Thebarton/Southwark Places

THEBARTON / SOUTHWARK

(+ former suburbs of Hemington / Hemmington / Hemington West / Hemmington West / Henley Park /Southwark /Torrenside  / West Thebarton)

Early development of the Thebarton area was based along the Torrens River. Small cottages were scattered among industries such as brick making and tanning, which extended along the banks of the river in both Thebarton and Hindmarsh. These early activities set the basis for the development of the northern section of the survey area, most of which remains industrialised today. However, the nature of industrial and semi-industrial development, combined with a continual need to modernise and expand, has meant that very little remains of the built fabric of these early industries. Indeed the expansion of light industry and commerce has all but removed traces of the earliest residential development in the 'village' of Thebarton (bounded by Light Terrace, Port Road, Dew Street and Kintore Street). 

The division of Thebarton into North, South and New Thebarton wards heralded the separation of Thebarton from West Torrens. West Torrens was predominantly rural in the 1880s while Thebarton's industries were growing in number and diversity. On 8 February 1883 the Thebarton Corporation was proclaimed (SAGG, 8 February 1883, p. 428); it covered an area of about 1,038 acres, and was divided into four wards: Strangways, Musgrave, Torrens and Jervois (Lester, Firth and Murton 1982, p. 19; Burgess 1907). Several cast iron markers locating the ward boundaries remain-one on Bagot Avenue, Mile End (ME:452) and another in Rankine Road. The first Mayor was Benjamin Taylor.

Immigration has had an important effect on the social composition of the area. The suburbs of Thebarton, Hindmarsh, Woodville and West Torrens attracted a larger percentage of people from non-British European countries (rather than the predominantly English settlement of Port Adelaide and Glenelg, Henley and Grange). By 1954 the Greek community made up 3.4% of Thebarton's population and the Italians 2.3%, and by 1961 the Greek population had doubled to 7.4% and Italians to 6.9% (Srubjen 1983). Thebarton gained the greatest number in 1966, with 33.8% of its population originated from non-British countries (Lester, Firth and Murton 1982, p. 98).

The influence of the transport network on the commercial development of the main arterial roads in the Thebarton Council area-Henley Beach Road, South Road and Port Road-is still evident and several items recording the improvement to transport through the area remain : the Bakewell Bridge, the Holland Street bridge and the former MTT convertor station in Henley Street are examples.   [From  1991Thebarton Heritage Survey]