Wilberforce is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is just beyond the outer suburbs of north-west Sydney and lies on the western bank of the Hawkesbury River.
| Wilberforce Sydney, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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  Wilberforce | |||||||||||||||
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| Coordinates | 33°33′34″S 150°50′26″E / 33.55944°S 150.84056°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 2,957 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2756 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 20 m (66 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 62 km (39 mi) from Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Hawkesbury | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Hawkesbury | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Macquarie | ||||||||||||||
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History
editWilberforce is one of the original settlements established as a township by Lachlan Macquarie, colonial governor of New South Wales 1810–21. It is known locally as "Macquarie Town",[2] a title given to townships established by Governor Macquarie on 6 December 1810[3] in and around the Sydney metropolitan area. It was named after William Wilberforce (1759–1833), who was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.
Heritage listings
editWilberforce has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Clergy Road: Wilberforce Cemetery[4]
- 47 George Road: Wilberforce Park[5]
- 43-43a Macquarie Road: St John's Anglican Church and Macquarie Schoolhouse[6]
- Rose Street: Australiana Pioneer Village[7]
- Rose Street: Rose Cottage[8]
- Stannix Park Road: Stannix Park House[9]
Key sites and points of interest
editMacquarie Schoolhouse (1819) and St John's Church (1859)
editThe historic St John's Anglican Church was designed by Edmund Thomas Blacket[10] and built by J. Atkinson of Windsor. Construction was started in 1856 and the building was not completed until 1859 at a cost of £1500. The grounds of the church and contains the Old School House building (Built 1819), which was used as a school, a church, and a residence of the school master until the church was completed. The school house was replaced in 1880 by a Public School.[11] The original church building is still used for the church's 8 am service with the modern education centre used for later services.
Howorth Grave (1804, relocated 1960)
editRelocated to a position in front of the schoolhouse, the grave marks the death of a child bitten by a snake on a nearby property. Grave moved on 5 December 1960 by the Hawkesbury Historical Society.[12]
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Wilberforce Park (1810)
This is the original town square proclaimed by Macquarie, and still retains its original relationship with the schoolhouse, cemetery and townships. In the park itself is the War Memorial, erected by local residents in 1918.[13] In 1966, it was relocated within the park, and new plaques were added at this time.[14][15]
Australiana Pioneer Village
editOpened around 1970, the village contains a number of buildings from the surrounding area which were physically transported to the site. Among them is 'Rose Cottage'; the oldest timber slab cottage in Australia standing on its original site.[16][17]
Wilberforce Cemetery (1815 onwards)
editThis cemetery sits on Old Sackville Road, near the intersection with Singleton Road (Putty Road). There are a number of graves of the area's pioneers; notably the somewhat unusual Table Slab Grave.[18]
Notable residents
editWilberforce is the birthplace of bushranger Captain Thunderbolt.
References
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Wilberforce (State Suburb)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ The Macquarie towns | State Library of New South Wales
- ^ Policies to Consider before Buying a Car
- ^ "Wilberforce Cemetery". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01837. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
- ^ "Wilberforce Park". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01868. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
- ^ "Macquarie Schoolhouse/Chapel and St. John's (Blacket) Church". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01836. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
- ^ "Australiana Pioneer Village". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01683. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
- ^ "Rose Cottage". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00358. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
- ^ "Stannix Park House, cattle tanks and site". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00598. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
- ^ "St Johns - St Johns Wilberforce". wilberforce.anglican.asn.au. Archived from the original on 15 June 2010.
- ^ Baker, Helen (1967). Historic Buildings. Windsor and Richmond (1st ed.). The State Planning Authority of New South Wales.
- ^ Wilberforce, St Johns Churchyard (Howorth Grave)
- ^ Wilberforce, Wilberforce Park War Memorial
- ^ "WILBERFORCE PARK CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN" (PDF). Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ Hawkesbury Tourism – Other Hawkesbury Heritage Tours
- ^ Rose Family Cottage
- ^ The Australiana Pioneer Village History
- ^ Wilberforce, Wilberforce Cemetery
Bibliography
edit- Discover the Hawkesbury. ‘Wilberforce’. https://www.discoverthehawkesbury.com.au/hawkesbury-towns/wilberforce
- Hawkesbury People & Places. ‘Wilberforce Cemetery.’ https://www.hawkesbury.org/name/wilberforce-cemetery.html
- McHardy, Cathy & Nicholas McHardy. Sacred to the Memory - A Study of Wilberforce Cemetery. 2003.