Doors of WordPress V141 – Fremantle Prison

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. This week, seeing as it is Halloween tomorrow, I thought I would focus on one building, Fremantle Prison. I want to give you a little history whilst also showcasing a couple of doors that I spotted.

High on the limestone ridge above Fremantle stands one of Western Australia’s most striking reminders of its convict past, this striking prison. Built in the 1850s by the very men it was meant to contain, the prison’s pale stone walls still echo with the stories of those who carved them from the earth.

The convicts who built Fremantle Prison were transported from Britain and Ireland, often for minor crimes (such as stealing a loaf of bread) or acts of defiance. Under the burning Western Australian sun, they quarried local limestone by hand, shaping it into the massive cell blocks, watchtowers, and walls that would soon imprison them. Every stone they laid was both their punishment and their legacy.

Life inside was harsh and silent. Prisoners slept in tiny cells, just large enough for a hammock, a desk, and a bucket. Discipline was strict, and the worst punishment of all was solitary confinement, known as the Separate Division. Here, men were locked alone for 23 hours a day, forbidden from speaking or seeing another soul. For some, the silence proved more unbearable than chains – can you imagine how this would affect your mental health!?


Steel iron doors that once locked away lives,

Solitary confinement

When their sentences ended, few found true freedom. Many were granted a ticket of leave or a conditional pardon, allowing them to live and work in the colony, but NEVER to return home. They had served their time, yet remained prisoners of Australia, forever separated from the lives and families they once knew.

Today, Fremantle Prison stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a powerful monument to endurance, punishment, and the beginnings of a new nation built by those who had no choice but to stay.

A tragic chapter in Australia’s past, yet one that tells a fascinating story of endurance, punishment, and the making of a new colony.

23 thoughts on “Doors of WordPress V141 – Fremantle Prison”

Add yours

  2. I recall during covid, all stayed home. But though confined, you have your family and pets, yet people get discouraged as they cannot go out.

    But here it is a confinement and alone ans monitored. The mental health will surely drive you to deep sadness and gloom.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. If doors could talk, right? It is difficult to imagine confinement such as you describe here only for stealing a loaf of bread. There is much painful history in all our countries and from that, we hopefully learn.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. That is a Halloween worthy door to present, Wayne. I had heard that England and Ireland sent prisoners to Australia, but I never knew anything about the conditions. Britain sent a large number of “ex-convicts” to colonies in the US, a well. I don’t think they constructed prisons (we did that ourselves).

    I’m glad to see that the prison building is being preserved. We need reminders like this of our past.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Dan, it was extremely interesting at sad at the same time. Having to build the prison, stay there and even when you’re freed, you are still trapped in a foreign land, never to see your family again. Hard to imagine today. Of course I loved spotting the doors though!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. We have a prison near us that was an active copper mine. The prisoners had to work the mine and were imprisoned there, too. It’s amazing how little regard for life we had in the 18th century.

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑