Street Names: Crystal & Palace Streets Petersham

When Petersham railway station was first opened in 1855 it was called Sydenham Station as the surrounding area was known as Sydenham Farms.

The Farms were split up and sold during the mid 1850s and around this time two streets were renamed after the Crystal Palace which was designed for the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and built in the London suburb of Sydenham.  Cattle Road became Palace Street and Balmain Road (south of Parramatta Road) became Crystal Street.

The sketch below is from a map of the Plan of Sydenham, Parramatta Road, which was the plan for changes after the sale of the farms which began in 1854. The sketch shows the name of the station as Sydenham, but clicking the sketch will take you to the online map which also shows the road name changes and the location of “Sydenham Station” which we now know as Petersham.