Pentridge Prison Melbourne - from inhumane cells to glam hotel

In Dec 1850 prisoners marched with armed warders from Melb­ourne Gaol ..to The Stockade Coburg which became the new prison. Formally est­ab­­lished in 1851 and largely built by 1864, Pentridge Pr­is­on was the largest prison complex in Victoria. The extant buildings demons­trate the development of the penal system. Thank you, National Trust.

Front gate, Pentridge Prison

credit: TimeOut

The stock­ade was made of moveable logs, surr­ounded by poor fen­c­ing, so local residents were anxious about security. Even more urg­ent­ly, the Victorian Gold Rush caused a population sur­ge to 600,000+, lead­ing to a rise in crime and the need for better gaols.

Until its closure in 1996, Pentridge held most of the state’s inf­am­ous criminals eg underworld figure Carl Williams and Kelly Gang mem­bers died there. In 1967, Ronald Ryan was convicted of murdering a Pentridge prison officer and was the last Victorian to be hanged. 

The significance of those C19th prison buildings, derived from their monumental scale and rugged architecture, was typical of Victorian prisons. Especially the use of ashlar bluestone, largely quarried on site.

The next phase (1857-64) of Pentridge building completed the perimeter walls, administration building, Warders’ Resid­ence and 4 Divisions. Prisons believed silence reformed pr­isoners so in Pent­ridge’s separate-and-silent sys­tem, pris­oners were housed in cells for 23 hours/day. Talking was forbidden; pris­oners were ad­dr­essed by cell numbers. Sil­ence was obs­erved even at dinner, after which they were immediately sent back to their cells. An hour a day was allowed for in­mat­es to be aired, carried out in Pan­op­ticons-exercise yards with an obser­vat­ion tower above the men. 

Floor after floor of tiny cells

supervised by guards walking up and down the concrete corridors

As a result of the 1870 Stawell Royal Commission, a wide work pro­­gramme started with different industries at Pent­ridge eg woollen mill, tailors shop, blacksmith, carp­en­try and a timber yard. Was this part of prison reform or to make some money to fund the prison services?`

Building of a new cell block building was completed (1887-94) in the northern prison grounds and used as a female prison. Com­pletely seg­regated from the male prison, this D Division had a female Governor and female prison guards. Following a series of escapes which displ­ayed the lack of security at Pentridge, a section was sealed off to create a new, max­imum security section known as H Division in 1958. H division took the state’s most violent, dangerous pris­oners.

Now visitors can explore the former, notorious Divisions via scary ghost-tours and family-friendly tours. Dur­ing a 2014 ghost tour, Pentridge visit­ors claimed they heard Mark Chopper Read, the brutal crim who used bolt cutters and blow torches to amputate his victims’ toes and ears. Tour guides have even called police and security in the past, to search D Division where 11 prisoners were hanged.

An original cell

boiling hot in summer, freezing cold in winter

LesterLost

The conditions within were outdated and inhumane, with prisoners provided only a blanket, horse­hair sleeping mat and a urine bucket. So the prison of­­f­icially closed in May 1997 and most prisoners were re­located to HM Prison Barwon. A purpose-built women’s prison, Fair­lea, was then built in Fairfield. The state gov­ern­ment sold the pr­is­on in 1999 to develop­ers.

Later purchased by the Shayher Group, the derelict site’s cultural sig­nificance survived and the bluestone walls lived. In creating a place that recognises the im­p­ortance of Pent­ridge’s past, the Con­servation Management Plan organised the physical envir­onment and the Heritage Int­er­p­ret­at­ion Mast­er­plan organised the history. Tours were launched in 2023, looking inside B Division,  a Panopticon reflection garden, A and H Divisions and the Rock Breaking Yards.

A Division

still intact today

Credit: news.com.au

In 2007, Pentridge changed hands and was developed into housing, leaving the Pent­rid­ge’s old mustering yard and all the bluestone heritage build­ings needing restoration. Deeply connected to the cul­tural fabric of Australia, this is a pl­ace that confronts us. The histories are deep, unique and expose the intricacies of prison pun­ishment, so when parts of Pentridge were turned into luxury flats, they had to ensure that history wouldn’t be demolished along with some of the bluestone walls.

Pentridge Cellars are in the D Division building and the execution wing has been turned into a new dining hotspot. The dining precinct left intact some of the site’s key heritage features eg solitary confinement cells. But the bar, restaur­ant, brewery and laneway precinct are far away from chained  prisoners and bloody brutality.

suite in the Interlude Hotel,

made from cells opened up

credit: The Interlude

 

The 19 suites in The Interlude Hotel were created by knocking thr­ough the thick bluestone walls to link 4-5 cells together. Given the thickness of the walls, it took many months to create each suite. Each room may be too dark and claustrophobic, but the facilities are splendid, the swimming pool is inviting and the hotel’s Olivine Wine Bar (2023) has seating for 120 people in booths cut into bluestone walls. It is split between a cen­t­ral at­rium with soaring passageways once patrolled by guards, and cells that now have green velvet banquettes, art and a wine cellar.

Olivine Wine Bar, Pentridge

credit: Concrete Playground

 

Summary Re-using its heritage architecture, D Division of the old HM Prison Pentridge has been carefully preserved to respect its past. Built between 1887-94, its austere classic style and blue­stone walls are awesome. The hotel, cel­lars and flats prot­ect­ the architectural heritage and history, and now a museum is being planned.