Conservation and redevelopment works to this imposing residence, originally built in the 1850s, with extensive additions in the 1890s, were completed in 1997. Facilities now include offices, meeting and seminar rooms, reception and an enclosed courtyard and expansive verandahs for entertaining.
In accordance with Georgian principles, the buildings and the precinct layout display formal symmetrical arrangements. The four main residences along the front of the Prison, built for the senior officers, are no exception. No 18 The Terrace, the most southerly of the residences, and No 8, the most northerly of these original buildings, are mirror images of each other. The two houses were built with 2 sitting rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 dressing rooms, a kitchen, a water closet and a shed.
Verandahs were added in 1874 to assist in the care of the limestone walls which had been rendered shortly after the building was complete. The verandahs also provided some relief in the summer months. It is known that the verandahs were used as sleepouts from the 1930s through to the 1950s.
No 18 remained as a residence until the 1970s when it was taken over for administrative purposes. In the 1980s the building was converted for use as a prison officers' recreation facility when a number of unsympathetic changes were made.
To assist in minimising the damage by rising damp a number of works were undertaken as part of the site's redevelopment. These included replacement of the concrete verandah with timber boards to a known former state and the removal of cement rich render from the lower half of the ground floor exterior walls. The under floor vents were reinstated and a lime render applied to protect the limestone walls, both allowing the building to breath more easily. Glass panels in the floor of the old dining room allow visitors to view the basement.
The architectural services for this project were led by Christopher Paterson of Kevin Palassis Architects. Sizer Builders carried out the work. The project was managed by the Department of Contract and Management Services.
(Currently Houses: Centre for Excellence in Teaching)
Technical Diagrams
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© Fremantle Prison 2002
