Report on Archaeological Survey of theFremantle Prison Women’s Prison,conducted September 2013.

By Kate Robertson and Alyce Haast

University of Western Australia
Discipline of Archaeology

Fremantle Women’s Prison Survey

Masters of Profession Archaeology

Fremantle Women's Prison Survey |2013
Alyce Haast and Kate Robertson

I NTRODUCTION
This is a preliminary report on the survey of the Women's Prison conducted during the University ofWestern Australia Undergraduate Field School in 2013. The survey assessed the state of the prison's
floors in respect to the archaeological potential of underfloor deposits and also briefly recorded thepresence of graffiti for future investigation.

H ISTORY
The women's Prison complex was built in the 1850s as part of the Fremantle Convict Establishment andoriginally included a cookhouse, a bakehouse and a laundry. In 1886, the Convict Establishment became
the Fremantle Prison. A wall was built around the service buildings and they were converted toaccommodate women Prisoners. With population increase the Women’s Prison was extended in the1890s and again in the 1910s continued to be used
as a women’s Prison until 1970. From 1970 until
the Prison was decommissioned in 1991, the area
was used as an education and assessment centre. In1996, Women’s Prison was linked to the West
Workshops to form an extensive art and design
facility which was used as the Western Australia
School of Art, Design and Media - TAFE until
mid-2010. The premises is scheduled to be leased
to YHA Australia and the City of Fremantle andHeritage Council of Western Australia haveapproved plans for the facility's converted into
tourist accommodation.
Figure 1: Main Entrance to the Women’s Prison

M ETHODS
It was hypothesised that the underfloor space of a Prison cell has the potential to act as a time capsule,preserving evidence of cell conditions, inmate activities and how inmates interacted with the material
world to cope with Prison life. This hypothesis was tested on the main cell block of Fremantle Prison byMein (2012) resulting in the development of a hierarchy of cells with highest potential for in floor
deposits.
The survey of the Women’s Prison for areas of high archaeological potential followed the methodology
established by Mein (2012). Cells were surveyed for graffiti levels as well as the prevalence of original
floorboards and ceilings in order to access the potential of archaeological remains to be found within thefloor cavity and the archaeological potential of the graffiti present.

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In Mein's assessment of the underfloor deposits in Fremantle Prison's Main Cell Block (2012), thepresence of graffiti reduced the archaeological potential of a cell because the conservation priority alreadygiven to cells with significant graffiti restricted access to their underfloor deposits.
Cells within the Women's Prison do not have the same conservation plan as the Main Cell Block,therefore, in the Women's Prison survey Mein's methods were adapted to include graffiti and underfloor
deposits as separate criteria for archaeological potential.

U NDERFLOOR DEPOSITS :Areas of high archaeological potential for underfloor deposits were identified based on the following
characteristics:
1. High percentage of original floorboards present
2. Presence of wide gaps between floorboards and/or holes in the boards
3. High probability of an original ceiling in corresponding cell below
4. Ability to remove floorboards with minimal damage to building fabric

G RAFFITI :Although graffiti was considered, it was not the primary focus of this survey. As an initial assessment
only minimal recording was conducted recording Graffiti on a five point scale ranging from no graffiti
to very high graffiti. This scale was subsequently reduced to a four point scale ranging by combining thelow and none categories of potential. An extensive analysis of graffiti within the prison will be the subjectof a future targeted survey.

Figure 2: Example of Graffiti within the Prison’s Cells

20132Fremantle Women’s Prison SurveyMasters of Profession Archaeology

L IMITATIONS :In comparison to the survey of the main cell block there were several limitations in the survey of thewomen’s prison. As the survey was completed primarily as a training exercise with the 2013 UWAArchaeology Field School a large number of student recorders were used over the survey portion. This
has led inevitably to a level of inconsistency within the recording standards. Based on this factor analysis
has focused on highlighting areas of the highest potential on a broad scale as illustrated in the results andrecommendations listed below.
Survey data recorded for ‘F Cell blocks’ were extremely ambiguous and as such omitted from thearchaeological potential analysis. A general observation can be discerned from the data of an overall low
significance however this acknowledgement should not be considered an official recommendation forarchaeological potential.

Figure 3: Division 3 – the Cells on the Left form the ‘F Cell Block’ that were excluded in this analysis
SURVEY RESULTS :The survey recorded 52 rooms within the confines of the women’s prison compound. 5 rooms wereomitted due to data corruption or ambiguity and 7 rooms were not recorded during survey. The survey
included a variety of rooms with an assortment of original uses including cells, hallways, offices andfacilities. The majority of rooms reflect distinct use by either the staff or inmates of the prison withseveral common spaces in which both populations would have had significant access to and use. As suchwithin these areas there is the potential for remains relating to both distinct entities as well as areas in20133Fremantle Women’s Prison Survey

Masters of Profession Archaeology

which both groups and the interaction between them is expected to have contributed significantly to any
material culture that may be preserved within the underfloor deposits or graffiti.
Of the rooms surveyed by the field school teams 29 cells recorded graffiti of which 5 rooms were recorded
as having high to very high levels based on significance or volume. Each of these rooms was designatedas a cell and were found within the original (1850’s) division of the women’s prison. In addition to thesignificance of the graffiti in these cells the original floor boards were both exposed and consist of mostly
intact original surfaces. This trend is seen in the majority of the original division with 7 of the 11 floor
surfaces consisting of original or repaired timber boards. The other rooms were a combination of carpet
and concrete resulting in low potential for archaeological deposits.
Overall the ceiling surfaces of the survey area reported an altered ceiling cavity resulting from the addition
and removal of services ranging from ceiling fans to lights as well as vents. These changes would have
impacted the integrity of the in floor cavity in the rooms above them and as such reduced the significanceof deposits within the first floor rooms. All rooms on level one consisting of the entirety of division 3
as well as some of division 2 were carpeted and despite several cells recording significant gaps between
skirting boards and the carpet the combination of carpeting and altered fabric of the ceiling surfaces in
the cells immediately below result in the rooms within the first floor as having low archaeologicalpotential.

Figure 4: The Original Division looking from the Main Entrance
20134Fremantle Women’s Prison Survey

Masters of Profession Archaeology

Figure 5: Division 2 Cells

The ground floor of the later construction phase contains the warden’s quarters and the Portions ofDivision 2 cell block. The rooms as such are a combination of cells and office and administration spaces.
The administration spaces are dominated by Carpet, Concrete and Linoleum. This is especially prevalent
in the matrons quarters in which none of the floor surfaces are timber boards. The combination of low
potential for below floor deposits and low graffiti coverage results in these rooms having very low
archaeological potential. The cells in this area relating to division 2 consist of portions of original andreplaced or repaired boards. The combination of high proportion of repair within the boards and absenceof large gaps or holes within the boards limit the archaeological potential of the underfloor deposits inthese areas in combination with the low level of graffiti resulting in an overall low archaeological potential
for the cells in division 2.
This information combined allows a priority of significance to be formed using the following scale
adapted from Mein (2012)

U NDER F LOOR D EPOSIT P OTENTIAL
1. High Potential –Original division cells, specifically cells with high proportions (>60%) oforiginal floorboards and/or highly significant graffiti.
2. Medium Potential –Rooms of division 2, unless otherwise stated, due to the later
construction period of the building itself, or lower proportion of original boards (60-30%)

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Fremantle Women’s Prison Survey

Masters of Profession Archaeology

3. Low Potential – Rooms with low levels of original floor boards (<30%), or floor boards inpoor condition.
4. Very Low Potential –Firstly areas relating to the wardens quarters and associated offices.
These areas consist of inappropriate flooring for the development of in floor deposits.
Secondly, rooms relating the 1st floor given the integrity of the ceiling spaces andinappropriate floor coverings
5. Unassessed Potential – Several rooms were unable to be accessed during the survey, whilesome rooms were accessed in an extremely ambiguous manner. These rooms were notincluded with in the assessment of potential and as such are shown as white and pinkrespectively within figures 6 to 8.

C OMBINED P OTENTIAL
Underfloor deposit potential was combined with levels of graffiti to provide an overall significance levelof each room. Both features were weighted equally as so to not impose a value judgement of thesignificance of underfloor deposits compared to graffiti and combined in order to provide a general
overview of areas of high significance on both scales.

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Figure 6: Floor Plan of the Fremantle Women's Prison Complex showing degrees of archaeological potential regarding underfloor deposits.

Fremantle Women’s Prison Survey

2013

Masters of Profession Archaeology

7Figure 7: Floor Plan of the Fremantle Women's Prison Complex showing degrees of archaeological potential regarding graffiti.

Fremantle Women’s Prison Survey

2013

Masters of Profession Archaeology

8Figure 8: Floor Plan of the Fremantle Women's Prison Complex showing combined (underfloor deposits and graffiti) degrees of archaeological potential.

Fremantle Women’s Prison Survey

2013

Masters of Profession Archaeology

9Fremantle Women’s Prison Survey

Masters of Profession Archaeology

R ECOMMENDATIONSAreas with the highest archaeological potential for their underfloor deposits are the rooms with theoriginal, intact, floorboards. The most critical of these are designated as high or medium significancefloor plan in fig. 6. To maintain the integrity of these areas for future archaeological investigation it isrecommended that:
1) No floorboards be removed or altered.
2) All floors be covered in a manner that preserves the fabric of the original floors and the integrity of
the underfloor deposits. For example, carpet laid without being fixed to the boards beneath.
3) If any renovation/alteration is to be done in these areas, then the floors must be fully covered andprotected.
4) If alteration of the original floors is necessary (i.e. for repairs or legal compliance) then surrounding
floors should be protected during alteration processes and where possible the underfloor deposits
immediately below the area should be maintained as they are.
5) Particular attention should be paid to protecting both the floorboards and under floor deposits of
the original cell block. These deposits have a high level of integrity and capacity of provide evidenceof 19th century occupation

Initial assessment of the graffiti has shown the wide variety of graffiti types with varying significance.
While much of the graffiti within the prison was small and largely insignificant, some graffiti washighlighted within the survey as pertaining specifically to occupation throughout the use of the building
as a women’s prison and as such highly significant. It is recommended that this Graffiti, specifically thegraffiti relating to rooms B7, E5, E2 and F13 be protected if possible. Secondly, it is recommended thata more comprehensive survey be undertaken to fully assess the potential of these items.
While there are no specific recommendations in relation to conservation for the areas of the women’sprison considered to have low archaeological potential any development work is instructed to consult
with the Fremantle Prison Conservation management plan (2010). While this site has had numerous
compatible uses throughout its uses, measures should be taken as far as possible to ensure that further
designated use of the site maintains the integrity and fabric of the original use as much as possible.

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R EFERENCES

Department of Treasury and Finance [DTF] - Building Management and Works Division 2010

Fremantle Prison Conservation and Management Plan.

Mein, E 2012, Inmate Coping Strategies in Fremantle Prison, Western Australia, Honours thesis,
University of Western Australia.

201311Appendix 1

Masters of Professional Archaeology

Cell Identifiers
Cell

Floor

A1

G

A2

G

A3

G

A4

G

A5

GAssc 1

GAssc 2

GB10

G

B6

G

B7

GB8

G

Divis
ion
Origi
nal
Origi
nal
Origi
nal
Origi
nal
Origi
nal

Size
S,
O
S,O
D,
E
D,
E
D,
E

Function
Other

B9GBathroomG2D,OS,O
S,
O
D,E
D,E

Significan
ce
Low

Cell

MedCell

Very High

Cell

Low

Cell

None

Other

Origi
nal
Origi
nal
Origi
nalOrigi
nal
Origi
nal

Flooring

Graffiti

Other
Office

Gaps

Medi
um

Cell

High
High

S

Sm

TimberS

Sm

TimberPlasterbo
ard

S

Sm

S

Sm

Sm

20% replaced to near east
door

V, S

Narr
ow

Small

2 cut out service squares

S

No Ceiling only rafters

Concrete/Tiles

High

TimberNotes

MediumLow

Low

10% repaired
40% repaired, 2 repair
patches N and S

Type
Plasterbo
ard

Condi
tion

Wide

Very High

None

Notes

Features
V,S,O

No ceiling only rafters,
served as commonroomRepair
edReplaced
BoardsRepaired
Repaired
Repaired
Replaced
Repair
ed

None

Cell

CellOther

TypeConcreteRepair
edRepaired
Repaired
Repaired

Holes/BreakageCeiling

Timber
Wid
e
WideS

Sm

Large

10% Repaired

RemovedMedium

5% Repaired

TimberS

Sm

TimberS

Sm

Timber

S

Sm

Flush

Trap door
Raised part of slab
potential shower
2013

Ceiling removed

S

Reinforcements

Water damage
Termite damage torafters
12Appendix 1

Break RoomGC1GC2G

C3G

C4G

C5G

Corridor
G

D6G
G

D8G

D9G

E1D,
2 E
D,2 E
D,
2 E
D,2 E
S,
2 O
1D10

D7

21E2

1E3

1E4

13 D,
2 E
S,
2 O
D,
2 E
D,2 E
D,2 E
D,
3 E
D,
3 E
D,
3 E
D,
3 E

Masters of Professional Archaeology

Othe
r

Low

Cell

None

Cell

None

Cell
Hall
way

None

Carpet/Lino
Repaired
Repaired
Repaired
Replaced
Origina
l

Cell

Low

Cell

Low

Low

Carpet

Cell
Other

None

Cell

Low
Low

FlushFlush
None
FlushFlush
Med

Small

10% repaired

None

Small

LinoRepair
ed

Flush

Cell
DiningOffice

None
Low

CarpetNone

CarpetCell

Low

CarpetNarrow
Wide

Cell

Low

CarpetMed

Plasterboard
TrowelTrowelWith Batons andCornices

V, S
SmS

Sm

15% repaired

TrowelSSm

Possible water damage

TrowelSSm

Worn edge, against wall

Trowel

S

SmV,S
Small

Repaired
Replac
ed

None

Small

Skirting boards
15% repaired, worn edge,
room centre

Large

MediumFlus
hLargeSmall

Sharp Break/ RoomCentre

TrowelSSmS

Sm

75% Repaired

TimberTimber/Trowel

SSm

No Ceiling
Stepped area fromprevious wall

10% repairedTrowel

SSm

Cut Marks NE corner
Skirting board broken atedge

TrowelSTrowel

V,S

Sm
Sm,F,
H

No stepped area
where wall wasprevious
Stepped area fromprevious wall
Boarded at previous
fan location

CGI

V,S

Sm, H

With Plaster
Cracking around edge
Cracking around edge,
water damage

Small
Small

Against Doorway

CGI

V,S

H

Small

Against Doorway

CGI

V,S

H, F,

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Stepped area fromprevious wall13

Appendix 1

Masters of Professional Archaeology

Foyer 1GD,
3 E
S,
3 O
D,
3 ED,
3 E
D,
3 E
D,
3 E
D,
3 E
Origi
nal

Foyer 2G2Hall

G2Matron 2G

Matron 3Matrons
Bedroom 1Matrons
Bedroom 2Matrons
Entrance
Matrons
kitchenG

E51E61F11F21F31F41F51G
G
G
G

Cell

Med

Carpet

Med

Cell

Med

Carpet

Med

Cell

None

Cell

Worn edge

CGI

V, S

F

Very loose

CGI

V,SF, H

Carpet

CGI

S

F

Low

Carpet

CGI

S

Cell

Low

CarpetCell

None

Carpet

Cell

None

None

CarpetRepair Widede
Repair Flusedh
Repair Narredow
Carpet/Concrete

NoneCarpet

None

CarpetNone

CarpetLowOther
Other
Other

OOther
Other
Other
Other
Other

None
None

Small

Large

25% Repaired, Looseboards

Small

85% repaired
Breakage against wall

SF

CGIS

F

CGIV, SSm

None

S

Timber/ Trowel
Timber/Trowel
V, S

None

Carpet/Timber

Hole against SW Wall
Plaster skirting board

None

Lino/ Concrete

Original Floor covered
2013

Plasterbo
ard
Plasterbo
ard
Plasterbo
ard
Skylight
Plasterbo
ard

S

Cracks between walland ceiling
Some cracks on eastwall
Some flaking atceiling/ wall joint
Cracks In walls on east
and west side
Cracks East/West wallaround lintels
Reasonably goodcondition

SmSmS
Concrete floor beneathcarpetCracked ceiling

S

Sm
Sm,Sa

S, OSm

S
V,S,O

Sm
Sm, F

Only roof
Crossbeams exposed
filled withplasterboard
Some long cracks
Small hole near SW
cornerShaft to skylight iscloud in CGI
Water damage SW
corner14

Appendix 1

MatronsloungeG

Office 1

GOffice 2

GOffice 3

G

Room 1

G2

Toilet - F

G2

Toilet - M

G2

Masters of Professional Archaeology

OfficeOriginalO
OfficeOfficeOtherOther
Other

None

Carpet/ Hearthconcrete

Plasterbo
ard

None

CarpetNone

CarpetSkirting boards

NoneCarpet

Low

CarpetSkirting boards
Skirting board cut out ateast wall

Low

LinoReplac
edDrains present

Other
Plasterbo
ard
Plasterbo
ard
Plasterbo
ard
Timber/TrowelHole is drain

Timber/ Trowel

Low

Flus
hSmall2013

Heat damage onplasterboard

V, S
V,S
S

SmSm,
Sa

S

Sm

S

SmS

Sa

Plasterboard withbatons
Small hole near SE
cornerSm15

Appendix
1Masters of Professional Archaeology

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