Dominating the Main Cell Block is the Anglican Chapel, described as 'one of the finest and certainly the most intact of early prison chapels in Australia'.
Fremantle Prison, 1859, Henry Wray
Courtesy National Library Of Australia
The Prison was built with running water to each cell. However the basins were removed by the 1860s because of foul smells that came back up the pipes, being before ‘s' bend technology was introduced to stop this. The poor quality of fittings meant there was a lot of water leaking, leaving puddles and attracting insects, which increased the need to remove the basins. They were never replaced. Toilets were never installed in cells and prisoners continued to use buckets for their needs until the Prison closed in 1991.
Following a Royal Commission into conditions at the Prison, held in the late 1890s, the cells were increased in size by knocking down a wall between two cells. Walls were also erected within the cell range to created four separate divisions. These allowed for the segregation of men according to the nature of their crime. Electricity was introduced to the Main Cell Block in the second decade of the twentieth century. Only lights were installed and these initially could only be used between April and November. Power points were not installed in the cells until the 1980s.
Amongst the highlights for visitors to the site today is a set of cells which reproduces conditions in cells across the life of the Prison. In the six cells, the changes to living arrangements are documented, showing how very little things really changed in the 136 years the Prison operated.
Technical Diagrams
These diagrams can be viewed with the free 'Volo View' viewer, which is available - and supported - from the Autodesk website. Please direct any questions about this software to the program's authors.
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© Fremantle Prison 2002
