Tramway MonumentPrint Page

The monument commemorates the extension of the Sydney tram service to Ryde. The monument is now located to the west of the City of Ryde Council building, in a small pocket of landscaped open space south of the Council carpark, fronting Blaxland Road. The monument originally held a street lamp. 

Hatton`s Flat was the terminus of the Ryde Line of the Sydney Tramway System opened in June 1908. After many years of campaigning for the service by the people and the Council of Ryde. When work finally began on the extension of the line from Drummoyne to Ryde in December, 1908 a sod-turning ceremony was held and this monument was erected as an ornamental street lamp to commemorate the occasion. The monument was erected at the intersection of Church Street and Blaxland Road, Ryde but was later moved, minus the lamp, to a road island in Devlin Street at Hatton`s Flat.

Later again, during the construction of the Ryde Civic Centre in 1962-3, was relocated to the bus terminus at Ryde, and then outside the Civic Centre in Devlin Street.  In 2019 it was relocated again to as close as possible to its original location.

One of the greatest assemblages in the history of Ryde marked the turning of the first sod of the extension of the metropolitan tramway service from Drummoyne to Hatton's Flat by Mr. Lee, Minister for Works, yesterday. The town was gaily decorated with bunting, and the arrangements for the celebrations carried out by the Mayor, Alderman D. M. Anderson, and a representative committee, were as effective as could be desired. The Minister turned the first sod of the tramway with a silver spade presented by the people of Ryde, and then unveiled a fine street lamp at the intersection of Church and Parkes streets, erected to permanently commemorate the day. 
Sunday Times (Sydney),13 December 1908.

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