Former Ballarat Gaol

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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (July 2007)

The Former Ballarat Gaol was one of the earliest constructions as part of the great gaol building programme which was a result of the report of the Select Committee on Prison Discipline of September 1857. All prisons built in Victoria after 1851 adopted London's Pentonville Prison design of 1842, which created a revolution in prison design. The complex was based on a central hall from which radiated wings of cells. The principle of the design being that one guard would stand in the centre of the hall and at one glance survey all cells. ^[1]

The remaining structures at the site include the main gate, warden's residence and governor's residence.

The site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

[edit] References

1. ^ [1] Gaol information from University of Ballarat