Kingswood, New South Wales

Kingswood is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is 49 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith. There are various other locations within the state of New South Wales that are also called Kingswood, and is often confused with the nearby suburb of Kingswood Park.

Kingswood
Sydney, New South Wales
Population9,301 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density1,413.5/km2 (3,661.0/sq mi)
Established1855
Postcode(s)2747
Elevation53 m (174 ft)
Area6.58 km2 (2.5 sq mi)
Location49 km (30 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)City of Penrith
State electorate(s)Penrith, Londonderry
Federal Division(s)Lindsay
Suburbs around Kingswood:
Penrith Cambridge Park Werrington
Penrith Kingswood Claremont Meadows
South Penrith Orchard Hills Orchard Hills

History

Kingswood was named after the family of Governor Philip Gidley King, who owned land in the area which was originally heavily forested. In 1881, the area was known as Crossroads for the intersection of the Great Western Highway and The Northern Road (now Parker Street). The name was changed to Kingswood on 2 August 1887. Cross Roads West Post Office opened on 20 April 1887 and was renamed Kingswood in August 1887.[2]

The land was used for farming and subdivision began after the railway came through in 1862, although the Kingswood siding did not open until 1887.[3]

The NSW State Archives and Reading Room (formerly known as Western Sydney Records Repository), where NSW public sector bodies' records are stored, is located on O'Connell Street, Kingswood.[4]

Population

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 9,301 people in Kingswood.

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.3% of the population.
  • 64.5% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were India 5.0%, England 3.0%, New Zealand 2.1%, Philippines 2.0% and China 1.2%.
  • 69.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Punjabi 2.8%, Malayalam 1.9%, Mandarin 1.3%, Nepali 1.2% and Hindi 1.2%.
  • Their median age was 34 years, 4 years younger than the national median of 38. Children aged under 15 years made up 20.8% of the population (18.7% nationally) and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.2% of the population (15.7% nationally).
  • The most common responses for religion were Catholic 24.4%, No Religion 23.6% and Anglican 17.1%.[1]

Transport

Kingswood Railway Station is on the North Shore & Western Line of the Sydney Trains network.

Schools

Government

  • Kingswood Public School - primary school
  • Kingswood South Public School - primary school
  • Kingswood High School

Private

Tertiary education
An information panel welcoming students to the University of Western Sydney's Kingswood campus.
  • Western Sydney University's Penrith campus is divided across the suburbs of Kingswood and Werrington. The University is accessible from both Werrington and Kingswood railway stations.
  • The Nepean College of TAFE, Kingswood Campus is also located in Kingswood.[7]

Governance

At a local government level, Kingswood is part Penrith City Council, with the suburb divided into all three wards. At the state level, it is part of the Electoral district of Penrith, represented by the Liberal Party's Stuart Ayres. Federally, it is part of the Division of Lindsay, represented by Liberal Party Melissa McIntosh.

Churches
Main article: St Philip's Anglican Church Kingswood

In 1897, four blocks of Crown land were given to the residents of Kingswood for a Church and Cemetery (later not required due to the dedication of Penrith General Cemetery). The Church was completed in 1898, the contractor was Jack Melville with ironwork provided by local blacksmith James Wainwright. The western porch was added later. Opened in 1898, the Church was not consecrated until 1959. A new Sunday school hall was completed in 1958 (now demolished).[8]

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Kingswood (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  2. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  3. The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 140
  4. "NSW State Archives and Records". Government of New South Wales.
  5. St Josephs Primary School at Catholic Education
  6. St Dominics College Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. TAFE NSW - Western Sydney Institute
  8. "Penrith LEP 1991 Environmental Heritage Conservation" (PDF). City of Penrith. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2011.

Archival Holdings

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.