Windsor is a historic town in north-western Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It is the council seat of the Hawkesbury local government area. The town sits on the Hawkesbury River, enveloped by farmland and Australian bush. Many of the oldest surviving European buildings in Australia are located at Windsor. It is north-west of the Sydney CBD, on the fringes of urban sprawl.

Demographics

thumb|The Sanctum at Sunny Brae

thumb|St Matthew's church

At the , Windsor had a reported population of 1,915 people, with a median age of 41. The most common ancestries in Windsor were English (38.4%), Australian (37.7%), Irish (12.7%), Scottish (10.7%), and Australian Aboriginal (6.3%). Most people from Windsor were born in Australia (77.2%), followed by England (2.9%) and India (2.2%).

Windsor was chosen during settlement because of its agricultural potential and accessible location. In 1813 a report was given to Governor Macquarie from Earl Bathurst detailing a proposed invasion of the Hawkesbury River by France. This planned invasion that did not eventuate targeted the Windsor granary in order to cut off supply to Sydney, demonstrating the relative importance of this new settlement on a global scale. Windsor is north-west of Sydney, and easily accessible by coastal shipping from Sydney along the Hawkesbury River. It was known as the "bread basket", ensuring the survival of the starving colony. The extensive agriculture caused major silting in the Hawkesbury River; by the 1890s the Hawkesbury River had become so blocked with silt, ships could not travel up to Windsor from the coast. By then, a railway (in 1864) and road (in 1814) had been built to compensate.

On 1 January 1803, Daniel Egan was born in Windsor. He went on to become Mayor of Sydney in 1853.

thumb|George Street Windsor

thumb|An agricultural area in Windsor

thumb|Windsor Post Office

Attractions and Heritage listings

Major attractions of Windsor are The Windsor Mall (Water Wheel), Windsor Mall Sunday Market, Hawkesbury Regional Museum, Howe Park, Windsor Beach, Macquarie Park, Governor Philip Park, Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, St Matthew's Anglican Church, Windsor Bridge and Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler.

Windsor has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

  • Blacktown–Richmond railway: Windsor railway station
  • 32–34 Bridge Street: Windsor Police Station Stables
  • Claremont Crescent: Claremont Cottage
  • Court and Pitt Streets: Windsor Court House
  • 29 Fitzgerald Street: Mackenzie House
  • 41 George Street: Government Cottage Archaeological Site
  • 126 George Street: Loder House
  • 226 George Street: Simmons Hardware Store
  • 350 George Street: Reverend Turner Cottage
  • 361 George Street: McQuade Park
  • 23–27 Johnston Street: Johnston Street terraces
  • Macquarie Street: Windsor Uniting Church and Hall
  • 49 Macquarie Street: Windsor Methodist Parsonage
  • Moses Street: St Matthew's Anglican Church
  • 25, 28, 29, 31–33, 35 North Street: North Street residences
  • 37–39 North Street: Court House Hotel
  • Palmer Street: Peninsula House and Tebbutt's Observatory
  • Thompson Square: Macquarie Arms Hotel
  • Thompson Square: Thompson Square Conservation Area
  • 5 Thompson Square: 5 Thompson Square

Media

The studios of local community radio station, Hawkesbury Radio, are located in Windsor.

Pitt Town, which is north west of Windsor, was a filming location for the Channel 7 television series A Country Practice. It was the set of the fictional town of Wandin Valley. The opening credits featured the former Court House Hotel, Windsor at 37–39 North Street as the doctor's clinic. Windsor High School at Mulgrave was also used as the fictional Burrigan High School in the series

Transport

Urban sprawl of metropolitan Sydney has almost reached Windsor. The town is now regarded as an outer suburb which has retained its appeal as a small country town. Growth in the Hawkesbury area has created an increased need for public transport and roads. Most people from Windsor traveled to work by car in 2016 (68.9%). Only 9.0% of people used public transport. It is on the Richmond branch.

Located in the town centre is the Windsor Bridge which was constructed in 1874. It is the oldest existing crossing of the Hawkesbury River. There was a proposal in 2013 by the Government of New South Wales to demolish the existing bridge and replace it with a safer bridge. It was suggested by the political activist group Community Action for Windsor Bridge (CAWB) that a bypass is a better option to preserve history, ensure safety, and better manage the congestion of Windsor Road. Nevertheless, the new bridge was constructed despite the protests. On 18 May 2020 the replacement bridge was opened to traffic within Windsor, NSW.

The new bridge has a centreline height of 17.8 metres Australian Height Datum (AHD) (ie significantly higher than the typical water level – peak flood levels at Windsor bridge are 11.1 metres AHD and 17.2 metres AHD for the five year and 100 year ARI events respectively.).

In 2021 the bridge was closed due to flooding in March 2021, and further work on the new bridge was completed

Windsor is also connected to Parramatta via the Windsor Road cycleway, with much of its route via the North-West T-way.

Commercial area

The Windsor Mall Sunday Market are held weekly on Sunday between 9.00am to 3.00pm. The markets contain stalls selling jewellery, books, arts and crafts, paintings, fashion items, fresh locally grown produce, locally produced jams and many food and drink stands.

<gallery>

File:Windsor0001.jpg|Historic Home in Windsor

File:Windsor0003.jpg|St Matthew's Anglican Church, designed by Francis Greenway

File:Windsor0004.jpg|Interior of St Matthew's Church

File:Windsor0002.jpg|Hawkesbury River at Windsor

File:14 - Sydney Road Windsor (6433405125).jpg|Poster Contest (Royal Australian Historical Society)

</gallery>

Bibliography

  • Bowd, D. G.  Macquarie Country: A History of the Hawkesbury. Library of Australian History, 1994.
  • CAWB. ‘Windsor Bridge.’ <nowiki>http://www.cawb.com.au/the-place.html</nowiki>
  • Fitzpatrick, J.C.L. When We Were Boys Together: reminiscences of the Hawkesbury district. C. McHardy, c2004.
  • Jack, Ian, and Jan Barkley-Jack. St Matthews Windsor - An Anglican Landmark celebrating 200 years. Rosenberg Publishing, 2016.
  • Proudfoot, Helen. The Hawkesbury: A Thematic History. Hawkesbury City Council, 2017. <nowiki>https://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/119911/The-Hawkesbury-A-Thematic-History-2017-February.pdf</nowiki>
  • Smith, Heather. Leaving The Barracks - Windsor Police Station, 1862 – 2010. H. Smith, 2011.
  • Steele, James.  Early Days of Windsor. <nowiki>https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks13/1302241h.html</nowiki>

See also

  • Dillwynia Women's Correctional Centre
  • John Morony Correctional Centre
  • Windsor Wolves
  • Richmond, New South Wales

References

  • Windsor – Sydney.com