Plan of Darlinghurst Gaol 1861.

Very rare large plan of Darlinghurst Gaol dated 1861, based on Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon concept of radial prison buildings.

Also at right is a Plan of Trial wing (middle floor). 

In the early 1820s Francis Greenway was commissioned to design a jail. Work commenced on the walls between 1822 and 1824, using convict labour. Building stalled through lack of funds, until the pressure of extreme overcrowding in the existing jail in The Rocks, forced the colonial administration to act. In 1835 a further £35,000 was voted by the legislature to complete the building. Work recommenced in 1835 but took 50 years to complete.

The jail represented some of the most progressive ideas of incarceration of the time. It incorporated the view of British Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline that optimal prison conditions were necessary to ensure reform rather than punishment, and used Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon concept of radial buildings, which allowed for the central surveillance of the prison population.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 7294645