The Gatehouse and Entry Complex

Significance

The Gatehouse and Entry Complex is a key historical, convict-built component of Fremantle Prison. The Gatehouse is part of the dominant façade and main face of the Prison, with its central location on the Terrace emphasising its primacy and importance. The tower clock further emphasises the importance of the Gatehouse, as does its height (being the tallest building on the Terrace) and its axial relationship to the Fairbairn Street Ramp. The Gatehouse is highly visible on approach to the Prison from the west. It is remarkably intact relative to its original form and detailing, as it presents to the Terrace. Although constructed of the same limestone as the other Prison buildings, the Gatehouse remains a distinctive structure both architecturally and aesthetically. On deliberate stylistic grounds the Gatehouse does not share the domestic character of the Terrace residences. The Gatehouse was also designed to intimidate, reinforced by the guard houses with their embrasures which flank the entry and give the building a battlement-like character.

The other convict-era buildings of the Entry Complex, including the ‘contact’ and ‘non-contact visits’, are also significant components of the complex. They maintain their visual and functional relationships with the Gatehouse, Wray Gates, entry court and Parade Ground, and contribute to the historic character of the latter spaces. These buildings, through their east walls, also have an important relationship to the Parade Ground, in that they form the border on its west side.

While the entry court is a space with a small and constrained footprint, it retains its austere character and functional relationship with the outer and inner gates. The small space also provides a dramatic contrast with the expansive Parade Ground, glimpsed through the Wray Gates.

Historically, the Gatehouse and Entry Complex retain their purpose-built function as the main entry and processing point to the Prison, albeit visitors and tourists, rather than inmates, are now those people being ‘processed’.

Those parts of the Gatehouse and Entry Complex that are of exceptional significance are as follows:

convict-era Gatehouse and Entry Complex, including guardhouses, Contact and Non-Contact visits, entry court (not current surface treatment)
Wray Gates

No parts of the Gatehouse and Entry Complex have been assessed as being of considerable significance.

Those parts of the Gatehouse and Entry Complex that are of some significance are as follows:

prisoner reception, exhibition space and former armoury
steel vehicle dock and control box (sally port)

Those parts of the Gatehouse and Entry Complex that are of little or no significance are as follows:

modern additions to the buildings which have intruded into the entry court, including the Convict Café deck
modern fitouts and fittings to the buildings
all other modern fabric

Principles

PRINCIPLE 68: The prominence and visibility of the Gatehouse must be maintained, as seen on approach from the west, including the building’s central place and primacy in views from the Fairbairn Street Ramp. The Gatehouse should remain the focus of the Prison as it presents to Fremantle.

PRINCIPLE 69: Ensure that the Gatehouse remains the tallest of the buildings on the Terrace, by allowing no new additions or other elements to be added to the adjoining buildings which would increase their height and diminish this aspect of the Gatehouse’s presentation.

PRINCIPLE 70: The historic character and aesthetic significance of the Gatehouse must be retained and conserved. This includes its fortress-like appearance, and austere and forbidding character, which highlights its role as a prison structure and distinguishes the Gatehouse from the flanking former residences.

PRINCIPLE 71: The Gatehouse’s historical role as the principal entry to the Prison should be maintained, as should its administration and Prison processing functions.

PRINCIPLE 72: The stone and iron fence that intersects with the two canted bays of the Gatehouse should be retained.

PRINCIPLE 73: No new buildings, structures or minor elements should be introduced to the immediate west setting or front setback of the Gatehouse to the Terrace.

PRINCIPLE 74: No new buildings or structures, other than very minor elements should be introduced into oblique views of the Gatehouse, as seen from the north-west and south-west on the Terrace.

PRINCIPLE 75: Avoid the introduction of landscaping or similar, which would ‘soften’ the appearance of the Gatehouse or the appearance of the contact and non-contact visits to the entry court and Parade Ground.

PRINCIPLE 76: The convict-era buildings which variously address the entry court should remain the principal focus of the court, and the source of its significant character; the visual relationships between the buildings should also be maintained.

PRINCIPLE 77: The presentation of the contact and non-contact visits to the entry court (west side) and the Parade Ground (east side) must be maintained.

PRINCIPLE 78: Avoid the introduction of new facilities, even minor visitor facilities, which further intrude into the space of the entry court, and/or impact on the presentation of the historic buildings to the court, and their visual relationships.

PRINCIPLE 79: If considering a replacement building addition, this should:

Generally not exceed the footprint and building envelope of the existing addition
Be sympathetic to and in keeping with the historic building
Preferably not be considered if the replacement maintains the intrusion into the entry court

PRINCIPLE 80: In the case of the Gatehouse, it is preferable that the later additions be removed rather than conserved, if this is feasible in terms of ongoing operations. Removing the additions would help reveal and reinstate the original form of the Gatehouse. The objective is to try to reinstate the original 1850s building form. The additions referred to are those that have been made to the building itself, rather than the sally port, which may be retained (as similar later items may be).

PRINCIPLE 81: When considering new visitor facilities in the Gatehouse and Entry Complex area, preference the use of existing buildings over the introduction of new buildings and structures. If new buildings are absolutely required they should not:

be dominant new elements within the limited entry court space
interfere or impact on the visual and functional relationships of the historic entry court buildings and inner and outer gates.

PRINCIPLE 82: Lighting to illuminate the Gatehouse is encouraged, including architectural and theatrical lighting. This would assist in highlighting the primacy of the building and reinforcing its historically central role in the Prison. An assessment of the scale, fixing and suitability of light fittings should also occur prior to installation.

PRINCIPLE 83: The Gatehouse clock should be maintained in working order.

PRINCIPLE 84: Where any works are proposed, including works associated with ongoing adaptation and commercial and administration uses, existing fabric which should be retained at the Gatehouse and Entry Complex includes:

external original or early fabric such as roof forms, masonry walls, chimneys, string courses, parapets and cornices, window and door openings, and the embrasures
internal original or early fabric such as joinery, stairs and balustrading, fireplace surrounds and mantels, architraves, sills, jambs, timber doors, multi-paned and other windows, plaster work including surviving lath and plaster ceilings, decorative details and cornices
original or early iron work and hardware such as the Wray Gates, locks, fasteners and the like

PRINCIPLE 85: As a general comment, maintain and repair the stone walls of the Entry Complex buildings using traditional materials and techniques.

PRINCIPLE 86: Interpretation of the Gatehouse and Entry Complex is essential to conveying the history of the complex, including the functional relationships of the various buildings and components; the role of the outer and inner gate arrangements; and the historical planning and layout, and how this has evolved. It is also essential to highlighting and transmitting the OUV of the place.

PRINCIPLE 87: Where a new or additional facility is required, the location of the ‘escape yard’ near the existing toilets might be considered, but only after potential heritage impacts have been carefully assessed. In any event, a new development at this location should not exceed the footprint of the existing shelters.

Structures & Spaces Actions

ACTION 28: Remove the modern render strips and panels which have been added to the walls of the buildings which face the entry court.

ACTION 29: Previous repairs and alteration to the building walls containing cement-based products appear to have had catastrophic effects on the limestone, with the stone being more susceptible to decay where these repairs have been made. The removal of previous cement-based repairs and the introduction of a weaker mortar system, based on the premise that the mortar is sacrificial to the stone and that the compressive strength of the mortar will need to be lower than the stone, is recommended and will help to reduce and redress the stone decay. Future maintenance regimes should be modelled on the basis that mortar will have limited longevity and will require frequent attention in order to maintain the stonework.

ACTION 30: Previous repairs have muddied the language and relationship between the original stone and its detailing, and what has been repaired/added. To address this, further investigation of the various original aesthetic treatments of the convict building fabric is recommended, to assist with future informed reinstatement of such treatments. The investigation can include:

paint sample analysis of painted elements
original pointing treatments, to identify where tuck pointing, scribed ashlar lines or other expressed detail was used and is no longer apparent
the review of white washes and other treatments, evidence of which exist throughout the complex

Understand the architectural presentation of the buildings, which could vary according to use and prominence. Where mortar repairs should differ in composition to the pointing mortar, they should be coloured to match the limestone. This would provide a better architectural understanding of the individual blockwork. The current approach is to use the same mortar, which is a much brighter white than the stone for both types of repair, and this results in a rendered appearance.

ACTION 31: Develop interpretation measures to communicate the workings and functional relationships of the Entry Complex buildings, and the inner and outer gate arrangements. Continue to use and enhance the historical interpretation of the Gatehouse and Entry Complex.

ACTION 32: Consider opportunities to allow for visitor access to the Gatehouse, which was pivotal to prison operations.

ACTION 33: Continue to enhance the entry court experience for visitors and tourists, by ensuring that all the required way-finding signage and tour/attractions information is clearly displayed and legible.

ACTION 34: Through interpretation and design, ensure visitors recognise that the Gatehouse remains the principal entry to the Prison.

ACTION 35: Through interpretation and design, continue to develop high quality visitor facilities located in the heritage buildings of the Entry Complex. Aim to make visitors feel comfortable about entering the complex at this point despite its forbidding character.

ACTION 36: Seek to achieve a balance between recovering the early character and form of the Entry Complex buildings both externally and internally, including potentially removing later additions and encroachments into the entry court, while continuing to support the use of these buildings and spaces for ongoing administration and commercial purposes.

ACTION 37: Continue to use the Gatehouse as the principal entry to the Prison, and the place where visitors and tourists are ‘processed’.

ACTION 38: Display and interpret fabric and features which illustrate the key historical functions of control of entry and exit, reception, processing and discharge of prisoners, contact and non-contact visits, and communications and security control.

ACTION 39: Display and interpret similar items as they relate to more recent prison operations (up until 1991), but generally these items should not take precedence over, nor should they be to the detriment of, the display and interpretation of convict-era fabric and items associated with the Gatehouse and Entry Complex.

ACTION 40: Prior to removal or demolition of later additions or accretions to Entry Complex buildings the following steps should be taken:

Undertake an assessment of the significance of the addition, and of the impact of the demolition on that significance, on the subject building, and (where relevant) on the entry court.
Identify the works required to reinstate or reconstruct the original building form, following demolition of the addition, and ensure the funds and resources are available to undertake these works.
Consider ongoing operational needs in terms of the use of the addition, and whether these can still be met in the absence of the addition.

ACTION 41: Consider removing or reducing the footprint of the café deck within the entry court.

ACTION 42: The present surface treatment of the entry court can be retained but consider the reinstatement of an earlier treatment.

ACTION 43: Investigate the openings to the east walls of the Contact and Non-Contact Visits, as they face the Parade Ground, to determine which are original and which are later or modified. Give consideration to reversing the latter and reinstating the original form of the walls.

ACTION 44: Finalise the draft individual Conservation Management Strategy for the Gatehouse and Entry Complex, as prepared by Fremantle Prison. This will assist in identifying original convict-era fabric, which can then be the focus of conservation works.