 Albany Convict Gaol, north west corner | |
 | |
| Established | 1852 |
|---|---|
| Location | Albany, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 35°01′39″S117°52′50″E / 35.027528°S 117.880682°E Coordinates: 35°01′39″S117°52′50″E / 35.027528°S 117.880682°E |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 27 February 1996 |
| Reference no. | 37 |
Albany Convict Gaol also known as the Old Gaol is a restored gaol that operates as a museum in Albany, Western Australia.
Buildings within the gaol include the Great Hall, the warders' quarters and the cells. They are arranged around a central courtyard with a hiring depot located in the centre. [1] The entire prison area is surrounded by 12-foot (4 m) stone walls studded with glass from broken bottles. [2]
The gaol was established in 1852 [3] for imperial convicts transported to Albany as skilled labourers. [4] It initially consisted of a cell block for convicted men and quarters for the warden. The gaol was built with rehabilitation as a key principle and served not only to house inmates but as a hiring depot. Convicts who were sentenced to transportation from England from between 1850 and 1868 often served their time in the gaol. Many of the convicts arriving had their ticket of leave and were hired to work by the free settlers. Many worked on building the town jetty, manning the pilot boat and building the road to Perth. [4]
The gaol was extended in 1873 and became a public prison, with other buildings on the site being converted to housing for the town magistrates. Aboriginal prisoners were moved into the prison as a result of the increasing number of escapes from the town prison in Lawley Park. [5]
In 1875, the Great Hall, the women's cells and additional quarters for the warden were built. [6]
The gaol was last used in the 1930s during the Great Depression as a police lock-up. [6] By 1941 the goal was put up for sale by the Public Works Department as it was declared unfit for habitation. [7] It remained in a state of disrepair, but was restored between 1989 and 1996 to become a museum. [6] In 2007, late night ghost tours of the gaol started. [8]
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, 418 kilometres (260 mi) southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a part of King George Sound. The central business district is bounded by Mount Clarence to the east and Mount Melville to the west. The city is in the local government area of the City of Albany. It is the oldest colonial settlement in Western Australia, predating Perth and Fremantle by over two years.
The Maitland Gaol, also known as Maitland Correctional Centre, is a heritage-listed former Australian prison located in East Maitland, New South Wales. Its construction was started in 1844 and prisoners first entered the gaol in 1848. By the time of its closure, on 31 January 1998, it had become the longest continuously-run gaol in Australia. It has since been turned into a museum and is a popular tourist attraction. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Round House was the first permanent building built in the Swan River Colony. Built in late 1830 and opened in 1831, it is the oldest building still standing in Western Australia.
Horsemonger Lane Gaol was a prison close to present-day Newington Causeway in Southwark, south London. Built at the end of the 18th century, it was in use until 1878.
The Perth Gaol was a gaol (jail) built in Perth, the state capital of Western Australia, between 1854 and 1856 to house convicts and other prisoners. It is located just west of Beaufort Street.
The Newcastle Gaol Museum is a prison museum on Clinton Street in Toodyay, Western Australia, founded in 1962. The museum records the history of the serial escapee Moondyne Joe and his imprisonment in the "native cell".
The Pensioner Guards were English military personnel who served on convict transportation ships en route to the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1868, and were given employment and grants of land on arrival. Their initial employment lasted for six months, or the duration of the voyage, whichever was the longer time. After this they became "pensioners" and had to serve 12 days per year as well as whenever called upon. They paraded annually in Perth at the Pensioner Barracks.
The former Toodyay Court House in Toodyay, Western Australia has been used as municipal offices for Toodyay since the 1950s.
The history of Fremantle Prison, a former Australian prison in Fremantle, Western Australia, extends from its construction as a prison for convicts, using convict labour, in the 1850s, through to its modern-day usage as a tourist attraction. The design for Fremantle Prison was based on the Pentonville Prison in Britain, and it would be the longest, tallest prison cell block in the southern hemisphere. Construction began in 1851, and was completed by the end of 1859. The prison was transferred to the colonial government in 1886 for use for locally sentenced prisoners. Following a Royal Commission held in 1898−99, some changes were made to Fremantle Prison, including knocking down the inner wall between two cells, introducing a prisoner classification system, and constructing internal walls in the main block to create four separate divisions. A new cell block, New Division, was completed in 1907 and occupied in 1908.
The architecture of Fremantle Prison includes the six-hectare (15-acre) site of the former prison on The Terrace, Fremantle, in Western Australia. Limestone was quarried on-site during construction, and the south-western corner and eastern portion of the site are at a considerably higher ground level. The Fremantle Prison site includes the prison cell blocks, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, tunnels, and related infrastructure.
There have been various riots at Fremantle Prison, and other disturbances, over the years that it was operational. Fremantle Prison was built using convict labour during the 1850s, based on the design of Pentonville Gaol, and was used as the maximum security prison for male offenders in Western Australia. While there were some reforms following Royal Commissions in 1898−99 and 1911, significant changes to the operation of Fremantle Prison did not begin until the 1960s. One of the earliest incidents was in 1854, while major riots which occurred in 1968 and 1988 resulted in damage to the prison.
The Old Farm is located on Strawberry Hill in the suburb of Mira Mar in Albany, Western Australia. It is known as being the first farm in Western Australia.
The Rocks, also referred to as Government House or Government Cottage, is a residence in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Alfred Durlacher was the fifth resident magistrate to be appointed to Toodyay, Western Australia, serving between 1861 and 1865.
Owen Hackett (1809–1862) was one of a number of Enrolled Pensioner Guards (EPGs) that came to the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1868. Their role was to guard and oversee the work of the prisoners transported to Western Australia.
Patrick Taylor Cottage, also referred to as Patrick Taylor Cottage Museum, is a museum in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It the oldest surviving dwelling in Western Australia.
The Residency Museum, also referred to as the Albany Residency or Western Australian Museum - Albany, is a museum in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Toodyay Gaol stood on lot R66, close to the first Convict Hiring Depot, in the original townsite of Toodyay, now known as West Toodyay, in Western Australia. Although generally referred to as a gaol, it was technically a lock-up, holding prisoners only until they were brought before the resident magistrate.
Construction of the new Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot began in February 1852 and was completed by 1856. The depot was closed in 1872. The site chosen, Avon Location 110, was an area of Crown land measuring just over 45 acres (18 ha). It was situated approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream from the site of the previous Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot (1851) located at the Toodyay townsite. The previous depot had only ever been a temporary arrangement born of necessity when accommodation was required at short notice. The new depot site was surveyed by Francis Thomas Gregory in 1852.