and houses its wonderful research resources in its library. The building has recently been refurbished and it is a privilege to be hosted by the RAHS at this venue. Wickham House was designed by George Allen Mansfield and built in the Victorian Filigree style from 1853 – 1872 for George Oakes. The building was placed on the NSW State Heritage Register in 1999.Not only will we be visiting a beautiful building and hearing its history, we will be given a guided tour through the library resources held there. Morning tea will also be served.The visit has been arranged for ADHS members and will be limited in numbers. Please register early as numbers are needed for catering purposes.Registrations by 12 th November please

Please register for this event before 12th November

Californian Bungalow House Inspection
2024-11-17 14:00 - 16:00 | NSW
Registration for this event has now closed.

As an apt sequel to Colin’s talk on the California Bungalow in June, we have been generously given access to view a very original and sympathetically maintained Inter-War Bungalow in Summer Hill. A review by a Heritage Study described it as a “very intact and substantial residence of unusually fine bungalow character”. The owner has thoroughly researched the history of the property, and will take one or two small groups through to inspect this outstanding example of the period. Refreshment will be provided.

The owner requests that shoes will not be worn inside the premises.

Numbers must be limited, Society members only.

The location will be advised to registrants a few days before the event.

Christmas Party
2024-12-08 13:00 - 17:00 | President Alex Loft’s Home
Members only

This is a Members only function. Members will be notified of the address when they register. Bring something to BBQ and to drink. You might like to bring a salad or sweet/dessert for the group to share. Let us know what you might like to bring by emailing events@ashfieldhistory.org.au so we can co-ordinate things.

Annual General Meeting and launch of the Society's latest Journal: Summer Hill Village
2025-02-09 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
The Society’s AGM will be held on 9 February at the Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill. The 2025 officer bearers and Committee will be elected. To vote or be a member of the committee you must be a 2025 financial member.

Guest Speaker: Brian Scales

Local History in the Inner West Council Collections (with a Few Detours)

Brian is a Community History Officer with Inner West Council Library and History Services, based at Ashfield Library.

He previously worked as the Manager, Public Engagement at the Archives NSW Office. The NSW Office Public Engagement team is responsible for providing access to and promoting the use of records in the National Archives’ at its NSW repository located in the Sydney suburb of Chester Hill.

A Tour of St David's Church Complex Dobroyd (Now known as Haberfield)
2025-03-16 14:00 - 16:00 | St Davids Church Haberfield, 51-53 Dalhousie Street, Haberfield, New South Wales
Meet at 1:45pm. Tour will be led by Vince Crow.

St David’s Uniting Church is a heritage-listed Uniting church at 51- 53 Dalhousie Street, Haberfield. The property is owned by the Uniting Church in Australia and deserves its listing on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 19 August 2003.

Vincent Crow has lived in Haberfield for most of his life. In 1974 he began the campaign to create a Haberfield Conservation Area by writing to the National Trust to gain recognition of its heritage significance. From then the campaign was conducted through the Ashfield and District Historical Society.

Ashfield District Historical Society Journal No.11 has an interesting article on the Ramsay Family Vault which is located in the grounds of St David’s. We will have some copies for sale on the day for $10.

Gems from the State Library’s extensive & wide-ranging Photographic Collection.
2025-04-16 10:30 - 12:00 | State Library of New South Wales, 1 Shakespear Place, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000
Geoffrey Barker will reveal some of the gems of the New South Wales State Library’s photographic collection.

This is a Members only event and numbers are limited.

Note: tthe meeting place for the above Visit is in the foyer of Mitchell Library (not the new part) off Shakespeare Place at 10.20 am.

The Squatters’ Grab; tracing the failure of colonial administrators and various governments to discharge their obligations to Indigenous Australians
2025-05-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
A talk by Wal Walker on his book “The Squatters’ Grab” which traces the failure of various governments and colonial administrators to discharge their obligations to Indigenous Australians; failure that gave rise to the ascendancy of the squatters and dispossession of the Aboriginal people, and attempts to unravel how and why it all went so wrong!

Wal Walker is the great-great grandson of W.C. Wentworth, father of the Australian Constitution.

Inviolable but Invisible – Women at Ashfield, Summer Hill and Croydon Stations
2025-06-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill, NSW
The talk will examine the context of the station buildings with the rising influence of women’s needs. Stuart Sharp has a life-long interest in railways. He started looking at platform buildings closely from 1982 when he commenced a M. Ec. (Hons) degree at Sydney Uni. He graduated with a PhD in 1999 from the same university with a management study of the NSW Railways. Between 1992 and 2007, he was the (and later a) Heritage Officer with the State Rail Authority specialising in buildings. Since retirement in 2007, he has continued writing and speaking about station buildings.
