All about the history and heritage of Strathfield
Nipper Street Homebush is a new street near the former EMI/HMV record factory. Named after the ‘His Masters Voice’ dog, it runs parallel to Columbia Lane and has a thematic musical past. The area features high rise units, a small open space for recreation, and references to Nipper and the EMI/HMV logo. Nearby Gramophone Lane was named after the Columbia Gramophone studios, known for recording Australian luminaries from 1926 to 1954.
The Strathfield South Public Housing Project of the late 1940s aimed to address housing shortages post-WWII, particularly for lower income families and returned servicemen. The 1930s Depression and WWII led to a halt in building activity in NSW, with an estimated 80,000 homes not built due to each crisis. By the end of WWII, Sydney faced a 90,000-house shortfall, exacerbated by returning servicemen. The NSW Government acquired land from the Ebenezer Ford estate in Strathfield South in 1945, leading to a new subdivision plan that would provide housing for over 400 people in single-storey dwellings with two or three bedrooms.
