- A Historical Overview of Glebe is below.
- In his book “The Whitlam Government, 1972-1975″ former Prime Minister,m Gough Whitlam, wrote a chapter aboout the Glebe Estate in which he commented that “few places in Australia are richer in history than the inner-Sydney suburb of Glebe …” Click here for full extract.
- If you wish to find out more about some of Glebe’s historic places and residents, see the Index of People and Places in Glebe’s History. We have been able to include only a few of the historical people and places in Glebe.
- The Glebe Society has also published a comprehensive 40-page walking guide, Historic Glebe, which contains a map and a more detailed overview of Glebe’s history. Click to download a Publications Order Form.
- For those who wish to dig deeper, we have prepared a Bibliography about our suburb.
- If you wish to explore Glebe’s past and family history in greater depth, the Glebe Library holds a collection which may be of interest. The library is located on the corner of Glebe Point and Wigram Roads.
Historical Overview
Glebe was originally inhabited by the Cadigal clan which occupied a territory that embraced Sydney Cove and stretched along the southern side of Port Jackson from South Head to about Petersham. As Sydney Town expanded, Glebe’s aboriginal population dwindled and no evidence of the Cadigal’s presence is found in modern Glebe.
The places and people of the relatively more recent Glebe are inextricably linked and this is reflected in its distinctive character. In the early struggling years of the first settlement at Sydney Cove (1788), Governor Phillip first surveyed, in 1790, the penal colony at Sydney town and made a grant of 400 acres of land to the Church of England, in the person of the Rev. Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the First Fleet. This land became known as ‘The Glebe’ (or St Phillips Glebe) from the Latin word glaeba (a clod of earth) and, through its ecclesiastical use, signified church land.
From the 1830s onwards, people such as the stern philanthropist, George Allen and his famous son, Sir George Wigram Allen, forged our local history. Other notable figures included Dr. James Bowman and some of the most famous colonial architects, Edmund Blacket, John Verge and James Barnet.
Financial difficulty forced the church to sell some of its land by 1856 and a two strata society began to develop: the homes of the gentry were built on Glebe Point while many workers lived at The Glebe. Gradually the big estates on the point were subdivided and the professional and middle income groups changed The Glebe from a quiet peninsula into a fashionable suburb.
During the early 20th century and especially during the Depression years, The Glebe deteriorated and became shabby and overcrowded. Despite this decline, the area retained a close and distinctive community. Many of the lovely houses that were an important part of The Glebe were demolished — this destruction led to the formation in 1969 of The Glebe Society, which sought (and still seeks) to restore and retain what is left of the suburb’s historical past.
“Glebe” painted by Bob Phillips in Glebe in the late 1970’s or 1980.
The painting captures the feel of inner west terrace houses of the times
with characteristic shutters, screens and iron tracery,
well before 21st century renovators set to work.
Writing about the restoration of the Glebe Estate, former Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, has written that “few places in Australia are richer in history than the inner-Sydney suburb of Glebe …” Click here for full extract.
During WWII Italians in Australia were not allowed to listen to short wave radio. In the video clip below, long time Glebe residents Frank Galluzzo and Tony Arena recall their experiences during the War years and the Wireless House which is still in Foley Park.
Tony still remembers the National Emergency Services coming to their house regularly to check that they were not transmitting messages to Italy. Frank and Tony discuss their memories of attending the Wireless House as a result of not listening to radio at home.
They remember groups of women gathering around the house to listen to the radio while they shelled fresh peas in preparation for dinner. Often the women’s husbands would be in the local pub “The Ancient Briton”, and come to meet their wives after the “Six O’Clock Swill”.
Click here to view the video
(from “Wireless House” via www.pool.org.au)
Because of its proximity to the city, the harbour and the University of Sydney, there has been a considerable revival of interest in the area.
