The Old Castlemaine Gaol is a former prison, located in Castlemaine,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. The building was modelled on

Pentonville prison HM Prison Pentonville (informally "The Ville") is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury ar ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, replacing the original, designed by Inspector General John Price, which was never occupied. Built in 1861 to house offenders from the goldfields and nearby towns, it served various functions in the penal system before it was closed in 1990 and its prisoners transferred to HM Prison Loddon. From 1861 to 1908, the gaol housed all manner of criminals, including lunatics and debtors, and ten men were hanged within the walls. In the later of these years however, the gaol housed mostly short-term prisoners and first-time offenders. Between 1909 and 1951, the gaol was converted into a

reformatory school A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concerns ...

for boys aged between 16 and 25. Most were under 21. The gaol then closed for a number of years, before reopening in 1954 to accommodate medium-security prisoners from across the state. It remained open until August 1990. After it ceased prison operations, it was used as a hotel and tourist attraction. It served as the studio for local community radio station WMA FM/Main FM 94.9 as well as various small businesses. In 2018, the old gaol was sold to artist David Bromley. The grounds were originally landscaped by renowned landscape gardener

Hugh Linaker Hugh Linaker (1872–1938) was a gardener and landscape gardener, who worked on various local and state government projects in the State of Victoria, Australia. Originally hailing from Ballarat, he was appointed as the Curator of Parks and Gardens ...

Notable prisoners

* Peter Dupas, who was serving a life sentence for multiple murder and rape. * Greek

illusionist Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

, Alexander Canaris, served three months for larceny in 1889–1890.

Notable wardens

*From around 1868 to 1875,

Thomas Francis Hyland Thomas Francis Hyland (c. 1831 – 1 March 1920) was a businessman of Victoria, Australia, instrumental in turning Penfolds Wines from a cottage industry to an Australian icon. History Thomas Francis Hyland was born in Ireland, the youngest son ...

, later a very successful wine industry businessman of

Penfolds Penfolds is an Australian wine producer that was founded in Adelaide in 1844 by Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia, and his wife Mary Penfold. It is one of Australia's oldest wineries, and is currently p ...

fame, was the notoriously hard-driving governor of the gaol. Under his tutelage, prisoners were obliged to work or do without rations. Within a few years, not only the gaol, but the town of Castlemaine had been transformed by their efforts and his organisational skills.

Executions

References

*Clark, Mary Rillis (1995). "Castlemaine's magic gaol on the hill." ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

''. 13 May. *Mitchell, Glenn (2003). "A Night in Irons." ''Herald Sun'' (Melbourne). 4 January. *Wilkinson, Geoff (2005). "Rapist looked after my daughter." ''Herald Sun'' (Melbourne). 6 December. {{coord, 37, 3, 43, S, 144, 12, 41, E, region:AU-VIC_type:landmark, display=title Defunct prisons in Victoria (state) 1990 disestablishments in Australia 1857 establishments in Australia