By Cathy Jones
Cosgrove Reserve, Pemberton Street Strathfield is located on land granted to Henry Grattan Douglass in 1833. The land became part of the larger Potts Estate and in 1918 was transferred to George Bayley Smith, an insurance agent of Sydney, who transferred ownership in April 1922 to Arthur Rickard & Co Limited. The land measuring 70 perches was bounded by Barker Road, Pemberton Street and the freight line. The land was subdivided and market as the ‘Lealands Estate’ in 1935.
Land was allocated for a 
public garden and recreation space under the provision of the Local Government Act 1919, this was likely a condition of subdivision approval by Strathfield Council in the early 1930s. Council intended that the parkland would provide a buffer between the homes in Pemberton Street and the nearby railway line, which may explain the unusual shape of the park.
Cosgrove Reserve was named after Alderman William Cosgrove, Mayor of Strathfield [1940-43]. William Winter Cosgrove (1890-1952) served on Strathfield Council from 1930 to 1950. He was elected in November 1930 at a by-election created by the resignation of Alderman Pilgrim.
