New Gaol and Prisoners' Barracks. Kingston. Norfolk Island. - Retired Prisons on Waymarking.com

In 1825 the British Government established a penitentiary on the island for those considered the worst type of convicts. So terrible were the conditions and punishments that Norfolk Island soon became a place of infamy and dread.

The New Gaol was completed in 1847 and contained 84 cells, two lock-up rooms, 10 turnkey's rooms and 10 yards. The prisoners worked in chains on the roads or at the quarry.

Two service buildings and a forty-man cell block were completed in 1848. In 1850 a row of solitary confinement rooms, each comprising a cell and yard, was constructed. Two 'dumb' cells designed to prevent the transmission of light or sound were also constructed. Evidence indicates such cells drove the occupant insane.

Between 1832 and 1835 the Prisoners' Barracks were built including 22 wards accommodating 973 prisoners who slept in rows of hammocks, with between 20 and 120 to a ward.

In 1855 an Imperial Order-In-Council decreed that the truly dreadful prison in Norfolk Island be shut down, and the settlement abandoned.

After 1856 the complex and Barracks were largely abandoned and fell into ruin. Traces of the buildings' walls and their surface outline can still be detected. Many of the below ground structures, such as the partly brick-lined sewers, are still in excellent condition.

Address: Bay Street. Kingston., Norfolk Island. Open to the public: Yes Hours: You may wander freely through the ruins at any time. There are local guided tours which are particularly interesting, including a night tour. Fees?: Not listed Web link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   08/01/2021 endeavour3 visited it 01/27/2017 Woisträßler visited it 04/17/2008 Punga and Paua visited it

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