Alderley

Alderley is a residential suburb, 6 km north of Central Brisbane. It is on the Ferny Grove railway line (1899) and adjoins the south side of Kedron Brook.

An elevated suburb, it was described as worthless bushland inhabited by a few cattle and settlers, with clayey soil suitable for bricks and pottery. The origin of the name is uncertain. Alderley Edge is a panoramic hill south-west of Stockport in Cheshire, England. In any event, the name came to the district in 1882 when the Alderley post office was opened, and confirmed in 1886 when the Alderley Arms Hotel in Samford Road was licensed.

The Raymont family planted Brisbane's first vineyard in the region in the 1860s. The Raymonts went on to operate the post office, store and, in the 1920s, a petrol station in Enoggera Road. Raymont Road commemorates the family's contribution to the development of the suburb.

In 1899 Alderley railway station was opened on the Enoggera railway line, serving mainly rural interests. Fifty years were to pass before the Samford Road tramline was extended through Alderley, a belated recognition of Alderley's urban growth. In the 1920s the post office directory recorded a few stores in Samford Road, two blacksmiths, the hotel, a Baptist church and a picture theatre. By 1949 there were several more shops, Anglican, Catholic and Methodist churches and several industries: Alderley Biscuit factory, Monier Pipe Co and, in Royal Parade, a boiling down works. On the north-east side of the railway, between Newmarket and Alderley stations, there was the Newmarket brickworks (1912-87). The heritage-listed chimney in Mina Parade marks its location.

There is no school in Alderley. The main recreation area is Sedgeley Park, which has a swimming pool. A sense of open space, however, is gained from Alderley's allotments. Shops are at the junction of Samford and South Pine Road, with a drive-in supermarket.

Alderley's census populations have been: