WALK & TALK | Pentridge Prison

Pentridge Prison

Pentridge Prison, established in 1851 and constructed in the period 1858-1864, is the largest prison complex constructed in Victoria in the 19^th century. Operating from the early 1860s until its closure in 1996, Pentridge was Victoria’s central prison and the most well-known and well used gaol in the State’s history. Most of Victoria’s convicted and notorious criminals were gaoled there between 1900 and 1990s.

The aesthetic significance of the 19^th century prison buildings at Pentridge derives from their monumental scale and austere Classical style, expressive of the requirements of containment and order, plus typical of prison buildings constructed in Victoria in the 1850s and 1860s. It also derives from the almost ubiquitous use of ashlar bluestone, much of it quarried on site.

Join The Friends for a morning tour of Pentridge Prison, a place that challenges and confronts, but deeply connected to the social and cultural fabric of Australia.

Image: Courtesy of National Trust