Albany Convict Gaol also known as the Old Gaol is a restored gaol that operates as a museum in

Albany, Western Australia Albany ( ; ) is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a part of King G ...

Description

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. The entire prison area is surrounded by stone walls studded with glass from broken bottles.

History

The gaol was established in 1852 for imperial convicts transported to Albany as

skilled labour Skill is a measure of the amount of worker's expertise, specialization, wages, and supervisory capacity. Skilled workers are generally more trained, higher paid, and have more responsibilities than unskilled workers. Skilled workers have long had ...

ers. 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 Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

from England from between 1850 and 1868 often served their time in the gaol. Many of the convicts arriving had their

ticket of leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in United Kingdom, Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. ...

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. The gaol was extended in 1873 and became a public prison, with other buildings on the site being converted to housing for the town

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

s. Aboriginal prisoners were moved into the prison as a result of the increasing number of escapes from the town prison in Lawley Park. In 1875, the Great Hall, the women's cells and additional quarters for the warden were built. The gaol was last used in the 1930s during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

as a police lock-up. By 1941 the goal was put up for sale by the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

as it was declared unfit for habitation. It remained in a state of disrepair, but was restored between 1989 and 1996 to become a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

. In 2007, late night

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

tours of the gaol started.

References

{{reflist Museums in Western Australia 1852 establishments in Australia Prison museums in Australia Defunct prisons in Western Australia Heritage places in Albany, Western Australia Convictism in Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Albany