Stanmore was named by a prosperous saddler, John Jones, who purchased land in 1835 where Newington College now stands and called it the Stanmore Estate. Jones named it after his birthplace of Stanmore, now a north-west suburb of London. Land in the present Stanmore area was first allocated to colonial officers by Governor Phillip between 1793 and 1810. Thomas Rowley owned Kingston Farm which occupied the eastern half of Stanmore and much of Newtown, and a portion of George Johnston's Annandale Farm estate covered the area south of Parramatta Road containing Annandale House built in 1799 on the hill between Macaulay and Albany Roads. Johnston marched from here with his troops to Castle Hill on 5 March 1804 to quell the convict revolt. He also rode from here on 26 January 1808 to arrest Governor Bligh during the Rum Rebellion. Johnston planted the first Norfolk pines on the Australian mainland along the line of Percival Road, leading to Parramatta Road. Stanmore Road was constructed in 1835 and early development occurred in this area. In 1855, the railway divided Stanmore into areas known as North and West Kingston north of the railway, and South Kingston south of the railway. The Kingston Farm had been sold to James Holt in 1835, and North Kingston was subdivided in 1854. South Kingston was slowly subdivided from 1857 with isolated large houses built between 1860 and 1870. It was not until the late 19th century that the name Stanmore came into more regular use, replacing Kingston. Municipal boundaries established in 1861 and 1871 placed most of Stanmore into the Municipality of Petersham, with the area south of Stanmore Rd placed into the Municipality of Marrickville. In 1878, Stanmore railway station was established and the streets west of Percival Road were laid out. More intensive development subsequently occurred in this area and the name Stanmore slowly moved northwards from Stanmore to Parramatta Roads. Stanmore became a desirable location, booming in the 1880s and 1890s with the opening of Newington College and the Percival Road shopping area. The naming of streets after English colonies between Derby and Stafford streets reflected the English values of the time. The final subdivision of Johnston's South Annandale estate took place in 1905, and building was not completed until 1916-1918. Annandale House was demolished in 1905, and Weekley Park was established on land donated by the Johnston family. A small amount of light industry was established in the early 1920s in the area close to Parramatta Road, including H. Small and Co., a chocolate maker opening in 1928, and Starkeys Cordials. Both establishments have since closed and their premises have been converted into offices and apartments.
Heritage listings
Stanmore has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
In the 2016 Census, there were 7,938 people in Stanmore. 64.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 4.0%, New Zealand 2.3%, Italy 1.5%, China 1.4% and Greece 1.3%. 71.5% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Greek 2.7%, Italian 2.3%, Portuguese 1.9%, Spanish 1.7% and Mandarin 1.6%. The most common responses for religion in Stanmore were No Religion, 44.7%, Catholic 21.5%, Not stated 12.2%, Anglican 7.7% and Eastern Orthodox 4.1%.
Stanmore is home to Newington College, an independentGPS boys school, the state primary Stanmore Public School and Saint Michael's Catholic Primary. Both Newington and Stanmore Public are of heritage significance and the main buildings of distinguished designs. Of Newington's design by Thomas Rowe the architectural historian said: Of Stanmore Public School's design by Blackmann and Parkes Herman said:
Sport and recreation
Apart from the private facilities at Newington College, sporting and recreation facilities in Stanmore are limited to a handful of small parks and playgrounds including Weekley Park, Crammond Park and Montague Gardens. Stanmore does lend its name, however, to the Stanmore Hawks soccer club which plays in the NSW State League Division One, the third tier of senior soccer in Sydney.
Churches
Churches in Stanmore include St Michael's Catholic Church, St Augustine's Anglican Church, West Kingston Uniting Church, and Stanmore Baptist Church.
Notable people
Notable people from or who have lived in Stanmore include:
