Werrington

Location: Where is Werrington?

Werrington, New South Wales Australia, is located within the City of Penrith. Werrington is located west of St Marys and north of the Great Western Highway.  It straddles the Western Railway Line. Historically, the region’s settled history dates back to 1806 with land grants to Mary & Elizabeth King, daughters of Governor King, and a grant of 600 acres to Mary Putland, Governor Bligh’s daughter. The land was used for grazing and farming and by the 1880s had been subdivided for residential and small farming lots. This suburb has a feel of openness and retains many picturesque areas of open space, which are used for educational and recreational activities. Nearby Werrington Lakes, one of the largest passive recreational areas in the city, is a haven for wildlife and outdoor activities. Werrington also is well serviced with public transport and sporting facilities.

Postcode: 2747	Population: 4,031 (2016 Census)	Distance from Sydney: 48.5 km NW
Area: 4.45 km or 445 ha	Density: 9.46 people per ha (2006 Census)	Werrington NSW on Google Maps

Schools & Tertiary Education

• Kurrambee Special School: Werrington Road, Werrington NSW 2747.
  Ph: (02) 9833 7400; Fax: (02) 9623 1335.

  Werrington Public School: Heavey Street, Werrington NSW 2747.
  Ph: (02) 9623 7077; Fax: (02) 9623 1339.

• Western Sydney University:  Postal: University of Western Sydney Locked Bag 1797 Penrith South DC NSW 1797.
  Ph: (02) 9852 5222. The 158-hectare Penrith campus has two sites, Kingswood and Werrington. The sites are linked by a free shuttle bus service. The Werrington North & South Campus sites are on both sides of the Great Western Highway. The Chancellery is located in Frogmore House, Werrington North.

Roads & Streets

Albert Street is named after Albert Consort to Queen Victoria

Heavey Street is the named after the Heavey family. Andy Heavey owned a shop in High Street

Victoria Street is a main road running through Werrington. It was named after Queen Victoria

Parks

Werrington Creek: Werrington Creek is a small creek that flows into South Creek. It has its origins in Orchard Hills and runs through the University of Western Sydney campus and the suburbs of Kingswood, Werrington, and Werrington County. The creek is a catchment for a number of diverse urban land uses. It is capable of capturing high volumes of runoff from rainfall. Werrington Creek rehabilitation is fully supported by the local Werrington Creek Landcare Group.

Werrington Lake: This man-made lake was conceived as a solution to help relieve flooding around Werrington Creek Removal of earth began in late 1981. The earth was used to create the rail overpass at Werrington. Lakes construction began in 1982. Stage One cost $225,000. An additional three stages followed, beginning in 1984. The cost of these stages exceeded $500,000. Council constructed walkways, bridges and wharves. Werrington Lakes are a haven for students undertaking wetland and water conservation studies. It has also become a recreational area for picnickers and sports enthusiasts. The area has naturally attracted a great variety of native birdlife.

Origin of the place name – Werrington

The suburb of Werrington is named after Werrington estate. Mary King, the youngest daughter of Governor Philip King received a land grant of 790 acres in 1806. After her marriage to Robert Copland Lethbridge in Cornwall she returned to NSW with her husband. Lethbridge purchased an additional 600 acres adjoining his wife’s grant. It is on this land that their home Werrington House was built and completed in 1832. The house remained in the King-Lethbridge family until quite recently.

Werrington covers, not only the area of this grant, but also a grant of 600 acres (Frogmore) to Mary Putland. She married Maurice O’Connell in 1810. This grant lies south of the Western Railway Line and north of the Great Western Highway. Confusion occasionally arises between Werrington House and the house now part of the University of Western Sydney campus, Werrington Park (Frogmore).  Originally the homestead on the O’Connell estate was named Frogmore. It was re-named Werrington Park in 1935 by the owners, the Williams family.

Historic buildings & places

Frogmore: The Frogmore Estate was granted to Mary Putland (nee King) in 1806 and enlarged in 1810. She married her second husband Maurice O’Connell and together they retained ownership of the property until 1840. This house retains very little of the original house built around 1830 by Maurice & Mary O’Connell. The upper floor additions were added in the 1930s when the property was owned by Alan and Laura Williams. The State Government acquired it in 1954 as a school for mentally handicapped boys. The site is now the northern campus of the University of Western Sydney and the house has since become the Chancellory office and has been renamed Frogmore.

Historical Timeline

1806	1 January	Grant of 790 acres to Mary King, daughter of Governor Philip King. Named Marys Farm
1806	1 January	Grant of 600 acres to Mary Putland, daughter of Governor William Bligh. Named Frog more
1810	8 May	Mary Putland married Maurice O’Connell
1827	24 January	Robert & Mary Lethbridge arrive in Sydney
1832		Werrington House completed.
1848		Sir Maurice O’Connell died in Darlinghurst
1855	November	Frogmore sold to land speculator, Andrew Hardie McCulloch
1855	December	Frogmore subdivided and sold
1860		Sir Henry Parkes leased Werrington House for 12 years
1864		Mary O’Connell died in London
1865		Robert Copland Lethbridge died
1868	2 May	Parkes Platform opened as a private railway platform for Sir Henry Parkes
1872		Mary Lethbridge died
1878		Parkes Platform opened for public use
1883	17 March	Werrington estate was sold, including Werrington House
1893		Parkes Platform renamed Werrington
1906		St Aidan’s Church of England was consecrated
1935		Alan Williams purchased the homestead on Frogmore and renamed it Werrington Park
1938		Second storey added to Werrington Park
1944		Part of Williams’ property resumed by the Commonwealth for army use
1954	June	NSW Child Welfare Department purchased Werrington Park to house intellectually disabled boys
1959	3 June	Thorndale School opened
1973	20 October	Werrington Community Hall opened
1978		Cobham Remand Centre was built
1981		Railway overpass constructed over railway line near Werrington Station
1985		Kingsway sporting fields completed
1999		The diaries of John King Lethbridge, grandson of Governor King, found buried on what once was Werrington estate
2000		University of Western Sydney began extensive restructuring involving the formation of new Colleges and Schools at Penrith & Werrington

For photos and more information on Werrington, search Penrith City Library’s catalogue using an All Resources search.

Historical

• Werrington suburb heritage profile, Penrith Heritage Study (2007)
• Jack, R. Ian & Liston, C., From Frogmore Farm to Werrington Park: a history of the Werrington site, University of Western Sydney, University of Western Sydney, 1991.
• Murray, Robert and White, Kate Dharug & Dungaree: The History of Penrith and St Marys to 1860. Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1988.
• Nepean District Historical Society, From Castlereagh to Claremont Meadows: Historical Places of Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1997.
• Parr, Lorna, A History of the Nepean and District Street Names, Nepean District Historical Society, Penrith, 1990.
• Parr, Lorna, John King Lethbridge: The diaries 1871 & 1880, Nepean District Historical Society, 2000.
• Parr, Lorna, Penrith Calendar, Nepean District Historical Society, 1987.
• Stacker, Lorraine, Pictorial History: Penrith & St Marys, Kingsclear Books, Alexandria, 2002.
• Stevenson, Colin R., Place Names and their Origins within the City of Penrith, Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1985.
• Stickley, Christine, The Old Charm of Penrith, 2nd ed., the author, St. Marys, 1984.