In the 1980s Bowden-Brompton  was a mixture of housing, factories, shops and small offices and warehouses. I was surprised by this mixture,  given that Bowden is less than 4 kilometres from Adelaide’s CBD and adjacent to the Adelaide Parklands.  It was  similar in location to inner suburbs  like Parkside and Kent Town.

When I was living in Bowden I  always wondered why an industrial zone with its contaminated land  was located so close to  the parklands.

Obviously the inner western suburbs of Adelaide  had been earmarked for industrial land  in the early 20th century by the urban planners, if not before.    It was probably in the 19th century that Bowden and Hindmarsh were  earmarked as Adelaide’s industrial heartland and manufacturing.   In the 1980s we  are looking at the history  of these older industrial areas.