Norwood

Norwood is a suburb of Adelaide, about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of the Adelaide city centre.

Norwood is a suburb of Adelaide, about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of the Adelaide city centre. The suburb is in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, whose predecessor was the oldest South Australian local government municipality.

Before British colonisation of South Australia and subsequent European settlement, Norwood was inhabited by one of the groups who later collectively became known as the Kaurna peoples.Early settler Edward Stephens, who arrived in the colony in 1839, wrote: "Norwood and Kent Town were unknown then. The site of the present Norwood was then a magnificent gum forest, with an undergrowth of kangaroo grass, too high in places for a man to see over; in fact persons lost their way in going from Adelaide to Kensington in those days, through attempting a short or near cut across the country".Norwood is named after Norwood, then a village south of London. The new village east of Adelaide was first laid out in 1847. The former City of Kensington and Norwood was the first outside of the City of Adelaide to receive the right to set up their own municipal corporation. The charter of the town was given on 7 July 1853 by the Governor, Sir Henry Young.

The first permanent street-based public transport service in Adelaide was provided in Norwood and Kensington, and these suburbs were also the first to be served by electric trams. The Adelaide and Suburban Tramway Company, the first horse-drawn tram company, started laying tracks from the City of Adelaide to Norwood and Kensington in 1877, with the first trams running in June 1878. The Adelaide and Suburban Tramway Company was acquired by the Municipal Tramways Trust, and the Kensington line converted to an electric tramway in 1909. The interim Kensington terminus was at The Parade/Gurrs Road intersection, before being extended, as part of the network of Adelaide trams, to serve the recently created reserve up The Parade at Kensington Gardens.Until 1952, the service was linked in with the other eastern suburbs tramlines and terminated in the city, but in that year it was "though routed" with trams running to Henley Beach. The tramway closed in February 1957.

In February 1951 the Jubilee Cycling Arena, aka Norwood Velodrome, opened on Osmond Terrace. It was a steeply banked concrete velodrome, with six laps to the mile, designed by Eddie Smith. During the summer, there were races held every Friday night. It became a popular spot for keen cyclists, and was also used as a venue for square dancing in the 1950s.In 1965 over A$11,000 was raised by cyclists of the Norwood Cycling Club to re-concrete the track.In 1970, residents organised protests and a green ban in order to stop the destruction of the Norwood Velodrome for high-rise apartments. However, Norwood Council sold the velodrome and surrounding land to real estate developers in 1981.

Norwood is known for its many restaurants and shops selling fashion and goods of all kinds. It also plays host to a variety of events and festivals throughout the year.

The Star Theatre is on the corner of The Parade and Queen Street. Originally the Star Theatre, with its entrance on The Parade, the operator was D. Clifford Theatres/Star Theatres by 1946. Later it was taken over by Greater Union Cinemas and renamed the Odeon Theatre. It closed as a cinema, reopening in 1986 as a live theatre specialising in children's productions, at which time the entrance was moved around the corner onto Queen Street, and the original foyer converted into restaurant (as of 2020 St Louis).

As of 2020, the venue is home to Australian Dance Theatre, which offers dance classes to adults. The venue is hired out for various performing arts events, such as the Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Fringe and State Theatre Company of South Australia performances.