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16 The Terrace

16 The Terrace

Conservation work at No 16 The Terrace to accommodate offices and seminar facilities was completed in September 1996 as part of the ongoing Fremantle Prison - Conservation and Future Use project.

The 1850s built No. 16 is one of four double storey houses on The Terrace, adjoining the outer western wall of the Fremantle Prison. Overlooking the town of Fremantle and the Indian Ocean, The Terrace houses still catch the sea breezes considered by Royal Engineer Henderson as ‘healthy’ over 140 years ago. The houses on The Terrace, built as residences for the senior officers of the convict establishment and their families, were larger and more refined than the small, terraced warder’s cottages built below the Prison in Henderson Street four years earlier. During colonial times No.16 was occupied by the Prison Superintendent and later by the Resident Magistrate. The building continued as a residence for Prison officers until the 1970s.

    
Heritage Pages:

1. Heritage
2. Archaeology
3. Strategic Plan
4. Bibliography
5. Buildings
    A Brief History
    Building Timeline
    Gatehouse
    Main Cell Block
    New Division
    2,4 and 6 The Terrace
    10 and 12 The Terrace
    16 The Terrace
    18 The Terrace
    West Workshops
    East Workshop
    Women's Prison
    Hospital

Henderson’s original design for the residence reinforces the austere symmetry of the overall layout of the Prison by mirroring another Terrace house, No. 10. The verandah was added to No. 16 in the 1860s due to climatic extremes of the colony, altering the countenance of the Terrace from simple Georgian to a more Victorian aesthetic. The original twin residences have been altered to accommodate the changing needs of the occupants and administration of the Prison over time to create two quite different places.

10 The Terrace

In 1975, conservation work was carried out on No. 16 to opened up and restored its cellars. From 1979 to 1994 , the former residence operated as the Fremantle Prison Museum. These activities have moved within the walls of the Prison freeing this space for redevelopment and lease. The on-going conservation of Number Sixteen highlights the dynamic process of continual care required in maintaining heritage places for future generations.

The conservation work on the former Superintendent’s house has allowed these layers of significance to be retained while providing a flexible working environment. Henderson’s simple plan has allowed the place to accommodate offices, including a meeting and seminar and support areas, with minimal intervention.

The architectural services for the project were provided by Bruce Robinson and Associates with Midcity Building and Maintenance carrying out the conservation works. The management of this project by the Department of Contract and Management Services has ensured that the adaptation of the former residence has retained the cultural heritage significance within the context of the Fremantle Prison.

(Currently Houses: UWA Department of Psychiatry — Primary Care Mental Health Unit)


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© Fremantle Prison 2002

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