Windsor, Queensland

Windsor is an inner northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located about 3.5 km from the Brisbane central business district. It is largely residential, featuring many old Queenslanders, although there is also considerable retail commercial activity, primarily concentrated along Lutwyche and Newmarket Roads.

Demographics
In the, Windsor had a population of 6,389 people; 49.1% female and 50.9% male. The median age of the Windsor population was 33 years of age, 4 years below the Australian median. Children aged under 15 years made up 15.9% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 9.2% of the population. 71.9% of people living in Windsor were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%. The other top responses for country of birth were England 3.5%, New Zealand 3.4%, India 3%, Italy 1.4%, Nepal 1%. 82.7% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 2.2% Italian, 1% Mandarin, 0.9% Nepali, 0.8% Punjabi, 0.8% Hindi.

History
Land was first sold in this remote part of then New South Wales in 1854 and development was slow until the opening of the Bowen Bridge in 1860, named after the newly arrived first governor of Queensland, Sir George Bowen, allowing easier access to the district. At that time the district was known as Breakfast Creek or Upper Breakfast Creek. Distinctive homes including Rosemount, Oakwal, The Bower, Wilston House and Eildon were built on large portions of land.

In 1864, pioneer settlers approached the Government for aid to establish a local school. "The Bowen Bridge Road National School" consisted of a simple wooden building and headmaster's house erected on a stone foundation and opened on 17 July 1865 on Bowen Bridge Road, adjacent to Thondley's Farm. Sixteen students enrolled for the first day and by the end of the first year, 112 students were on the register. In 1915, the school transferred across the road and was renamed "Windsor State School". After World War I, the original school and headmaster's house was demolished and the land developed as the Windsor Memorial Park upon which a war memorial was constructed.

Swan Hill, O'Connell Town, Eildon, Albion, and Lutwyche were locality names before the appearance of the Windsor name when the shire council was formed.

The Shire of Windsor was formed in 1887. It was named after Windsor Castle in England as it was Queen Victoria's golden jubilee year. In July 1895 the Council decided to erect permanent chambers and consulted Brisbane-born architect Thomas Coutts, to design a council chambers. The first meeting of the Windsor Shire Council in the new premises was conducted on 9 March 1897. The building, constructed out of Brisbane tuff from the adjacent quarry, now home of the Windsor and Districts' Historical Society, is open every Sunday and Monday from 1–4 pm.

In 1904, Windsor Shire Council became the Windsor Town Council. It contained the suburbs of Lutwyche, Wilston Albion, Swan Hill, Eildon, O'Connell Town, The Grange (now simply Grange) and Wooloowin and portions of Kedron, Newmarket, and Eagle Junction.

In 1925, Windsor Town was amalgamated with 19 other shires and towns to form Greater Brisbane and former Windsor Town mayor, William Jolly became Mayor, and in the second term—Lord Mayor of Greater Brisbane.

The 1974 floods affected the suburb. Various streets close to Breakfast Creek were affected.

Transport
Windsor railway station provides access to regular Citytrain services to Ferny Grove, Brisbane and Beenleigh.

Prior to December 1968 the suburb was served by frequent Brisbane City Council tram services along Lutwyche Road, with routes converging from Chermside, Kalinga (until 1962), Stafford, and Grange the latter tram line branching off Lutwyche Road at Maygar street, on the border of Lutwyche and Windsor. These services combined to provide the suburb with an off-peak service of a tram every 2½ minutes along Lutwyche Road in the late 1950s.

Two former tramway electrical substations remain features of Lutwyche Road, near Albion Road. One of these now houses the heritage collection of the Queensland Electrical Engineers Association.

Windsor contains a corridor gazetted by the Queensland government since 1972 for the construction of the Northern Freeway between Bowen Hills and Carseldine. Although the freeway was not built, the official plan still exists and a freeway through Windsor may be constructed in the future. Part of the original Northern Freeway is now the Clem Jones Tunnel (Clem7). It emerges close to Campbell Street, Bowen Hills. Several businesses along Lutwyche Road in Windsor were resumed as part of this process and as part of the Airport Link Tunnel and Northern Busway projects. Several of these businesses have protested the City Council's moves.

Landmarks
In 1925, a Cenotaph was erected on the site of the old school in the memory of the men who had enlisted from the Town of Windsor and who had lost their lives in World War I. It was unveiled on 25 April 1925 (Anzac Day) by the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Windsor, Charles Taylor. A rotunda bandstand was erected in War Memorial Park and provided shelter for the Windsor Town Band, which played there on Sundays.

The former Windsor Shire Council Chambers is bounded by Lutwyche Road, Hawkins and Palmer Streets. The building was erected in 1896–97 and housed the offices and chambers of the Windsor Shire Council and Windsor Town Council until 1925. It was constructed by William Parsons from locally quarried porphyry (Brisbane tuff), with dressed sandstone facings and trimmings. It is capped with a corrugated iron gabled roof. A sandstone slab on the front gable bears the inscription Windsor Shire Council Chambers, with the word 'Shire' overwritten by 'Town'.

Downey Park, the so-called "home of women's sport in Brisbane" is located in Windsor. Just next to the park is the Northey St City Farm, which first opened in 1994 and provides hands-on education and training in agricultural activities. The farm also features a plant nursery and markets every Sunday morning.

Heritage listings
Windsor has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
 * 22, 25-27 Bess Street: Bess Street Brick Cottages
 * 16 Bryden Street: Skilmorlie
 * 50 Bush Street: Oakwal
 * 38 Crowther Street: The Grange
 * 10 Fosbery Street: Craigellachie
 * 189 Lutwyche Road: Rosemount Hospital
 * 270 Lutwyche Road: Windsor State School
 * 311 Lutwyche Road: Windsor War Memorial Park
 * 356 Lutwyche Road: former Windsor Town Quarry Park and Tramways Substation No. 6
 * 356 Lutwyche Road: former Windsor Shire Council Chambers
 * 23 Rupert Street: Kirkston
 * 43 Seventh Avenue: Boothville House

Notable residents
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman is a resident of the suburb.