The Parade runs east to west through the centre of the suburb. Two roads run parallel to this, also along the whole length of the suburb: Beulah Road to the north, and William Street to the south.
Early settler
Edward Stephens, who arrived in the colony in 1839, wrote: "Norwood and
Kent Town were unknown then. The site of the present Norwood was then a magnificent
gum forest, with an undergrowth of
kangaroo grass, too high in places for a man to see over; in fact persons lost their way in going from Adelaide to
Kensington in those days, through attempting a short or near cut across the country".[4]
The first permanent street-based
public transport service in Adelaide was provided in Norwood and
Kensington, and these suburbs were also the first to be served by
electric trams. The Adelaide and Suburban Tramway Company, the first
horse-drawn tram company, started laying tracks from the
City of Adelaide to Norwood and Kensington in 1877, with the first trams running in June 1878. The Adelaide and Suburban Tramway Company was acquired by the Municipal Tramways Trust, and the Kensington line converted to an electric tramway in 1909. The interim Kensington terminus was at The Parade/Gurrs Road intersection, before being extended, as part of the network of
Adelaide trams, to serve the recently created reserve up The Parade at
Kensington Gardens.[7]
Until 1952, the service was linked in with the other eastern suburbs tramlines and terminated in the city, but in that year it was "through routed" with trams running to
Henley Beach. The tramway closed in February 1957.[7]
Jubilee Cycling Arena
In February 1951 the Jubilee Cycling Arena, aka Norwood Velodrome, opened on Osmond Terrace. It was a steeply banked concrete
velodrome, with six laps to the mile, designed by Eddie Smith. During the summer, there were races held every Friday night. It became a popular spot for keen cyclists,[8] and was also used as a venue for
square dancing in the 1950s.[9]
In 1965 over A$11,000 was raised by cyclists of the
Norwood Cycling Club to re-concrete the track.[10]
The suburb consists of four segments, being divided into north and south by the major thoroughfare of
The Parade and east and west by Osmond Terrace. It is bounded on the south by
Kensington Road on the north by
Magill Road, on the east by
Portrush Road and on the west by Fullarton Road. It is a leafy suburb, with streets lined with
plane trees.
First Creek and
Second Creek once flowed through the suburb, but First Creek is only visible between Edward Street and Birrell Street,[13] and both creeks are mostly underground in concrete tunnels.[4]
Osmond Terrace is a street with a wide grass,
median strip featuring a prominent war memorial commemorating
ANZAC soldiers who fought in the
first and
second World Wars, created by
architect H.F.R. Culley.[14][15] The
median strip also features sculptures from local artists,[16] and rose gardens. There is a sculpture of the first
Italian to arrive in the new
colony of South Australia in 1839,
Antonio Giannoni (1814–1883), who worked as a cab driver in Norwood, and whose son, Peter Gannoni, became mayor in 1920.[17][18] The memorial
bust, created by Wandrina Douglas-Boers,[16] was unveiled in November 1993.[19]
One of the most visible landmarks in Norwood is the
Clayton Wesley Uniting Church, at the eastern end of The Parade, on the north-east corner of Portrush Road. Actually located in
Beulah Park, the church and spire that are visible along the road from Norwood was built in 1883, although an earlier building (still behind the present church) was built in 1856.[20] The
Norwood Town Hall is on the north-western corner of The Parade and George Street.
In 2016, there were 5,953 people living in the suburb, with a median income of A$1,485 per week. The top ancestries in 2016 were
English, at 26.3% and
Australian, at 17%. Only 64.4% were born in Australia, while 43.2% had both parents born in Australia.[23]
The Norwood Cycling Club (NCC) is the largest
cycling club in South Australia, with 380 members as of 2021[update],[12] and its 1883 foundation date makes it the oldest such club in the
southern hemisphere. It was founded as the Norwood Cycle and Motor Club,[25] and its official opening was at
Kensington Oval, a bit further up The Parade in the suburb of
Kensington, on 4 February 1884.
Sir Edwin Smith was a foundation member and patron of the club, which became incorporated in 1918, after it had bought land and built clubrooms at
Port Noarlunga. After the
Jubilee Cycling Arena was built in Norwood in 1951, the club's members used to race there, and in 1965 the club raised money to concrete the track. Its clubrooms opened in George Street in 1975.[10][12]
Each year the club promotes four major cycling events:[10]
the Noarlunga Road race (since 1919);
the Burra 2-day Classic;
the Tour of the Riverland (established 1975); and
the AlphutteClassic Handicap.
NCC is affiliated with Cycling SA, which is in turn affiliated with the national parent body of the state bodies,
Cycling Australia.[12]
Attractions
Norwood is known for its many restaurants[27][28] and shops selling fashion and goods of all kinds.[29][30] It also plays host to a variety of events and festivals throughout the year.[31]
Odeon Theatre
The Odeon Theatre is on the corner of The Parade and Queen Street. Originally the Star Theatre,[32] it was designed as a
picture theatre by Sydney architects
Kaberry and Chard[33] (who also designed the
Thebarton Theatre,[34] the
Athenium Theatre in
Junee,
New South Wales,[35] and many other cinemas across Australia[34]) in association with local supervising architect
Chris A. Smith. It was officially opened by
Norwood mayor William Essery (Snr) on Wednesday 16 May 1923,[33][36] with its entrance on The Parade. The operator was
D. Clifford Theatres (formerly Star Theatres) by 1946. Later it was taken over by
Greater Union Cinemas and renamed the Odeon Theatre (also known as Odeon Norwood). It closed as a cinema, reopening in 1986 as a live theatre specialising in children's productions. The entrance was moved around the corner onto Queen Street, and the original foyer converted into restaurant,[32] as of 2024[update] St Louis dessert bar.[37]
Norwood Library is located on 110 The Parade, near the corner of Osmond Terrace, in the old Kensington and Norwood Institute building,[43] which was
heritage-listed in 1981 on the
South Australian Heritage Register.[44] The institute, designed by government architect W. H. Abbott free of charge, and built in 1876, was one of many
mechanics' institutes in Australia established during the 19th century. It was largely funded by its founding president, Sir
Edwin Smith. In 1882 its collection, available for loan by subscriptions paid by members, was enhanced by books acquired from the Magill Institute after its demise. In 1883 extensions were added to the building, including a hall and reading room, and in 1895 it also had a musical program. In 1914 the library held 13,744 volumes, and 190 periodicals and newspapers, and an art school was opened in the building. In the 1950s the Institute supported the free lending of books, but fell into debt to the council. In 1977 the
City of Kensington and Norwood acquired the building, and carried out renovations, retaining the library. In 1986 the institute was dissolved, setting up a Friends of the Library group as the building becoming the responsibility of the council. The building was refurbished in period style and became Norwood Library.[43]
The former Norwood Baptist Church, on the south-eastern corner of Church Avenue and The Parade (no. 134), designed by architect
James Cumming, built in 1869[45] by
Charles Farr and opened in January 1870,[46] was heritage-listed on the SA Heritage Register in 1982.[47] Its
classical style was particularly influenced by the
Metropolitan Tabernacle in
Newington Butts in London, where influential
Baptist preacher
Charles Spurgeon used to preach. The building contains one of the most significant
church organs in South Australia, installed in 1882. Its use as a church ceased and for some time it housed the
Mary Martin Bookshop,[45] but that closed in the 2010s and has since been used as a restaurant.
Saint Bartholomew's on Beulah Road in Norwood, also known as St Bart's Norwood, is "an
Anglican church in the
evangelical tradition that participates as a member of the
Anglican Communion".[49] It was for some years part of the Grace Anglican Network (created by St Bart's in 2016[50]) with
St Matthew's Church, Marryatville,[51] but as of February 2022[update] is again independent.[52]
The Unitarian Meeting House at 99 Osmond Terrace is an independent, self-governed church "affiliated with the worldwide
Unitarian and
Unitarian-Universalist free church movements".[53]
Schools
Norwood Primary School, Osmond Terrace,[54] which was designed and built by the same architect and builder as the
Norwood Baptist Church, architect
James Cumming and builder
Charles Farr, as Norwood Public School in 1871.[55]
The upper primary campus of St Joseph's Memorial School, catering for children, William Street, caters for Year 2 to Year 6 (junior primary, preschool to Year 1, is in Bridge Street, Kensington).[56]
Transport
Several
Adelaide Metro bus routes serve the suburb. These are the main routes running through or adjacent to Norwood as of 2020[update]:[57]
H30, H33: Magill Road
H20, H21, H22, H23, H24, N22: The Parade
140, 141,142: Kensington Road
300: Suburban Connector (Portrush Road)
In addition to these, there are a number of school services running during term-time, and special services to
Adelaide Oval for big events.[57]
^
ab"The Eastern Lines". Tramway Museum, St Kilda. 17 March 1956. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
^"Cycling". Victor Harbor Times. Vol. 44, no. 2170. South Australia. 26 November 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^"The Odd spot". The News (Adelaide). Vol. 60, no. 9, 266. South Australia. 22 April 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^
ab"Public Art Map". City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
^O' Connor, Desmond (15 August 2014).
"Italians". SA History Hub.
History Trust of South Australia. Retrieved 15 August 2021. This is a revised version of an entry first published in The Wakefield companion to South Australian history, edited by Wilfrid Prest, Kerrie Round and Carol Fort (Adelaide:
Wakefield Press, 2001). Revised by the author and edited lightly.