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]
Demographics
According to the 2021 census of population, there were 10,633 people in Kingswood.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.3% of the population.
61.2% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were India 5.9%, Philippines 2.6%, England 2.2%, New Zealand 1.9% and Nepal 1.4%.
63.4% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Punjabi 2.9%, Nepali 2.1%, Malayalam 1.7%, Mandarin 1.5% and Arabic 1.4%.
Their median age was 34 years, 4 years younger than the national median of 38. Children aged under 15 years made up 20.1% of the population (18.2% nationally) and people aged 65 years and over made up 12.8% of the population (17.2% nationally).
The most common responses for religion were No Religion 30.0%, Catholic 20.9% and Anglican 10.4%.[1]
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]
Institute of Applied Technology, a joint venture between TAFE, Western Sydney University, and several other institutions[8][9]
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).[10]
References
^ a bAustralian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Kingswood (State Suburb)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
^Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
^The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 140
^"NSW State Archives and Records". Government of New South Wales.
^St Josephs Primary School at Catholic Education
^St Dominics College Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
^TAFE NSW - Western Sydney Institute
^"Home". www.iat.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
^"Institute of Applied Technology - TAFE NSW". www.tafensw.edu.au. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
^"Penrith LEP 1991 Environmental Heritage Conservation" (PDF). City of Penrith. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2011.
