 The councillors met for the first time at the World's End Hotel in Magill on 12 June 1853.Henry Septimus Clark was Secretary and Engineer with the council, and Joseph Crompton of Stonyfell was employed by him and took over much of his work when he fell ill.In 1855 the population of the council area was 3,705, higher by a thousand than the adjacent Town of Kensington and Norwood.