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Governor and staff at the Adelaide Gaol
Title : Governor and staff at the Adelaide Gaol Governor and staff at the Adelaide Gaol
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Creator : Glover, Henry Heath, artist
Date of creation : 1850
Format : Artwork
Dimensions : 380 x 460 mm
Contributor : State Library of South Australia
Catalogue record
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Description :

Governor and staff at Adelaide Gaol; coloured sketch showing the interior of the Adelaide Gaol, with the Governor (WB Ashton), his son (AJ Ashton as a boy) and staff.


Early prison accommodation in South Australia first comprised the Buffalo ship, then a tent, followed by a wooden building. Several escapes and the poor conditions of these various gaols prompted the construction of a stone building. Situated in the Parklands near the corner of North and West Terraces, Adelaide Gaol was designed by George Strickland Kingston. Building began in 1840 while Governor Gawler was in office. Gawler promoted several public works, to provide employment during difficult economic times and encourage development in the colony.

The original design for Adelaide Gaol included two towers, but only one was completed with castellation due to Governor Grey's reduction of construction funds in 1841. Gawler had been dismissed, largely due to the excessive cost of the Gaol which had critical repercussions in the new colony.

Adelaide Gaol was known as 'Ashton's Hotel', with reference to its Governor William Baker Ashton. Henry Heath Glover's art work of 1850 depicts Ashton, his young son Albert, and staff at the entrance to the Gaol. In that year the second stage of the Gaol was completed, and a matron appointed to oversee female prisoners. Hangings took place at the Gaol until the last occurred in 1964.

Subjects
Related names :

Ashton, William Baker, 1800-1854

Adelaide Gaol (S. Aust.)

Period : 1836-1851
Region : Adelaide city
Further reading :

Adelaide Gaol: visitors guide, Adelaide: State Heritage Branch, 1990

Colwell, M and Alan Naylor. Adelaide: an illustrated history, [Joslin, S. Aust.]: McP, 1981

Johnston, Malcolm David. A governor, aye every inch a governor: a biography of William Baker Ashton, the first governor of the Adelaide gaol, Blair Athol, S. Aust.: M. Johnston, [1990]

Lock-Weir, Tracey Visions of Adelaide, 1836-1886 Adelaide : Art Gallery of South Australia, 2005

Scheiffers, Sue. Inside: a brief history of the Adelaide Gaol, [Strathalbyn, S. Aust.: S. Scheiffers], 2002

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