Alexandria

The Parish of Alexandria was established in 1835. The naming of Alexandria and neighbouring Waterloo, commemorates the famous British Empire military and naval victories over Napoleon. The Iron Duke Hotel in Alexandria is named after the heroic Duke of Wellington, as is Wellington Street in Waterloo. It was thought Alexandria may have been named after Princess Alexandra, Queen consort of King Edward VII however, Alexandra was born on 1 December 1844 and the parish’s naming predates the birth of Alexandra by six years.

In 1868, the Borough of Alexandria was formed, after separating from Waterloo. The former Alexandria Town Hall is in Garden Street. Land for the building was acquired in 1879; the building was designed by Ferdinand Reuss Snr and completed in 1881. Major alterations took place over the years, right up to 1928. The building is listed on the State Heritage Register.

By 1943, Alexandria was the largest industrial district in Australia, and known as the “Birmingham of Australia”, with everything from bricks to aeroplanes manufactured in 550 factories in just 1,000 acres (4.0 km2). The municipality was abolished upon merger into the City of Sydney in 1949, along with Darlington, Erskineville, Newtown, Redfern, Waterloo, Paddington and Glebe.

In 1968 the boundaries were changed again and Alexandria was part of a new municipality, South Sydney Council. South Sydney was brought back into the City of Sydney in 1982 and then became separate again under the City of Sydney Act of 1988. In 2004, Alexandria moved back into the City of Sydney, when the City of Sydney was merged with the City of South Sydney. .