Darlinghurst Gaol
Encyclopedia
Darlinghurst Gaol was an Australia
n prison located in Darlinghurst
, New South Wales
. The site is bordered by Victoria, Burton and Forbes streets, with entrances on Forbes and Burton Streets.
The gaol was finally completed in 1885. The main material used for construction of the gaol is Sydney sandstone, cut into large blocks by convicts. Convict markings on the blocks are visible along the upper half of the wall on Darlinghurst Road. A tall circular chapel stands in the middle of the site, around which are sited the six rectangular cellblocks in a radial fashion.
Australian poet Henry Lawson
spent time incarcerated here during some of the turbulent years of his life and described the gaol as Starvinghurst Gaol due to meagre rations given to the inmates. The site is now open to the public as The National Art School. The last hanging at the gaol was in 1907.
Hangings were open to public viewing throughout several decades. People would gather at the front gate of the gaol in Forbes Street, and the condemned would be brought out on a platform built above the gaol gate. The public executioner Alexander Green lived for a time in a hut outside the eastern wall of the gaol, would then leave his house to the jeers and catcalls of the gathering crowd, enter the prison and do his job. Seventy-six people were hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol, but most of them met their demise on the scaffold inside the gaol in a corner of E-wing.
was established in 1995 and is now the sole occupant of the site. The Darlinghurst Road side of the Gaol, (commonly known as "the wall") has for many years been a popular place for male prostitutes to offer their services.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n prison located in Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The site is bordered by Victoria, Burton and Forbes streets, with entrances on Forbes and Burton Streets.
History
Construction on Darlinghurst Gaol wall began in 1822, with completion of some of the cellblocks in 1840. The gaol was ready for occupation in a year later, with the first prisoners occupying the gaol on 7 June 1841.The gaol was finally completed in 1885. The main material used for construction of the gaol is Sydney sandstone, cut into large blocks by convicts. Convict markings on the blocks are visible along the upper half of the wall on Darlinghurst Road. A tall circular chapel stands in the middle of the site, around which are sited the six rectangular cellblocks in a radial fashion.
Australian poet Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
spent time incarcerated here during some of the turbulent years of his life and described the gaol as Starvinghurst Gaol due to meagre rations given to the inmates. The site is now open to the public as The National Art School. The last hanging at the gaol was in 1907.
Hangings were open to public viewing throughout several decades. People would gather at the front gate of the gaol in Forbes Street, and the condemned would be brought out on a platform built above the gaol gate. The public executioner Alexander Green lived for a time in a hut outside the eastern wall of the gaol, would then leave his house to the jeers and catcalls of the gathering crowd, enter the prison and do his job. Seventy-six people were hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol, but most of them met their demise on the scaffold inside the gaol in a corner of E-wing.
Modern-day use
The site was transferred in 1921 to the New South Wales Department of Education, who adapted the building for use as the East Sydney Technical College. The National Art SchoolNational Art School
The National Art School is an art school in Sydney, Australia. It is a Public Company Limited by Guarantee with a board of directors. It has Institutional Registration and Course Accreditation supported by the DET Higher Education Directorate....
was established in 1995 and is now the sole occupant of the site. The Darlinghurst Road side of the Gaol, (commonly known as "the wall") has for many years been a popular place for male prostitutes to offer their services.
Notable prisoners
- Louisa Collins, last woman to hang in NSW. (Her principal trial is online.http://www.law.mq.edu.au/scnsw/Cases1888/R%20v%20Collins,%201888.htm)
- Henry LawsonHenry LawsonHenry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
, Australian writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary... - Andrew George Scott, known as "Captain Moonlite", Australian bushrangerBushrangerBushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
- Jimmy GovernorJimmy GovernorJimmy Governor was one of the Governor brothers, two Indigenous Australian men who committed a series of murders in the Central West region of New South Wales around the turn of the twentieth century....
, upon whom Thomas Keneally's novel "The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith" was based - Albert Thomas DryerAlbert Thomas DryerAlbert Thomas Dryer was an Australian medical doctor and supporter of Irish republicanism. The founder of the Irish National Association of Australasia and the Australian League for an Undivided Ireland, Dryer was a noted campaigner on behalf of the Irish community in Australia and the republican...
, founder of the Irish National Association of AustralasiaIrish National Association of AustralasiaThe Irish National Association of Australasia is an incorporated association based in Sydney, Australia... - Charles Sandys Packer, prominent Australian Composer, Musician, Organist, Pianist and Singer
- Frank GardinerFrank GardinerFrank Gardiner was a noted Australian bushranger of the 19th century. He was born in Scotland about 1827 and migrated from to Australia as a child with his parents in 1834,. His real name was Francis Christie, though he often used one of several other aliases including Gardiner, Clarke or Christie...
, Australian bushrangerBushrangerBushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
and mastermind of the Forbes gold escort robbery at Eugowra on 15 June 1862 (sentenced to 32 year, but pardoned early) - Clarke brothersClarke brothersThe Clarke brothers were Australian bushrangers active in New South Wales the late 19th century.The Clarke brothers, Thomas and John and James, were from Braidwood, New South Wales. From 1865 they were active around the area that became the Australian Capital Territory, where they held up stations,...
, Thomas and John, bushrangers from the upper Shoalhaven in south-east New South Wales, hanged on 25 June 1867 - John DunnJohn DunnJohn Dunn may refer to:*John Dunn , English professional footballer for Aston Villa and Charlton Athletic*Jack Dunn , minor league baseball owner and manager*Jack Dunn , British figure skater...
, Australian bushrangerBushrangerBushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
, member of Ben Hall's gang, hanged in the gaol on 19 March 1866
Further reading
- Deborah Beck, Hope in Hell: a history of Darlinghurst Gaol and the National Art School, Allen and Unwin, 2005
External links
- National Art School - The school occupying the site today
- reference and article (CC-by-sa) in the Dictionary of SydneyDictionary of SydneyThe Dictionary of Sydney is a digital humanities project to produce an online, expert-written encyclopedia of all aspects of the history of Sydney. The project is a partnership between the City of Sydney, the University of Sydney, the State Library of New South Wales, the State Records Authority of...