History of Brighton-Le-Sands, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Brighton-Le-Sands
is a suburb
of Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. The suburb is on Lady Robinson Beach
, at Botany Bay
, in the City of Rockdale
. This history concentrates on the period after European settlement to the 1970s.
, was called Lady Robinson's Beach for a brief period in the 1880s. This hamlet grew into the suburb of 'Brighton-le-Sands'.
. This section of Lady Robinson beach is also commonly referred to as Brighton Beach or Brighton Le Sands Beach. The northern boundary of Brighton-Le-Sands is Bestic Street. President Avenue forms the southern boundary. To the west the boundary is more tortuous. Initially it runs along Muddy Creek, through White Oak Reserve to Bruce Street where the boundary turns west along Bruce Street. It continues south briefly just east of West Botany Street running south-east down Bay Street until it is just east of Aero Street. From here the boundary runs in a straight line in a south-westerly direction to President Avenue, immediately north of the lakes of the Rockdale Bicentemmial Park.
, via Rockdale in 1884.
In 1877 it was decided to extend Bay Street, Rockdale to the coast. Before this extension could proceed it was necessary to build a bridge over Muddy Creek, a tributary of Cooks River. Then in 1880 Bestic Street, Rockdale was also extended by linking it to Goode's Road. The two roads were slightly out of alignment which accounts for the slight bend present in Bestic Street. Making this link necessitated a second bridge over Muddy Creek. In 1883 Thomas Saywell suggested extending the road to the beach.
along Bay Street from Rockdale to Lady Robinson Beach. It was a single track except at each terminus and for a short section at the Farr Street stop to allow trams to pass mid-way along the track. A tram depot was erected south of West Botany Street on land which is now Tony Baker Reserve. Saywell had a 30 year lease on the tramway. In 1914 the Government of the day took control of the tramway. Eventually the tramline was electrified
. The tram was replaced by buses in 1949. It took another ten years before the old tram tracks were removed and Bay Street was re-surfaced to assist with the problems ensuing from the increasing number of cars now using the road.
in an era and in a country where travelling was still difficult. Access to Rockdale had been difficult. Initially the route to the area was via what is now Canterbury
, then by horse coach across a dam spanning Cooks River
at Tempe
. When road and rail bridges replaced the dam carriageway in the 1880s progress ensued. Travelling to Rockdale, and hence to Brighton, became easier.
Thomas Saywell suggested the name New Brighton Estate for the developing settlement. The beach reminded him of Brighton
beach in England and so he began to develop the resort he envisaged, similar to the English seaside resort.
Thomas Saywell first built the public swimming baths which were completed in the late 1880s. There were actually two bathing areas, one for men and one for women with a wharf between. Amateur fishermen lined the shores of the bay or fished from small water craft and the promenade of the baths. Nearby, on the south west corner of Bay Street and Grand Parade, adjacent to the new tram terminus, he established a picnic area, later known as the Shady Nook Recreation Grounds.
Saywell also built the Brighton Hotel on the north west corner of the two streets. However the hotel lost its licence in 1892 due to the behaviour of its patrons. At the instigation of Arthur Aspinall
, the Presbyterian Church was looking for a building suitable to establish a boarding school
for the children of outback
pastoralists. Thomas Saywell offered the use of the building to the Church for the establishment of the The Scots College
. Arthur Aspinall, a co-founder of the College, became its first principal. Suitable changes were made to the building to adapt it as a boarding school. The school remained at Brighton for about four years. Eventually the hotel was re-licenced and remained on the site until it was replaced by the Novotel
Brighton Beach Motor Inn.
In 1895 Thomas Saywell decided to build a race course in Brighton. The Scots College found the race course and the distraction of the beach for its pupils unacceptable and left the area. The racecourse operated for many years.
During this period this small settlement, the New Brighton Estate, was still officially part of Rockdale even though it was known amongst the locals as "Brighton".
The economic depression of the 1890s began to have a social impact on the area. As more people of few material means began to settle in the district the standard of living declined. The suburb recovered to some extent in the 1920s but it remained predominantly a working-class domain until the 1970s.
. About this time a ferry
service opened in Botany Bay. This allowed many more people to take advantage of the picnic facilities at Brighton. The ferry operated for about 20 years.
From 1900 to 1912 Brighton was in the Commonwealth Electorate of Lang. A map of the area is given in the 1909 Electoral Roll. In 1913 the district was transferred to the electorate of Illawarra. Another map is provided in the 1915 electoral roll. It is very similar to the map of 1909. The electorate of Barton, which included Brighton-le-Sands was established in 1922. In the electoral rolls a number of abbreviations are used for the name of the suburb including: "B-l-S", "B.-le-S", "Br-le-S" and "Br.-le-S". World War I
also slowed development of the suburb.
After World War I, considerable expansion of the area began. Soon the residential potential of the suburb had almost tripled in size. To the south of Bay Street the area west of the bay bounded by Bay Street, Crawford Road and President Avenue was developed. To the west of the New Brighton Estate Francis Lane (later known as Francis Lane Road and then Francis Avenue) was built. The streets of the Estate between The Grand Parade and The Avenue north of Bay Street, as far north as Selwood Street, were extended west to reach Francis Lane. The Avenue was extended north to Bestic Street. Reading Road was constructed to its west along with Henson Street, Rowley Street and Cashman Road.
The district had even more expansion from the mid 1920s until the Great Depression
of the early 1930s. The land beside Muddy Creek at the northern end of Francis Avenue was originally a swamp. After the swamp was drained in about 1924, Francis Avenue was extended past Henson Street to Bestic Street. The reclaimed land was used for homes in Yarran Avenue, Carinya Avenue and the eastern side of Francis Avenue. Beyond Carinya Avenue there was a dairy with a live-in residence and Tasker's market garden, abutting Bestic Street. The dairy at 35 Francis Avenue was owned by James Erskine.
The land on Bay street owned by the Francis family was sold. Francis Lane Avenue, as it was originally called, was built as far as Selwood street. Houses were constructed intermittently along its length. Later some of the land was sold to the Roman Catholic Church for the construction of St Thomas More's Church and denominational primary school. When The Avenue was continued past Selwood Street to Bestic Street it was renamed Moate Avenue.
Several isolated shops were built in Rowley Street to cater for the daily needs of the local inhabitants of this new housing development. A butcher shop was built on the north west corner of Rowley Street and Moate Avenue. Diagonally opposite there was a general store. Both of these shops were still open in the early first decade of the 21st century. Purnell's greengrocery and milk bar was located on the north side of Rowley Street between Moate Avenue and Reading Road. A fourth shop was built on the south west corner of The Rowley Street/Reading Road intersection.
started. Development of Brighton remained stagnant. After World War II, Sydney experienced a severe housing shortage. All suitable, available land was acquired for new housing. Brighton began its third major period of growth.
A three hectare vacant area known locally as Archbald's Paddock extended from Henson Street to Bestic Street. It was located between Yarran Avenue, Carinya Avenue, the dairy and market gardens to the west and Rowley Street and Cashman Road to the east. Walking tracks linked these various streets. The property had once belonged to the Archbald family. Grace Archbald, the last surviving member of the family and unmarried died in 1942. The ramshackled old house soon degenerated further and was vandalised. Remnants of the foundations of some of their buildings and some of their shrubs remained east of Yarran Avenue. Also, with the advent of widespread refrigeration
and bottled milk the dairy was no longer required in the region. The paddocks were sold.
In the late 1940s the first part of Archbald's Paddock to be released for housing was that located along Henson Street. Soon afterwards the remainder of the land and the dairy paddock were amalgamated to became a housing estate. Archbald Avenue was built from Bestic Street through the centre of the former Archbald Paddock with links to all the surrounding streets. MacIntyre Avenue was constructed through the former dairy paddock between Francis Avenue and the new Archbald Avenue. People began to move into the houses of both Archbald Avenue and MacIntyre Avenue about 1952. Tasker's Market garden still operated at the corner of Bestic Street and Francis Avenue.
On the western side of Francis Avenue housing stopped at number 64, opposite number eleven, just past Henson Street. North of number 64 was another market garden known as Hop Long's. This property extended from Bestic Street to behind the houses in Francis Avenue and across to Muddy Creek. In the late 1940s the frontage of the market garden along Francis Avenue was acquired and houses built, except for an access area to the market garden and its dwelling. In the mid 1950s this market garden was transformed into an extension of the White Oak Reserve.
Eventually, about ten years later, Tasker's market garden and number 35 Francis Avenue, where the Erskines had continued to live, were also sold. This parcel of land became the site of Bilmark Place and Phillip Crescent.
which are now the dominant housing. The shopping centre changed considerably, to cater to the needs of the changed population.
Wind storms would deposit sand on Grand Parade and The Esplanade making them impassable and eroding the sand dunes. Periodically wave damage would erode the beach. The worst damage to the beach occurred on 13 June 1966 (Sydney Morning Herald, 15 June 1966).
A private convalescent hospital, East Lynn run by Matron Maudie Shaw, opened at 13 Henson Street in the mid-1930s soon after the extension of Henson Street past Reading Road. Matron Shaw's husband was in the Royal Australian Navy
. Many of the patients were overseas sailors recuperating from illness or accidents. These sailors were waiting until they were well enough to return home or to rejoin their ships when the ships were next in port. By the 1950s the number of sailors needing convalescence had reduced greatly. The hospital now catered to a wider range of needs within the local population. Matron Shaw retired in the 1960s.
By 1925 a doctors surgery had been opened on the south west corner of the intersection of Crawford Road with Bay Street. Adelaide Croucher, chiropodist
, conducted a business in her own home from the mid 1940s. Initially this was at 17 Francis Avenue, then later fron 6 Carinya Avenue. She also visited many clients in their own homes. On Wednesdays she worked at the local hairdressing salon on Bay Street. As people sat under the hairdryer they would have their feet attended to as well.
Brighton-Le-Sands, New South Wales
Brighton-Le-Sands , is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Brighton-Le-Sands is located 13 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, on the western shore of Botany Bay...
is a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The suburb is on Lady Robinson Beach
Lady Robinson Beach
Lady Robinsons Beach is the stretch of beach between the mouth of the Cooks River and the mouth of Georges River on the western shore of Botany Bay. Originally the beach was known as Seven Mile Beach. The beach was renamed after the wife of the then Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson...
, at Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
, in the City of Rockdale
City of Rockdale
The City of Rockdale is a Local Government Area in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The city centre is located 12 kilometres south-south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the western shores of Botany Bay...
. This history concentrates on the period after European settlement to the 1970s.
Names
The spelling of the suburb was originally Brighton-le-Sands, using a lower case "l" in "le" until it was officially changed in 1970, although the reason for this change is not clear. Both versions of the name are used, as well as the alternative Brighton Le Sands (without the hyphens). Other names in common use are Brighton and Brighton Beach. In this article, the name is spelt as it was in the original source.European settlement
Settlements developed along the shores of Lady Robinson Beach in the 19th century. By 1870 there were settlements close to Muddy Creek. One of these settlements, the hamlet which developed along its coastline, east of RockdaleRockdale, New South Wales
Rockdale is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rockdale is located 13 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area...
, was called Lady Robinson's Beach for a brief period in the 1880s. This hamlet grew into the suburb of 'Brighton-le-Sands'.
Boundaries
Lady Robinson Beach and Cook Park form the eastern border of Brighton-Le-Sands, on Botany Bay, south of Port JacksonPort Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
. This section of Lady Robinson beach is also commonly referred to as Brighton Beach or Brighton Le Sands Beach. The northern boundary of Brighton-Le-Sands is Bestic Street. President Avenue forms the southern boundary. To the west the boundary is more tortuous. Initially it runs along Muddy Creek, through White Oak Reserve to Bruce Street where the boundary turns west along Bruce Street. It continues south briefly just east of West Botany Street running south-east down Bay Street until it is just east of Aero Street. From here the boundary runs in a straight line in a south-westerly direction to President Avenue, immediately north of the lakes of the Rockdale Bicentemmial Park.
Early land acquisitions
Land acquisitions in the district began in the 1840s but no significant development occurred until the railway opened to HurstvilleHurstville, New South Wales
Hurstville is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hurstville is located 16 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of...
, via Rockdale in 1884.
In 1877 it was decided to extend Bay Street, Rockdale to the coast. Before this extension could proceed it was necessary to build a bridge over Muddy Creek, a tributary of Cooks River. Then in 1880 Bestic Street, Rockdale was also extended by linking it to Goode's Road. The two roads were slightly out of alignment which accounts for the slight bend present in Bestic Street. Making this link necessitated a second bridge over Muddy Creek. In 1883 Thomas Saywell suggested extending the road to the beach.
Building the tramway
Following the completion of the railway Thomas Saywell decided, in 1885, to construct a tramwayTrams in Sydney
The Sydney tramway network once served Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia. In its heyday, it was the largest in Australia, the second largest in the Commonwealth , and one of the largest in the world. It was extremely intensively worked, with about 1,600 cars in service at any...
along Bay Street from Rockdale to Lady Robinson Beach. It was a single track except at each terminus and for a short section at the Farr Street stop to allow trams to pass mid-way along the track. A tram depot was erected south of West Botany Street on land which is now Tony Baker Reserve. Saywell had a 30 year lease on the tramway. In 1914 the Government of the day took control of the tramway. Eventually the tramline was electrified
Electrification
Electrification originally referred to the build out of the electrical generating and distribution systems which occurred in the United States, England and other countries from the mid 1880's until around 1940 and is in progress in developing countries. This also included the change over from line...
. The tram was replaced by buses in 1949. It took another ten years before the old tram tracks were removed and Bay Street was re-surfaced to assist with the problems ensuing from the increasing number of cars now using the road.
1890s
The land may have been unsuitable for agriculture but its location was ideal for a pleasure resort. The region was well served by public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
in an era and in a country where travelling was still difficult. Access to Rockdale had been difficult. Initially the route to the area was via what is now Canterbury
Canterbury, New South Wales
-Commercial area:Canterbury has a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial developments. Commercial developments are mostly situated on Canterbury Road and surrounding streets...
, then by horse coach across a dam spanning Cooks River
Cooks River
The Cooks River is a 23 kilometre long urban waterway of south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia emptying into Botany Bay. The course of the river has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore...
at Tempe
Tempe, New South Wales
Tempe is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Tempe is located 9 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Marrickville Council....
. When road and rail bridges replaced the dam carriageway in the 1880s progress ensued. Travelling to Rockdale, and hence to Brighton, became easier.
Thomas Saywell suggested the name New Brighton Estate for the developing settlement. The beach reminded him of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
beach in England and so he began to develop the resort he envisaged, similar to the English seaside resort.
Thomas Saywell first built the public swimming baths which were completed in the late 1880s. There were actually two bathing areas, one for men and one for women with a wharf between. Amateur fishermen lined the shores of the bay or fished from small water craft and the promenade of the baths. Nearby, on the south west corner of Bay Street and Grand Parade, adjacent to the new tram terminus, he established a picnic area, later known as the Shady Nook Recreation Grounds.
Saywell also built the Brighton Hotel on the north west corner of the two streets. However the hotel lost its licence in 1892 due to the behaviour of its patrons. At the instigation of Arthur Aspinall
Arthur Aspinall
The Revd Arthur "Ashworth" Aspinall was a co-founder and the first Principal of The Scots College, Bellevue Hill, Sydney, Australia. He was a Congregational and Presbyterian Minister, and a joint founder of the Historical Society of New South Wales...
, the Presbyterian Church was looking for a building suitable to establish a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for the children of outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
pastoralists. Thomas Saywell offered the use of the building to the Church for the establishment of the The Scots College
The Scots College
For other schools with a similar name see Scots College.The Scots College is an independent Presbyterian day and boarding school for boys, located in Bellevue Hill, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. Arthur Aspinall, a co-founder of the College, became its first principal. Suitable changes were made to the building to adapt it as a boarding school. The school remained at Brighton for about four years. Eventually the hotel was re-licenced and remained on the site until it was replaced by the Novotel
Novotel
Novotel is a mid-scale hotel brand within the Accor group. Novotel has close to 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries, situated in the business districts and tourist destinations of major international cities.-History:...
Brighton Beach Motor Inn.
In 1895 Thomas Saywell decided to build a race course in Brighton. The Scots College found the race course and the distraction of the beach for its pupils unacceptable and left the area. The racecourse operated for many years.
During this period this small settlement, the New Brighton Estate, was still officially part of Rockdale even though it was known amongst the locals as "Brighton".
The economic depression of the 1890s began to have a social impact on the area. As more people of few material means began to settle in the district the standard of living declined. The suburb recovered to some extent in the 1920s but it remained predominantly a working-class domain until the 1970s.
1900s to 1930s
The "Brighton-le-Sands Post and Telegraph Office" was opened in about 1903 (1904 edition of the Sands Post Office Directory) giving the suburb its distinct name to distinguish it from Brighton in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. About this time a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service opened in Botany Bay. This allowed many more people to take advantage of the picnic facilities at Brighton. The ferry operated for about 20 years.
From 1900 to 1912 Brighton was in the Commonwealth Electorate of Lang. A map of the area is given in the 1909 Electoral Roll. In 1913 the district was transferred to the electorate of Illawarra. Another map is provided in the 1915 electoral roll. It is very similar to the map of 1909. The electorate of Barton, which included Brighton-le-Sands was established in 1922. In the electoral rolls a number of abbreviations are used for the name of the suburb including: "B-l-S", "B.-le-S", "Br-le-S" and "Br.-le-S". World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
also slowed development of the suburb.
After World War I, considerable expansion of the area began. Soon the residential potential of the suburb had almost tripled in size. To the south of Bay Street the area west of the bay bounded by Bay Street, Crawford Road and President Avenue was developed. To the west of the New Brighton Estate Francis Lane (later known as Francis Lane Road and then Francis Avenue) was built. The streets of the Estate between The Grand Parade and The Avenue north of Bay Street, as far north as Selwood Street, were extended west to reach Francis Lane. The Avenue was extended north to Bestic Street. Reading Road was constructed to its west along with Henson Street, Rowley Street and Cashman Road.
The district had even more expansion from the mid 1920s until the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the early 1930s. The land beside Muddy Creek at the northern end of Francis Avenue was originally a swamp. After the swamp was drained in about 1924, Francis Avenue was extended past Henson Street to Bestic Street. The reclaimed land was used for homes in Yarran Avenue, Carinya Avenue and the eastern side of Francis Avenue. Beyond Carinya Avenue there was a dairy with a live-in residence and Tasker's market garden, abutting Bestic Street. The dairy at 35 Francis Avenue was owned by James Erskine.
The land on Bay street owned by the Francis family was sold. Francis Lane Avenue, as it was originally called, was built as far as Selwood street. Houses were constructed intermittently along its length. Later some of the land was sold to the Roman Catholic Church for the construction of St Thomas More's Church and denominational primary school. When The Avenue was continued past Selwood Street to Bestic Street it was renamed Moate Avenue.
Several isolated shops were built in Rowley Street to cater for the daily needs of the local inhabitants of this new housing development. A butcher shop was built on the north west corner of Rowley Street and Moate Avenue. Diagonally opposite there was a general store. Both of these shops were still open in the early first decade of the 21st century. Purnell's greengrocery and milk bar was located on the north side of Rowley Street between Moate Avenue and Reading Road. A fourth shop was built on the south west corner of The Rowley Street/Reading Road intersection.
1940s to 1970s
Just as Australia began to recover from the Depression of the early 1930s, World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
started. Development of Brighton remained stagnant. After World War II, Sydney experienced a severe housing shortage. All suitable, available land was acquired for new housing. Brighton began its third major period of growth.
A three hectare vacant area known locally as Archbald's Paddock extended from Henson Street to Bestic Street. It was located between Yarran Avenue, Carinya Avenue, the dairy and market gardens to the west and Rowley Street and Cashman Road to the east. Walking tracks linked these various streets. The property had once belonged to the Archbald family. Grace Archbald, the last surviving member of the family and unmarried died in 1942. The ramshackled old house soon degenerated further and was vandalised. Remnants of the foundations of some of their buildings and some of their shrubs remained east of Yarran Avenue. Also, with the advent of widespread refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
and bottled milk the dairy was no longer required in the region. The paddocks were sold.
In the late 1940s the first part of Archbald's Paddock to be released for housing was that located along Henson Street. Soon afterwards the remainder of the land and the dairy paddock were amalgamated to became a housing estate. Archbald Avenue was built from Bestic Street through the centre of the former Archbald Paddock with links to all the surrounding streets. MacIntyre Avenue was constructed through the former dairy paddock between Francis Avenue and the new Archbald Avenue. People began to move into the houses of both Archbald Avenue and MacIntyre Avenue about 1952. Tasker's Market garden still operated at the corner of Bestic Street and Francis Avenue.
On the western side of Francis Avenue housing stopped at number 64, opposite number eleven, just past Henson Street. North of number 64 was another market garden known as Hop Long's. This property extended from Bestic Street to behind the houses in Francis Avenue and across to Muddy Creek. In the late 1940s the frontage of the market garden along Francis Avenue was acquired and houses built, except for an access area to the market garden and its dwelling. In the mid 1950s this market garden was transformed into an extension of the White Oak Reserve.
Eventually, about ten years later, Tasker's market garden and number 35 Francis Avenue, where the Erskines had continued to live, were also sold. This parcel of land became the site of Bilmark Place and Phillip Crescent.
Late 20th century to present
The ethnicity and socio-economic status altered as the former residents died or left the suburb. Their houses were pulled down and replaced by the many multi-storeyed blocks of unitsApartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
which are now the dominant housing. The shopping centre changed considerably, to cater to the needs of the changed population.
Storm damage
Several times the bridge over Muddy Creek at Bestic Street was flooded to the extent of making it impassable, or even washing the bridge away. Similar problems arose for the bridge over the creek at Bay Street. The floods were particularly bad when water cascading down the hills on the two streets coincided with a high tide in the creek.Wind storms would deposit sand on Grand Parade and The Esplanade making them impassable and eroding the sand dunes. Periodically wave damage would erode the beach. The worst damage to the beach occurred on 13 June 1966 (Sydney Morning Herald, 15 June 1966).
Brighton-le-Sands Primary School
The initial school building was located on the west side of Crawford Road between Kurnell Street and Kings Road. As the population of the suburb increased land was resumed further south on Crawford Road, between Kings Road and O'Neill Street. Here two buildings were constructed in 1916: an infants' school to cater for the first three years of schooling and the main upper primary school.Medical services
The Pacific Private Hospital was located initially on The Esplanade. By 1930 the hospital had relocated to Queens Road. Bigger facilities were built on the south east corner of the intersection of Bay Street and West Botany Street by 1936.A private convalescent hospital, East Lynn run by Matron Maudie Shaw, opened at 13 Henson Street in the mid-1930s soon after the extension of Henson Street past Reading Road. Matron Shaw's husband was in the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
. Many of the patients were overseas sailors recuperating from illness or accidents. These sailors were waiting until they were well enough to return home or to rejoin their ships when the ships were next in port. By the 1950s the number of sailors needing convalescence had reduced greatly. The hospital now catered to a wider range of needs within the local population. Matron Shaw retired in the 1960s.
By 1925 a doctors surgery had been opened on the south west corner of the intersection of Crawford Road with Bay Street. Adelaide Croucher, chiropodist
Podiatry
Podiatry is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower leg. The term podiatry came into use first in the early 20th century United States, where it now denotes a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine , a specialist who is qualified by their...
, conducted a business in her own home from the mid 1940s. Initially this was at 17 Francis Avenue, then later fron 6 Carinya Avenue. She also visited many clients in their own homes. On Wednesdays she worked at the local hairdressing salon on Bay Street. As people sat under the hairdryer they would have their feet attended to as well.
Notable residents
- June SalterJune SalterJune Marie Salter AM was an Australian actress.-Biography:June Salter was born in Bexley, New South Wales, the youngest of six children. As a child she studied piano and elocution and attended Kogarah Secondary School...
(1932–2001), actress - Albert Landa, pianist, is Head of the Piano Department of the Sydney Conservatorium of MusicSydney Conservatorium of MusicThe Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
.