The area was originally named SoftstoneorSoftstone Pocket by James Strong, one of the original settlers.[7][8] In May 1887 it was announced that the Softstone Pocket railway siding on the South Coast railway line would be renamed Tennyson. Local businessman Edgar Wright Walker is said to have proposed the area be renamed Tennyson after the BritishpoetAlfred Tennyson.[7][9][10]
In April 1888, 255 suburban lots in the Tennyson Estate were auctioned by R.J. Cottell on behalf of the Queensland Deposit Bank.[11]
Tennyson State School opened on 18 June 1934 at Lofter Street. It closed on 31 December 1972.[12] Tennyson Special School opened on 30 January 1973 on the former Tennyson State School site, being renamed Tennyson Specific Purpose School in 2010.[12]
Tennyson Power House (from the Brisbane River), 1961
Barrett Adolescent Centre Special School opened on 29 January 1985 as a special school at The Park Centre for Mental Health at Wacol for students attending the centre as inpatients or outpatients. In 2014 it relocated to be adjacent to Yeronga State High School and then to former Tennyson State School site.[12]
In the 2011 census, Tennyson had a population of 859 people, 51% female and 49% male.[17] The median age of the Tennyson population was 41 years, four years above the Australian median. 70.8% of people living in Tennyson were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%. The other top responses for country of birth were England 4.1%, New Zealand 2.4%, Philippines 1.3%, Germany 1.2%, United States of America 1%. 83.6% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 1.2% Vietnamese, 0.9% Spanish, 0.8% Invented Languages, 0.8% Korean, 0.6% Filipino.[17]
In the 2016 census, Tennyson had a population of 1,019 people.[18]
In the 2021 census, Tennyson had a population of 1,109 people.[1]
There are no general-purpose schools in Tennyson. The nearest government primary schools are Sherwood State School in neighbouring Sherwood to the south-west or Yeronga State SchoolinYeronga to the north-east. The nearest secondary school is Yeronga State High School in Yeronga.[5]
St Joseph's, Gregory Terrace, an upper primary and secondary boys' school has extensive playing fields and a rowing shed on the banks of Oxley Creek which forms the western boundary of the suburb.
^"Advertising". The Queenslander. Vol. VIII, no. 410. Queensland, Australia. 13 December 1873. p. 1. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^"The Brisbane Courier". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XLIII, no. 9, 157. Queensland, Australia. 21 May 1887. p. 5. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Advertising". The Telegraph. No. 4, 839. Queensland, Australia. 14 April 1888. p. 10. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
