ADELAIDE GAOL TRAIL A guide for teachers
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ADELAIDE GAOL TRAIL
A guide for teachers
Purpose of this guide
This booklet has been developed to support self guided education programs at the Adelaide Gaol. Its
primary purpose is to enhance the educational value of school visits, by providing information and suggested
student activities that assist teachers to confidently guide their class around this large site.
The ADELAIDE GAOL TRAIL: a guide for teachers can be used as a stand-alone experience for classes or
together with the ADELAIDE GAOL TRAIL: student activity booklet or individual activity sheets prepared by
the teacher.
This teacher resource
• is broadly aimed at classes from Year 5 to Year 9, but can be adapted for other age groups;
• includes general information about the Gaol’s main features, stories, concepts and more;
• highlights specific characteristics and provides focus at each of the main locations in the Gaol; and
• provides guidance and suggested tasks that enhance students’ observation skills and understanding.
How to use this guide
This guide (and all associated student activity materials) assumes some understanding and knowledge of
the history, layout, significance and specific vocabulary associated with the Adelaide Gaol. It is strongly
recommended that classes undertake appropriate learning activities prior to their visit (refer to Adelaide
Gaol Education Sheet: Pre-visit Information & Activities).
Both this teacher resource and any student activities are presented according to the main areas of interest
and the suggested visitor path used onsite at the Gaol. It has been written as cyclical – i.e. to start from and
return to the Gaol’s entry point. However, when two classes visit the site together, it is recommended that
the second group begins and ends its tour (after completing any ‘Front Entrance’ activities) at Four Yard.
In this resource, a separate page of notes and guidance information is presented for each of the main
sections of the Gaol. Each page offers teachers
• a short introduction to the area (History and use);
• notable aspects of the built fabric (Features);
• general themes that are associated with the location (Themes);
• focus points and observable evidence of past inhabitants and/or use (Don’t miss); and
• suggested discovery tasks or questions for students (Challenge).
Permanent interpretive panels and signage are installed around the Adelaide Gaol site for self guided public
visitors. These include 40 small maroon panels providing ‘snippets’ of information; 11 storyboards detailing
events and characters; and an interactive exhibition (“Time Inside”) expanding general themes of Gaol life,
punishment and escape. Teachers should refer to this interpretive material for additional facts and stories
beyond the background information provided in this teacher guide.
1Important general concepts
A MULTI-LAYERED SITE
It is important to remember that the Adelaide Gaol’s history spans 147 years – from 1841 to 1988. This
means that no site represents an exact point in time, so generalisations such as “They used to …” are not
appropriate.
Students should be aware that the Gaol has numerous historical, physical and story layers associated with
• the age and construction of buildings and structures (including some removal and/or replacement);
• alternative uses of yards, buildings and other structures;
• the types of prisoners incarcerated and their crimes;
• attitudes to, and the treatment of, prisoners (including capital punishment);
• rules, meals, routines, clothing, induction processes, etc; and
• personalities/characters – such as prisoners, warders, charitable groups, etc.
Sometimes it is relatively easy to recognise these individual physical and story layers, but at other times they
are more obscure. An interesting aspect of a visit can involve observing, comparing, recording and
discussing the evidence of the historical layers.
The Gaol’s location also has a broader history than just that associated with the actual Gaol. As evidenced
through archaeological excavations, there are historical and physical layers associated with Aboriginal
activities and early European settlement pre-1841. Events and conservation activities post-1988 have also
impacted on the Gaol as seen today.
LAYOUT
In a broad sense, the Adelaide Gaol has two distinct sections (refer to map on next page):
• the five 1840s yards (two completed 1841 and three 1849), which are arranged in a distinctive semi-
circular layout with cells opening into each yard and an outer wall surrounding the yards; and
• the 1879 ‘New Building’ which was constructed in a two-storey T-shape with internal-facing cells and
central corridors.
Pre-visit preparation
PRIOR LEARNING
As already mentioned, there is an assumption that students have some knowledge of the site and its history
prior to their Adelaide Gaol visit. Information Sheet: Pre-visit Information & Activities provides some
guidance and resources.
EXPECTATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR – SAFETY AND SUPERVISION
The Adelaide Gaol is a large site. It is important for the safety and welfare of the students and also for the
protection of this significant heritage site and the enjoyment of other visitors that classes remain under
strict supervision at all times. It is preferred that classes visiting the Adelaide Gaol remain together when
moving from one main location to another. However, within each section/yard students can investigate in
pre-arranged groups or individually, while supervised by the teacher and accompanying adults.
Prior to the Adelaide Gaol visit, please discuss appropriate behaviour with students and agree about group
rules and expectations (and appropriate consequences).
A visit to the Adelaide Gaol deserves a minimum of two hours. This guide
assumes that teachers have allowed at least that amount of time on-site.
23
3 ELIZABETH WOOLCOCK 30 ALFRED COATES GRIFFIN
A KEY TO THE GRAVES ex: 30 December 1873 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’ ex: 22 March 1950 in ‘A’ Wing New Building
‘Between Walls’ convicted of poisoning her husband [Moonta] cut his girlfriend’s throat while she was sleeping [Adelaide]
21 (PERCIVAL) WILLIAM BUDD 32 WILLIAM HENRY FEAST 13 ‘LOLLIE’ KAISER SINGH
ex: 24 April 1919 in ‘A Wing’ New Building ex: 23 March 1956 in ‘HangingTower’ ex: 17 January 1900 in ‘A’ Wing New Building
murdered a man to steal his car [Crystal Brook] drowned a 78-year-old woman [Port Adelaide] killed his brother with an axe [Ceduna]
20 CARLOS AUGUSTUS BONELLO 4 WILLIAM RIDGWAY 14 THOMAS HORTON
ex: 5 May 1910 in ‘A’ Wing New Building ex: 1 January 1874 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’ ex: 12 May 1904 in ‘A’ Wing New Building
murdered a 12-year old girl [near Tanunda] murdered a man with a stirrup iron [Coonatto Station] shot his estranged wife in a fit of jealousy
19 HADJI KAHN 5 CHARLES STREITMAN ALBERT WILLIAM BONFIELD
ex: 5 April 1910 in ‘A’ Wing New Building ex: 24 July 1877 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’ ex: 5 January 1905 in ‘A’ Wing New Building
killed a man he believed was his wife’s lover [Maree] stabbed a bailiff [Wallaroo] shot his 18-year old ex-girlfriend [KensingtonPark]
18 JOHN ROBINS 6 HUGH FAGAN
ex: 16 April 1878 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’
Outside ‘A’ Wing in New Building
ex: 16 March 1910 in ‘A’ Wing New Building
cut the throat of his stepson’s father [Adelaide] used an axe to kill his friend [Saltia, north of Port Augusta]
22 ALEXANDER NEWLAND LEE
7 JONATHAN PREST ex. 15 July 1920
17 JAMES ALBERT COLEMAN
ex: 16 July 1878 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’ poisoned his wife and three children with strychnine
ex. 2 July 1908 in ‘A’ Wing New Building
shot a police constable [Glenelg] beat his wife to death with a pair of tongs [Port Adelaide]
23 WILLIAM HENRY FRANCIS
8 WILLIAM BURNS ex: 22 November 1927
16 (‘66’ on wall) GLEN SABRE VALANCE
ex: 18 January 1883 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’ murdered his new wife with a hammer [MountGambier]
ex: 24 November 1964 in ‘HangingTower’
shot his former employer [near Bordertown] stabbed the ship’s mate on the vessel Douglas [at sea]
27 JAMES MARK WATHERSTON
9 MAH POO ex: 11 August 1938
NATALLA HABBIBULLA
ex: 10 November 1883 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’ raped and murdered a 12-year old girl [Monash]
ex: 16 November 1906 in ‘A’ Wing New Building
strangled and dismembered his wife [Adelaide] murdered and robbed his employer [Adelaide]
24 WILLIAM EPHRAIM PETER HAINES
ex: 16 December 1927
33 RAYMOND JOHN BAILEY 10 WILLIAM BROWN
ex: 24 August 1894 in ‘A’ Wing of New Building shot his girlfriend while she was on a picnic [Bridgewater]
ex: 24 June 1958 in “HangingTower’
shot three campers [far north of SA] murdered his friend [Lovely Gully]
25 FREDERICK CARR
ex: 12 November 1929
31 JOHN BALABAN 11 GEORGE HORACE LYNCH
ex: 6 November 1895 in ‘A’ Wing New Building cut his wife’s throat [Birkenhead]
ex:. 26 August 1953 in ‘HangingTower’
serial killer who murdered a prostitute, his wife, mother-in- shot an 18-year old lad [Balaklava]
26 THOMASBLYTH
law and stepson [Adelaide] ex: 9 November 1930
12 JOSHUA BEARD
ex: 10 July 1897 in ‘A’ Wing New Building shot his wife in a fit of jealousy
1 JOHN SEAVER
ex: 11 March 1862 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’ murdered a fellow kangaroo shooter [StreakyBay]
29 CHARLES PATRICK JOHN O’LEARY
murdered Police Inspector Pettinger [Government House] ex: 14 November 1946
28 HAROLD JAMES BOX
ex: 26 April 1944 in ‘A’ Wing New Building when drunk murdered his friend with an axe [Nangwarry]
2 MALACHI MARTIN
ex: 24 December 1862 on portable gallows ‘Between Walls’ murdered a man to whom he owed money [Adelaide]
murdered Jane Macmenimen [Salt Creek]
4FRONT ENTRANCE
HISTORY AND USE
• The earliest section of Adelaide Gaol was constructed in 1841 – this consisted of the main building
and entrance (with large white doors), two yards with cell blocks (not visible from here) and the
outer wall and two towers (seen to the right). The building of this section is said to have caused
financial difficulties for the early colony and it was 1849 before the Gaol was completed to its
original semi-circular design.
• In 1879 a new section was added to the Gaol – known as the ‘New Building’ – using a different
design and construction. This is the high-walled area to the left of the entry.
• Until 1854 public hangings were held on a portable gallows outside the front gates. These were
visible executions attended by large crowds. Over 2,000 spectators (including many children)
attended the last hanging held at the front of the Gaol in December 1854. In 1858 new legislation
saw future hangings carried out privately within the Gaol walls.
FEATURES
• The main building, wall and tower to the right, which were the first sections built (1841).
• The ‘New Building’ and yard to the left of the entry, which was constructed in 1879.
• The large studded main doors through which carts/wagons and later motorised vehicles could pass.
• The grotesques (sculpted heads) decorating each side of the main doors and also around the tower.
• The Coat of Arms above the main entrance (Lion & Unicorn and motto Dieu et mon droit) – this is the
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. The motto refers to the divine right of the monarch to
govern; the literal translation is “God and my right”.
THEMES
• First impressions.
• Location – consider the distance of the Gaol from Adelaide, its current neighbours, etc.
• Purpose of a Gaol – i.e. to keep prisoners in and others out.
• Historical layers – evidence of various eras.
DON’T MISS
• Look at the illustration on the storyboard outside the entry. This shows the 1841 section – compare
with what can be seen today.
• The large radio tower that slots through the entry veranda and the security cameras obvious on the
New Building walls.
CHALLENGE (tasks/questions for students)
• Look for outside evidence that this is a Gaol or Prison (e.g. security cameras, high walls, bars, solid
doors).
• What evidence is there that the Gaol has a 147 year history? – old features such as stonework, coat
of arms and new features such as security cameras.
• This could be a good place to talk with students about their first impressions and to consider
prisoners’ expectations and emotions when they arrived here for the first time.
… enter the Gaol
… organise tickets, etc with Gaol staff
… begin the Adelaide Gaol Trail in the Sally Port
5SALLY PORT
HISTORY AND USE
• The Sally Port is bounded by the large sturdy front doors and the iron grille gates leading out into the
Gaol. When both outer doors and inner gates were closed, it became a secure area for vehicles to
unload prisoners (imagine this space without the small 1970s office and the access ramp).
• As explained by the maroon ‘snippet’ sign on the wall, in the Gaol’s early history a portable brass bar
was placed across the Sally Port on visiting days, with the prisoners standing behind the grille gates.
FEATURES
• High curved ceiling, large doors and grilled gates – forming a secure tunnel-like entry/exit.
• The remaining ‘eye’ (and hole in the opposite wall) to hook the brass bar erected on visiting days.
THEMES
• Security (arrival and exit)
• Visitors
DON’T MISS
• The ‘eye’ to hook the brass visitors’ bar.
CHALLENGE
• If time permits, students could re-enact ‘visiting time’ with the ‘prisoner’ at the gate and ‘visitors’
standing where the bar would hang. (Please do not try to shut the open gate for this activity).
… go through the large grilled gates
CIRCLE
HISTORY AND USE
• Imagine this area without the brown building – the large open area enabled vehicles to turn around
(or ‘circle’) after they came through the Sally Port.
• The five Gaol yards radiate from the Circle – a guard was posted on duty here to observe activities in
all yards and to lock/unlock the gates for people entering or leaving the yards.
• The brown building dates to the early 1960s and was for visitors to meet/talk with prisoners. This
building was for non-contact visits – i.e. where no physical contact was allowed.
FEATURES
• The original 1841 cells along the laneway near the bell.
• The stairs at the back of the main building – these led to the Gaol’s church.
• The site of the well, which originally supplied the Gaol with water (the cover is located between the
brown building and the entry gates to yards 3 & 4).
THEMES
• Security.
• Visitors.
DON’T MISS
• The bell that signalled daily routines such as meals (and also rang when there was a hanging).
• The illustration on the storyboard near the bell – compare with the view today (note the bell).
6CHALLENGE
• If time permits, students could re-enact ‘visiting time’ with a ‘prisoner’ sitting in the inner part of the
brown building and visitors sitting on the other side – compare with the earliest ‘brass bar’ method.
… move to Two Yard
… on the way note the door to the Doctor’s Surgery and look around inside
… note that One Yard is not accessible – read the ‘snippet’ sign for this yard
TWO YARD
HISTORY AND USE
• This yard is known as ‘The Women’s Yard’ as it housed the Gaol’s women prisoners from the time it
was built (1849) until a new Northfield women’s prison was built in 1969.
• The only woman executed in South Australia, Elizabeth Woolcock, occupied the bottom corner cell
of the three-storey building, prior to being hanged in 1873.
FEATURES
• The large cell block is the only three-storey cell block in the Gaol and was constructed c1858 to
house women in individual cells.
• The single-storey cell block is the oldest in this yard – constructed in 1849 when the original plans for
the Gaol were completed. It originally had six communal cells but was later converted to a
workroom and laundry (since 2007 two archaeological excavation projects have been undertaken in
this building).
THEMES
• Women prisoners and women guards/warders (read the storyboard for more information).
• Gaol life for women (read the storyboard for more information).
• Elizabeth Woolcock – only woman executed in South Australia.
• Matron Laura Messner and reforms for women prisoners.
• Archaeology.
DON’T MISS
• Note the ‘snippet’ sign near the entrance gate describing the ‘honeycomb bricks’.
• The rounded corners where the walls and buildings meet (this feature can be observed throughout
the Gaol).
• Elizabeth Woolcock’s cell.
• The archaeological excavation and display of artefacts (shown inside the 1849 building).
• Sarah Francisco’s story on the storyboard near the green building.
CHALLENGE
• Ask students to suggest why the joins of walls and buildings are rounded (i.e. to inhibit prisoners
climbing the walls).
… move to Three Yard
… the trail to Three Yard passes through the 1980 activity centre – if time permits,
look at some of the plaster moulds and other evidence of recreational pursuits.
Close the door you came through, to see all of the artwork. This painting is the
largest in the Gaol. It is unsigned (for anonymity) but the artist has hidden his face
in the picture.
… please remember to open the door again before moving on
7THREE YARD
HISTORY AND USE
• This yard demonstrates the multi-layered history and use of Gaol facilities, being for either male or
female prisoners at various times, and having the biggest mix of building types (and eras).
• When first completed in 1849, this yard was used for males on remand – i.e. those who were
awaiting a trial and then sentencing (if guilty) or release (if innocent).
• Three Yard was mostly used by women until they were removed from the Gaol in 1969.
• The early Gaol kitchen and also a bathhouse were located in this yard.
• After 1978 induction of new prisoners occurred in this yard.
• From the 1970s a change of attitude in the penal system saw reforms that included the introduction
of education and recreation programs. This yard then included an education centre (the old
kitchen), a library and recreation facilities.
FEATURES
• The 1849 women’s kitchen – became the education office and classroom in the 1980s.
• The green induction building – note showers, etc.
• The white building, which was originally brought into the Gaol as a women’s dormitory and from the
late 1970s became the men’s clothing store.
• The small red brick building which was used to photograph prisoners.
• The sanitation system – these were originally located in all yards. This remaining system highlights
that until the time Adelaide Gaol closed (in 1988) cells did not have plumbing and prisoners used
buckets that were emptied every morning.
• The Rose Garden. It was originally larger and was established (in 1930s) by a female prisoner. While
a few of the roses are original, most of the garden has been planted since the Gaol closed, including
a Mary MacKillop rose planted by the Archbishop of Adelaide.
THEMES
• Induction (green building and small red brick building).
• Reform and rehabilitation – (e.g. rose garden for a difficult female prisoner; white female dormitory
for trustworthy female prisoners in 1960s; recreation and education centres from 1970s).
• Multi-layered history of the Gaol.
• Sanitation.
DON’T MISS
• The aerial photo on the storyboard that highlights how this yard was laid out in the 1950s before the
introduction of the white and green buildings and the demolition of the brick wall.
• The gravelled and chained area was the site of the 1970s library building. It was recently demolished
as unsafe. This has uncovered the rounded corners topped with broken glass on the wall behind.
• Look above the small kitchen/classroom (and where the demolished library stood) at the barbed
wire to prevent climbing onto the rooves.
• The sanitation system and the maroon ‘snippet’ sign with explanation.
• Look towards the gate (and up) at the 1970s observation tower.
CHALLENGE
• There are debates in the conservation field about layers of history and adaptive reuse of buildings –
e.g. which to keep/demolish; whether to keep and conserve all structures, as they represent all of
the history of a place; or whether to pick a particular point in that history and retain/return buildings
to represent just that era. This yard has structures that can provide discussion points for that
debate, e.g. should the 1849 building be shown as both kitchen and classroom? Should the
1960s/70s buildings (green, white and red brick) be retained or demolished?
… move through The Circle to Four Yard
8FOUR YARD
HISTORY AND USE
• This was one of the first two yards built at Adelaide Gaol (in 1841).
• The single-storey building(s) dates to that era.
• This yard was originally for debtors (people who had outstanding debts) but later housed different
types of prisoners including those on remand and sentenced inmates.
• In the 1960s-70s this yard contained the condemned cells where prisoners were kept from the time
sentence was passed while they waited to be executed (read the storyboard and ‘snippet’ sign for
more information).
• Attitudes to the treatment and rehabilitation of prisoners changed from the 1970s. By the time the
Gaol closed, a canteen (for all prisoners, not just those in this yard) had been established in a section
of the single-storey building. Prisoners could only spend money that had been earned at jobs within
the Gaol.
• The building that became the canteen also had a life as a barber shop – one style for everyone!
FEATURES
• Note that the single-storey building is amongst the first constructed at the Gaol. It originally
stretched the whole length of the yard. However, the end section was demolished in 1867 and the
double-storey building constructed to straddle this yard and also Three Yard.
• This yard has some of the earliest (i.e. 1841 building) and latest (e.g. telephone box) features.
• The condemned cells (rear of yard on the right as you enter) – which are identified by the white
arches on the veranda outer wall. Note the inner observation doors through which the prisoner was
continuously watched.
THEMES
• Capital punishment – execution.
• Layers of history.
• Escape (note the tale of escape on the storyboard).
DON’T MISS
• The canteen display. One very interesting item for sale is a budgie in a cage. One prisoner received
approval to keep a pet bird and so others wanted the same privilege – this led to the sale of budgies
in the canteen.
• The condemned cells.
• The volley ball posts on the asphalt – evidence of recreational activities prior to the Gaol’s closure.
• The telephone box.
CHALLENGE
• A puzzle – if this was one of the first two yards completed, why is it known as Four Yard? (because
the numbering system dates from a later period, after all the yards were completed).
… move back through The Circle to Five/Six Yard & the Remand Centre
9FIVE/SIX YARD & REMAND CENTRE
As you enter this area, you’ll immediately notice the interactive exhibition ‘Time Inside’. If possible,
students should consider the room itself (i.e. imagine an empty room) and the adjacent yard first and then
spend time enjoying the exhibit before moving on to the Remand Centre building. There is still much of the
Gaol to see, so if your group is limited by time, the exhibit could be something to leave and come back to
at the end of the visit. These notes do not discuss the exhibition.
HISTORY AND USE
• Remand prisoners are those who have not yet been tried (i.e. through the courts), after which they
are either released (if innocent) or sentenced (if guilty) and placed elsewhere.
• This section of the Gaol was part of the original 1841 construction, but little of the main structure
survives from this vantage point (original 1841 cells attached to this exhibition room can be seen
from the laneway and Circle outside, near the bell).
• When first built, this yard housed the felons – prisoners who had committed serious crimes – but for
most of its history the yard has been for prisoners on remand.
• The yard is known as Five/Six Yard as, at one stage, a wall divided it into two distinct sections (see
the aerial photo on the storyboard).
• The two-storey Remand Block (entered past the exhibition) was constructed in 1871 and was the
first building at Adelaide Gaol to have cells facing internally, with a central corridor.
FEATURES
• The room first entered (with exhibition) was constructed in the 1970s. It was used originally as a
dining room and later as recreation area.
• An artist with a short Gaol term produced the paintings in the recreation room – he was asked to
paint in areas where prisoners could enjoy his work. Some of his artwork is also in other areas of the
Gaol.
• The 1871 Remand Centre building (the two-storey building past the exhibition) was a new style of
construction for the Gaol, having inner facing cells and a central corridor. A notable feature of this
building is the innovative skylight – this obviously brought light to the building and warmth in winter,
but made it a very hot place in summer. Prison officers avoided walking down the centre of the
corridor because of the possibility that a toilet bucket might be emptied onto them from above.
THEMES
• Remand – the legal process..
• Recreation
• Architecture/building styles.
DON’T MISS
• In the Yard notice the ‘modern’ toilet block; this was for daytime use.
• Notice that this yard has outdoor tables and seating – remand prisoners did not work (read the
description of life ‘On Remand’ on the storyboard).
• Also note the razor wire on the end wall (compare with barbed wire seen in Three Yard).
• The skylight in the Remand Centre.
• The display in a cell of the Remand Building, showing how it may have looked in early times.
CHALLENGE
• Look at the incomplete painting on the wall just before exiting the Remand Centre. This is different
to the other paintings in the recreation room. Discuss its differences and suggest why it might be
unfinished.
… exit the Remand Centre into the ‘Between Walls’ area
10‘BETWEEN WALLS’AND TOWERS
HISTORY AND USE
• This area between the inner wall (of the yards) and the additional outer wall is known as ‘Between
Walls’. It provided added security against escapes. Prisoners were rarely allowed into this area, and
then only under strict supervision.
• The first part of the ‘Between Walls’ area, between the two towers, was completed in 1841 as part
of the original Gaol design. When the Gaol was finally completed in 1849, the additional towers
planned for the rest of the outer wall were omitted (to reduce costs).
• The towers were observation towers for guards, but became obsolete after multi-storey buildings
were erected and therefore blocked the guards’ view into the yards. The towers were then used as
accommodation for warders’ families and as storage.
FEATURES
• Notice the grotesques (sculpted faces) around the windows of both towers.
• Only one of the towers was fully built to the original design – compare the two towers and note that
the right one (as you exit the Remand Centre) has a crenellated (castle-like) roof line.
• A white rectangle is painted on the outer wall (opposite and slightly left of the Remand Centre exit
door) – this was one of the places in the Gaol where prisoner mug shots were taken during their
induction.
• A modern (1980s) addition to the ‘Between Walls’ area was the installation of 49 closed-circuit
security cameras at regular intervals. The large numbers that will be noticed as your class walks
along this section were installed so that the person monitoring the cameras could easily recognise
which part of the area they were viewing.
THEMES
• Surveillance.
• Escape.
DON’T MISS
• Inside the first tower (to the right of the Remand Centre exit door) notice the roughened section of
wall winding up the tower – this is where the original staircase was installed to the first floor level (it
begins near the bottom of the entry door).
• The rectangular lime-washed section of wall where mug shots were taken.
CHALLENGE
• It is likely that you’ll hear a train or two passing by as you walk in the ‘Between Walls’ area – if so
stop, listen and discuss how the prisoners may have felt hearing this obvious sound of the outside
world and freedom. (Steam trains ran from Adelaide to Port Adelaide from 1856). There are stories
that family or friends who wanted to get contraband to prisoners in the Gaol caught a train and
threw ‘stuffed’ tennis balls into the yards as their train passed by.
… go into the Hanging Tower and then move on to the Cemetery section
(note that some students may be sensitive to the history and stories of these areas)
11HANGING TOWER
HISTORY AND USE
• This tower has only been referred to as the Hanging Tower since 1953 when it was modified so that
executions could take place here, away from the prison population.
• Four people were hanged in this tower – the last in 1964. (More information about capital
punishment in South Australia was available on the storyboard before reaching the Hanging Tower).
FEATURES
• Note that this tower was not originally designed for executions – it was one of the two 1841
observation towers and later used for storage.
• The modifications in 1953 included the addition of the two small rooms – one for the executioner
(containing the lever that opened the trapdoor) and the other for the condemned person to spend
the last two hours of his life. The concrete floor was also added, and the beam, trap-door and a set
of stairs (to retrieve the body) installed.
• Hanging was the only form of execution in South Australia, so no electric chair or firing squad!
THEMES
• Capital punishment – execution.
DON’T MISS
• The lever for opening the trapdoor – note also the ‘spy hole’ in the door to this room. The
executioner closed the door and looked through this hole for the signal to pull the lever .
CHALLENGE
• For older students a discussion of capital punishment may be appropriate here.
… continue walking ‘Between Walls’ to the Cemetery storyboard
CEMETERY
HISTORY AND USE
• By law, the body of an executed person was buried within the grounds of the Gaol.
• There are two known burial sites at the Gaol – the larger one (with 27 known graves) is in this
‘Between Walls’ area; another 7 graves are outside the New Building. The locations of burials prior
to 1862 are not known (read the storyboard at the beginning of the graves section).
• Only executed prisoners were buried in the Gaol. The bodies of other prisoners who died ‘inside’
were returned to family for burial.
FEATURES
• Note the stencilled numbers, initials and date (on the wall) which mark each burial site. No
headstones or other markers were allowed. (The flowers often found on Elizabeth Woolcock’s grave
are placed there by a Gaol volunteer and not representative of past practice!)
THEMES
• Capital punishment – including burial.
DON’T MISS
• Towards the end of the graves section note the red/maroon ‘snippet’ sign about graffiti.
• Note also the site of the portable gallows, where 13 people were hanged between 1861 and 1883.
Read the storyboard for additional information.
12CHALLENGE
• Use the Key to the Graves’ (provided on page 4) to match the initials to the person executed.
… continue to the end of ‘Between Walls’ and turn left into the Laneway
LANEWAY
HISTORY AND USE
• All sentenced prisoners were expected to work – some did chores that kept the Gaol clean and
functioning. Others worked at jobs (both inside and outside) that brought revenue to the Gaol. (Read
the storyboard for more information.) Prisoners were paid a small wage, with some jobs giving a
higher ‘salary’ than others.
• The Laneway was the main work precinct in the Gaol and in the latter time period had a large
commercial laundry, a commercial bakery and the Gaol’s kitchen.
FEATURES
• The bottom section of the two-storey building (which backs onto One Yard) was part of the 1849
construction of the Gaol and originally contained a hospital, workroom and Gaol laundry. The upper
section was added in 1881 as communal cells for female prisoners and later became a dormitory for
trustees working in the laundry, bakery and kitchen.
THEMES
• WORK:
o as punishment (e.g. the 1850s treadmill);
o for keeping busy (e.g. contrast with the boredom of remand prisoners who did not generally
work);
o for learning useful skills (e.g. more than one prisoner became a baker after his release); and
o for earning money (e.g. only money earned in the Gaol could be spent at the canteen – in
fact, no more than half of a prisoner’s earnings could be used in this way. The other half
accumulated and was paid in cash on their release).
DON’T MISS
• Be sure to share the quote from a laundry worker that is included on the Storyboard – it is an
interesting anecdote about bringing contraband into the Gaol.
CHALLENGE
• Contrast the types of work in the 1850s-1880s with that of the 1950s-1980s. Add any facts
discovered elsewhere about Gaol work – e.g. that done by women in Two Yard.
… continue along the Laneway towards the Circle and Sally Port. You will see a
gap/tunnel on the right (before reaching the stairs)
… go through the tunnel to the New Building and yard
13NEW BUILDING
HISTORY AND USE
• This is the largest cell block in the Gaol and the only section to move away from the original radial
design.
• Since its construction in 1879 it has been known as the ‘New Building’, as it was the last major
change to the Gaol design/layout.
• The first permanent gallows was installed here with 21 executions between 1894 and 1950. Other
prisoners (and warders) were removed to the other section of the Gaol on the night prior to an
execution.
• Seven executed prisoners were buried outside ‘A’ Wing.
• During World War II this building was taken over by the Military Police for armed service personnel
who committed an offence. The MPs also held some foreign nationals in the New Building. (During
this time the gallows were still used to execute Gaol prisoners who were sentenced to be hanged).
FEATURES
• The building is designed in a T-shape, with each of the three sections being shut off if necessary.
• The most noteworthy block is ‘A’ Wing, which housed the gallows, the condemned cells and also
cells for maximum security prisoners or others needing close supervision.
THEMES
• Gaol design and construction (compare features of this building, such as ventilation, lighting,
warmth, cells, supervision, etc with those elsewhere in the Gaol).
• Capital punishment – hanging and burial.
DON’T MISS
• The hanging beam and trapdoor in ‘A’ Wing – (look up at the end of the block).
• The last two cells in ‘A’ Wing – these were called ‘The Fridge’ because of the door lock which
resembles that of an older-style fridge. These rooms are soundproofed with thick doors and were
the ‘padded cells’ for hard-to-manage prisoners.
• Look around outside – notice that the bottom level of cells in ‘A’ wing have canopies (small
verandas) over the windows. Remember that these cells were for maximum security prisoners who
were under constant supervision. The canopies prevented the prisoners above from lowering
contraband (such as cigarettes, drugs or weapons) to the prisoners in these cells.
CHALLENGE
• For most people, this building does not only have a different look/construction to the rest of the
Gaol, it also has a different feel. As this is the last part of the Gaol to be visited (unless your class
started somewhere other than the Sally Port), it could be a good place to ask students how they feel
and to reflect on your visit and what you have seen and learned about Adelaide Gaol. The stairs in
the centre of the building might be a suitable place to sit a class while having this discussion.
… return through the tunnel to the Laneway and Sally Port to exit the Gaol
… or if you still have time, return to the Remand Centre to enjoy the interactive
exhibition ‘Time Inside’
14You can also read
