Mason Cove, Port Arthur_img 0263
The view here is roughly southwest. Immediately across the cove from the lobster boat is the Penitentiary, with the ruin of the Hospital lying father up the hill on the left.
The term “Penitentiary” is something of a misnomer. It would be more accurate to describe it as a “Convict Barracks”. The central section was originally a flour mill and granary built between 1843 and 1845 but already by the end of the decade its operation was proving problematic. At the same time the rough timber structures originally built to house the prisoners were in serious disrepair. For these reasons, between 1854 and 1857, the mill was remodelled to serve as convict accommodations.
The completed building had four stories. The two lower floors contained 136 cells for “prisoners of bad character” who were undergoing additional punishment. The top floor provided space for 480 better behaved convicts to sleep on bunks. These convicts ate in the Mess Hall that was constructed on the floor below, while the men on the first two floors were fed in their cells.
All convicts worked at various jobs during the day; and a large industrial area near the Penitentiary included workshops where prisoners worked and were trained in a range of skills such as carpentry, shoemaking and blacksmithing. At night classes in literacy and numeracy were offered in the Mess—which by 1871 was reputed to hold some 13,000 books.
The Penitentiary was gutted by fire in 1897 and lay derelict until the 1960’s when a concerted conservation program began. As of 2014 it is undergoing further conservation work—as is evident in this photograph.
The Hospital had four 18-bed wards. At the end of the century, well after the penal settlement had closed, it was in the process of being converted to a Catholic boys college when it was burnt out in the 1895 bushfires. It was rebuilt only to be burnt again in the 1897 fires. The ruin is now stabilised and is accessible to the public.
Note: For more more photographs and additional information about Port Arthur, see my other images in this series (images 0254 to 0264).
© Irwin Reynolds, all rights reserved. If you are interested in using one of my images or would like a high quality fine art print, please send an email to irwinreynolds@me.com.
Mason Cove, Port Arthur_img 0263
The view here is roughly southwest. Immediately across the cove from the lobster boat is the Penitentiary, with the ruin of the Hospital lying father up the hill on the left.
The term “Penitentiary” is something of a misnomer. It would be more accurate to describe it as a “Convict Barracks”. The central section was originally a flour mill and granary built between 1843 and 1845 but already by the end of the decade its operation was proving problematic. At the same time the rough timber structures originally built to house the prisoners were in serious disrepair. For these reasons, between 1854 and 1857, the mill was remodelled to serve as convict accommodations.
The completed building had four stories. The two lower floors contained 136 cells for “prisoners of bad character” who were undergoing additional punishment. The top floor provided space for 480 better behaved convicts to sleep on bunks. These convicts ate in the Mess Hall that was constructed on the floor below, while the men on the first two floors were fed in their cells.
All convicts worked at various jobs during the day; and a large industrial area near the Penitentiary included workshops where prisoners worked and were trained in a range of skills such as carpentry, shoemaking and blacksmithing. At night classes in literacy and numeracy were offered in the Mess—which by 1871 was reputed to hold some 13,000 books.
The Penitentiary was gutted by fire in 1897 and lay derelict until the 1960’s when a concerted conservation program began. As of 2014 it is undergoing further conservation work—as is evident in this photograph.
The Hospital had four 18-bed wards. At the end of the century, well after the penal settlement had closed, it was in the process of being converted to a Catholic boys college when it was burnt out in the 1895 bushfires. It was rebuilt only to be burnt again in the 1897 fires. The ruin is now stabilised and is accessible to the public.
Note: For more more photographs and additional information about Port Arthur, see my other images in this series (images 0254 to 0264).
© Irwin Reynolds, all rights reserved. If you are interested in using one of my images or would like a high quality fine art print, please send an email to irwinreynolds@me.com.