Windsor is a historic town north-west of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is the council seat of the

Hawkesbury Hawkesbury or Hawksbury may refer to: People *Baron Hawkesbury, or Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool (1727-1808), English statesman Places ;Geography *Hawkesbury Island, an island in British Columbia, Canada * Hawkesbury Island, Queensland ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

. The town sits on the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River, is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney. ...

, enveloped by farmland and

Australian bush "The bush" is a term mostly used in the English vernacular of Australia and New Zealand where it is largely synonymous with ''wikt:backwoods, backwoods'' or ''hinterland'', referring to a natural undeveloped area. The fauna and flora containe ...

. Many of the oldest surviving European buildings in

are located at Windsor. It is north-west of metropolitan

, on the fringes of

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

Demographics

At the , Windsor had a reported population of 1,891 people, with a median age of 42. The most common ancestries in Windsor were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

(30.9%),

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

(28.9%),

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

(10.3%), Scottish (7.5%), and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

(2.8%). Most people from Windsor were born in

(78.8%), followed by

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

(3.3%), and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

(1.5%). The most common religious group in Windsor was

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

(65.8%), 25.2% being

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and 23.0%

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

. The second largest group was No Religion (28.9%). The most common occupations in Windsor included Professionals (15.9%), Technicians and Trades Workers (15.1%), Clerical and Administrative Workers (13.6%), Managers (12.8%), and Labourers (11.0%). The median weekly household income was .

Geography

Windsor's proximity to the

has resulted in numerous disastrous floods. A horseshoe on the outside wall of the Macquarie Arms pub marks the level the flood peaked at in 1867. During the 1867 flood, beaches along the

to Barrenjoey were littered with the debris from the town.

History

The Windsor area was originally inhabited by the Dharuk (also

Darug The Dharug or Darug people, formerly known as the Broken Bay tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people, who share strong ties of kinship and, in pre-colonial times, lived as skilled hunters in family groups or clans, scattered throughout much ...

) nation of indigenous aboriginal peoples. Windsor is the third-oldest place of British settlement on the

Australian continent The continent of Australia, sometimes known in technical contexts by the names Sahul (), Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, Meganesia, or Papualand to distinguish it from the country of Australia, is located within the Southern and East ...

. Settlement at the location was first established circa 1791, near the head of navigation on the

(known as ''Deerubbin'' in Dharuk). European settlers utilised the fertile river flats for agriculture. The area was originally called Green Hills, but renamed Windsor (after

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

in England). The town was officially proclaimed in a Government and General Order issued from

Government House, Sydney The Government House is the heritage-listed vice-regal residence of the governor of New South Wales, Australia, located on Conservatorium Road in the Sydney central business district adjacent to the Royal Botanic Garden, overlooking Sydn ...

, dated 15 December 1810. Governor Lachlan Macquarie "marked out the district of Green Hills", which he "... called Windsor", after Windsor-on-the-Thames. While in Windsor,

Governor Macquarie Major General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, an ...

ordered the main institutions of organised settlement to be erected, including a church, school-house, gaol and "commodious inn" ( Macquarie Arms Hotel). Of these new buildings, the most outstanding was

Francis Greenway Francis Howard Greenway (20 November 1777 – September 1837) was an English-born architect who was transported to Australia as a convict for the crime of forgery. In New South Wales he worked for the Governor, Lachlan Macquarie, as Australia' ...

's St Matthew's Anglican Church.

himself chose the site for the church.

Samuel Marsden Samuel Marsden (25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was an English-born priest of the Church of England in Australia and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, believed to have introduced Christianity to New Zealand. Marsden was a prom ...

, principal chaplain of the

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

, consecrated the church on 8 December 1822. Windsor was chosen during settlement because of its agricultural potential and accessible location. In 1813 a report was given to

from

Earl Bathurst Earl Bathurst, of Bathurst in the County of Sussex, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. The medieval English word was Botehurst, thought to date at least from the 13th century. Bote is the origination of Battle, although the family m ...

detailing a proposed invasion of the

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. This planned invasion that did not eventuate targeted the Windsor

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

in order to cut off supply to

, 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

. It was known as the "bread basket", ensuring the survival of the starving colony. The extensive agriculture caused major silting in the

; by the 1890s the

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 The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Sydney is the head of the Council of the City of Sydney, which is the local government area covering the central business district of Sydney in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The Lord Mayor ha ...

in 1853.

Heritage listings

Windsor has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Blacktown-Richmond railway:

Windsor railway station Windsor may refer to: Places Australia *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Win ...

* 32-34 Bridge Street:

Windsor Police Station Stables Windsor Police Station Stables is a heritage-listed former military barracks and now police building at 32–34 Bridge Street, Windsor, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1836 by Major Barney. The property is owned ...

* Claremont Crescent: Claremont Cottage * Court and Pitt Streets:

Windsor Court House Windsor Court House is a heritage-listed courthouse at Court and Pitt Streets, Windsor, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Francis Greenway with a later extension by James Barnet and built from 1821 to 1822 by Wi ...

* 29 Fitzgerald Street:

Mackenzie House Mackenzie House is a historic building and museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that was the last home of William Lyon Mackenzie, the city's first mayor. It is now a museum operated by the City of Toronto's Museum and Heritage Services. History The ...

* 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 Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popula ...

station,

Hawkesbury Radio Hawkesbury Radio 89.9 (call sign: 2VTR) community radio stations in the Hawkesbury. Hawkesbury Radio's primary purpose is to serve the residents of the Australian City of Hawkesbury, Hawkesbury Radio broadcasts on the frequency 89.9 FM. The st ...

, are located in Windsor.

Pitt Town Pitt Town is a historic town and suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pitt Town is 59 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is ...

, 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 Court House Hotel is a heritage-listed former hotel and now residence at 37-39 North Street, Windsor, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. It is often as ...

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 Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

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.

opened 1 December 1864. It is on the

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

branch of the T1 North Shore & Western Line and T5 Cumberland Line of the

Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban-suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...

network. Located in the town centre is the

Windsor Bridge The Windsor Bridge or Windsor Town Bridge, an iron and granite arch bridge over the River Thames, is located between the towns of Windsor and Eton in the English county of Berkshire. The Thames Path crosses the river here. The bridge carries p ...

which was constructed in 1874. It is the oldest existing crossing of the

. 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 grou
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 Windsor Road is a notable road in the Hills District of Sydney. It starts from Windsor, New South Wales and ends at Northmead, New South Wales. However, Windsor Road is not continuous. The northern section of Windsor Road (Windsor to Kellyvil ...

. 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 Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

via the

Windsor Road cycleway The Windsor Road cycleway is a predominantly off-road cyclepath between Parramatta Park and Macquarie Street, that is generally aligned with the Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road. Route The cycleway accesses the North-West T-way between ...

, with much of its route via the

North-West T-way The North-West T-way is a continuous series of bus-only lanes and bus roadways between Parramatta, Blacktown and Rouse Hill in Western Sydney. Opened in stages between March and November 2007, the T-way was the second bus rapid transit route to ...

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

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 The Royal Australian Historical Society, formerly Australian Historical Society, is a voluntary organisation founded in Sydney, Australia in 1901Helen Doyle, "Royal Australian Historical Society" in Graeme Davison, John Hirst and Stuart Ma ...

)

References

External links

Windsor – Sydney.com
{{authority control Suburbs of Sydney Towns in New South Wales City of Hawkesbury 1810 establishments in Australia Hawkesbury River Populated places established in 1810