Campbell Street Gaol facts for kids
Part of the remains of the Campbell Street Goal
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| Location | Hobart, Tasmania |
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| Coordinates | 42°52′39″S 147°19′37″E / 42.8774°S 147.3270°E |
| Status | Historic site |
| Security class | Maximum (males and females) |
| Capacity | 1,200 |
| Opened | 1821 |
| Closed | November 1960 (males) 1963 (females) |
| Managed by | National Trust of Australia (as 'The Tench' - Penitentiary Chapel Historic Site) |
H.M. Gaol Hobart, often called Campbell Street Gaol, was a large prison in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It held both male and female prisoners. Convicts built this prison, and it was used from 1821 until the early 1960s.
In 1961, the male prisoners moved to the H.M. Risdon Prison. By 1963, the female prisoners also moved to the Risdon Women's Prison. The prison was designed in the Georgian Renaissance style by John Lee Archer. Today, what is left of the gaol is looked after by the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) as a special historic site.
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What was the prison like in the past?
The first part of the gaol was built by convicts in 1821. It was first known as the Hobart Town Prisoner's Barracks. This building could hold 640 men.
However, thousands of convicts arrived in Tasmania every year. So, the barracks quickly became too small. It was made bigger in stages over the next ten years. Eventually, it could hold over 1,200 men. They used every bit of space, even the area above the ceilings!
From 1846, it started being used as a prison for regular citizens. After convict transportation ended in 1853, it became Hobart's main prison. It was then called the Hobart Town Gaol. A new cell-block was built to the north. The prison stayed mostly in this form until it closed.
Why did the prison close?
By the late 1940s, the Campbell Street Gaol was very old and too small. Plans began to move prisoners to a new facility. On November 25, 1960, male prisoners started moving to the new Risdon Prison.
Campbell Street Gaol officially closed in 1963. Most of its buildings were pulled down. Only the courtrooms remained in use until 1983. New court buildings were then built in Salamanca Place.
The old court buildings in Campbell Street were saved. They are now cared for by the National Trust. You can visit them today. Of the rest of the old prison, only parts of the outer wall are still standing. You can see them along Campbell Street.
What about executions at the gaol?
The Campbell Street Gaol was one of three prisons in Tasmania where the death penalty was carried out. Between 1857 and 1946, 32 people were executed here. This included one woman. The last hanging in Tasmania happened at this prison in 1946.
The death penalty was ended in Tasmania in 1968. The scaffold (the structure used for hangings) was moved to Risdon Prison. However, it has since been brought back to Campbell Street. Visitors can see it as part of guided tours.
One interesting fact is that the prison cells never had toilets. Prisoners used slop buckets instead.
What happened to the prison later?
In the first half of the 1900s, many investigations looked into the Campbell Street Gaol. All of them agreed it needed to be updated.
In 1916, a committee suggested building a new prison. Instead, a smaller amount of money was given to make temporary changes. These changes helped fix the worst problems. For example, the prison was connected to the sewerage system. Lighting was also changed from gas to electricity.
Some cells were very small and did not have enough light. The prison governor at the time was happy with changes that made two small cells into one larger cell. This made it more humane for prisoners.
In 1935, another investigation looked at problems in the prison system. It suggested replacing the gaol with a modern facility. They even thought about moving the prison to the countryside. This new prison would be used for farming by less dangerous prisoners. This idea was to help the prison become self-sufficient.
A property was chosen in 1937 at Hayes. This became the Hayes Prison Farm. However, the idea of moving all prison operations to Hayes was later dropped.
After more investigations, land was finally bought in 1949. This land was on the eastern side of the Derwent River. It was near Risdon Cove, where Europeans first settled in Tasmania. It took ten more years for the new Risdon Prison to open in 1960.
Who were some famous inmates?
Many people were held at the gaol. One notable inmate was Margaret Coghlin. She was the last woman executed in Tasmania. Mark Jeffries, who was a grave digger from the Isle of the Dead at Port Arthur, also spent several years here. He was kept in a special cell under the Chapel Floor.
What is the site used for today?
Parts of the gaol and its buildings were designed by John Lee Archer. He was an Irish engineer and architect. He worked in Van Diemen's Land (old Tasmania) from 1827 to 1838.
Today, only a few buildings remain. They are on the corner of Campbell and Brisbane Streets. There is also a small part of the high sandstone wall that once surrounded the prison. The main complex includes a church. It was built between 1831 and 1833 over solitary confinement cells. Later, the church became a prison chapel and law courts.
This complex is now called the Penitentiary Chapel Historic Site. The scaffold for hangings was put back together in the 1980s. It uses the original parts.
