The first land grants in Surry Hills were made in the 1790s. Major
Joseph Foveaux received . His property was known as Surry Hills Farm, after the
Surrey Hills in
Surrey, England. Foveaux Street is named in his honour. Commissary John Palmer received . He called the property George Farm and in 1800 Palmer also bought Foveaux's farm. In 1792, the boundaries of the Sydney Cove settlement were established between the head of Cockle Bay to the head of Woolloomooloo Bay. West of the boundary, which included present-day Surry Hills, was considered suitable for farming and was granted to military officers and free settlers. After Palmer's political failures, his reduced financial circumstances forced the first subdivision and sale of his estate in 1814.
Isaac Nichols bought Allotment 20, comprising over . Due to the hilly terrain, much of the suburb was considered remote and 'inhospitable'. In the early years of the nineteenth century the area around what is now
Prince Alfred Park was undeveloped land known as the Government Paddocks or Cleveland Paddocks. A few villas were built in the suburb in the late 1820s. The suburb remained one of contrasts for much of the nineteenth century, with the homes of wealthy merchants mixed with that of the commercial and working classes. In 1820, Governor Macquarie ordered the consecration of the
Devonshire Street Cemetery. A brick wall was erected before any interments took place to enclose its . Within a four-year period the cemetery was expanded by the addition of to its south. A road was formed along the southern boundary of the cemetery in the first half of the 1830s and was called Devonshire Street. The Devonshire Street Cemetery, where many of the early settlers were buried, was later moved to build the Sydney railway terminus.
Central railway station was opened on 4 August 1906. The area around Cleveland and Elizabeth streets was known as
Strawberry Hills. Strawberry Hills post office was located at this intersection for many years. In 1833, the Nichols estate was subdivided and sold. One purchase was by Thomas Broughton and subsequently acquired by George Hill who constructed Durham Hall on this and adjoining lots. Terrace houses and workers' cottages were built in Surry Hills from the 1850s. Light industry became established in the area, particularly in the
rag trade (clothing industry). It became a working class suburb, predominately inhabited by Irish immigrants. The suburb developed a reputation for crime and vice. The Sydney underworld figure
Kate Leigh (1881–1964), lived in Surry Hills for more than 80 years. In 1896
Patineur Grotesque one of Australia's first
films and first comedy routine filmed was shot in Prince Alfred Park by
Marius Sestier. In 1927 the city engineer Mr Coulson submitted a plan to the
City of Sydney council proposing "new main arterial roads" in a remodelling scheme for Surry Hills. The government enacted legislation during 1945-1951 to require all municipalities to prepare 'town plans' for the purpose of guiding future development for a thirty year period (to 1975). In 1948, there was a proposal for Surry Hills by the Municipal County for Sydney titled Sunny Hills. This proposed the almost complete demolition of Surry Hills and redevelopment of the street plan to accommodate a new expressway
Trams running into
Elizabeth Street in the early 1940s The West Kensington via Surry Hills Line operated from 1881 down
Crown Street as far as Cleveland Street as a steam tramway. It was extended to Phillip Street in 1909, Todman Avenue in 1912, and then to its final terminus down Todman Avenue in 1937. When the line was fully operational it branched from the tramlines in Oxford Street and proceeded down Crown Street to Cleveland Street in Surry Hills, then south along Baptist Street to Phillip Street, where it swung left into Crescent Street before running south along Dowling Street. It passed the Dowling Street Depot, then turned left into Todman Avenue, where it terminated at
West Kensington. The line along Crown Street closed in 1957, the remainder stayed open until 1961 to allow access to
Dowling Street Tram Depot.
Transdev John Holland routes 301, 302 and 303 generally follow the route down Crown and Baptist Streets as far as Phillip Street. == Urban character ==