Chipping Norton

Chipping Norton was gazetted as a suburb of the Parish of Holsworthy on 7 April 1972.

Colonial Land Grants

There were several land grants of varying sizes made in the Moorebank and Chipping Norton areas in the early 1800s, but not much is known about Chipping Norton in the middle of the nineteenth century. The land changed hands quite often, possibly due to the Tucoreah-Georges River flooding. Chipping Norton is located in the deep sweep of the Georges Rives as it changes course from north to east.

^{Old Milperra Bridge crossing the Georges River, Chipping Norton, 1965}

Horse Breeding

In the 1880s, William Alexander Long, a politician and racehorse breeder, purchased land in the area and built a large homestead, stables and a private racecourse. He named this property Chipping Norton after an English town of the same name in Oxfordshire. Chipping Norton Homestead is a late Victorian Italianate style villa built in the late 1880s that still stands in Charlton Avenue.

Long was an enthusiastic horse breeder who bred and trained Grand Flaneur at Warwick Farm, winner of the 1880 Melbourne Cup. Grand Flaneur Beach at Chipping Norton Lakes is named after the horse. The horse died in 1900 and was buried at Chipping Norton. Long sold Warwick Farm (then called Warwick Park) to William Forrester in 1882 and returned to England in 1901, staying for several years. He died at Lewisham in 1915.

Sand Mining

There was a sand mine operated by Liverpool City Council in the area of Chipping Norton Lakes.

^{Grand Flaneur Beach at Chipping Norton Lakes, 6 July 1995}

Soldier Settlement Scheme

After William Long’s death, the Commonwealth Repatriation Department purchased land in Chipping Norton for a soldier settlement scheme in 1919. Chipping Norton was sub-divided into small farm blocks for soldiers who had participated in World War I.

Chipping Norton Public School

Chipping Norton Public School was established in 1920 at the request of residents. It opened on 24 May 1920 with 25 children enrolled. The school was originally held in a converted stable on the Chipping Norton property, but in 1922 it moved to its current location.