Haberfield was named by early landholder Richard Stanton, after the financial benefactor of his wife's family, Lord Haberfield. Ms. Stanton's maiden name was Nichols.
Aboriginal prehistory The area which comprises Haberfield was part of the broader area in which lived people from the
Darug tribe known variously as the
Wangals or
Cadigals from the Eora nation. The modern-day Hawthorne Canal is believed to be the border between these two tribes. There is no specific evidence of indigenous settlement in the area. However, the area that is now Haberfield was one of the last areas in the inner-west to be developed and so, in the late 19th century, it again became a home to local
kooris.
European settlement Nicholas Bayly, a soldier, received the first land grant in the area in 1803 but sold it two years later to
Simeon Lord who called it Dobroyde Estate. Lord gave the land to his daughter Sarah Ann and her new husband David Ramsay as a wedding present in 1825 and it stayed in the hands of the Ramsay family until the end of the century. The Ramsays developed orchards in the area and built a number of fine houses for various members of the family, including Yasmar (Ramsay spelt backwards), and
St David's Presbyterian church, which was opened in 1869 with
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh in attendance. They also created four of the suburb's current streets: Ramsay Street, Dalhousie Street (named after the Ramsay's historic home in Scotland), Boomerang Street and Waratah Street. , commemorating a fig tree planted by
Prince Alfred upon its opening in 1869 . In 1901, landholder Richard Stanton bought from two Ramsay children and subdivided the area to create a garden suburb. Sydney had recently suffered outbreaks of the
bubonic plague in overcrowded parts of the inner city and the garden suburb movement was a response to that, encouraging fresh air. He also claimed the development to be "slumless, laneless and publess". The houses were designed by the architectural firm Spencer, Stansfield and Wormald. Stanton named the suburb 'Haberfield', after the English branch of his family. The fact that the development started in 1901 and a number of the early streets were named after prominent federal politicians has led to the suburb also being known as 'The Federation Suburb'.
Heritage The majority of houses in Haberfield are protected under a 'heritage order', which is the main reason why so many original
Victorian and Federation houses still exist in the area. Renovations and additions to both houses and properties must follow strict guidelines ensuring they stay true to the era's style. Some examples of rules include: banning the addition of second storeys unless in the existing roof space, banning the demolishing of any protected houses, ensuring a 50:50 ratio of 'hard surface' to 'soft surface' on the property, ensuring house exteriors are painted in federation colours. Houses must also have a roof consisting of terracotta or slate tiles. One notable landmark is
Yasmar, at 185 Parramatta Road. Formerly known as
Yasmar Hostel, this building was built circa 1870 of dressed stone, with a verandah and iron columns. It also features French windows and extensive cedar joinery, and is set in a lush garden. It was later part of Yasmar Juvenile Centre and is listed on the
Register of the National Estate.
21st century A proposal was made by
McDonald's to build a drive-through outlet on Parramatta Road in Haberfield in 2011. This was fiercely opposed by a group of local residents who wanted to preserve the suburb's "cultural and architectural heritage." The development application was rejected by Ashfield Council in 2009, however
McDonald's appealed to the
Land and Environment Court of New South Wales and the appeal was upheld in 2011, but with modifications to the proposed building. Following the opening of the McDonald's restaurant in Haberfield, there were complaints about odours coming from the site in 2012 and 2013. == Heritage listings ==