National Art School Group, Former Darlinghurst Gaol, Former East Sydney Technical College

Item details

Name of item: National Art School Group, Former Darlinghurst Gaol, Former East Sydney Technical College
Other name/s: Darlinghurst Gaol; Sydney Institute of Technology East Sydney Campus; National Art School Darlinghurst Campus; Darlinghurst Jail
Type of item: Complex / Group
Group/Collection: Law Enforcement
Category: Gaol/Lock-up
Primary address: 892b Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010
Local govt. area: Sydney
Property description
Lot/Volume CodeLot/Volume NumberSection NumberPlan/Folio CodePlan/Folio Number
LOT1 DP568755
All addresses
Street AddressSuburb/townLGAParishCountyType
Burton StreetDarlinghurstSydney   
Forbes StreetDarlinghurstSydney   
892b Darlinghurst RoadDarlinghurstSydney  Primary Address

Statement of significance:

The National Art School Group, Former Darlinghurst Gaol, Former East Sydney Technical College is state significant as the oldest surviving early gaol complex in Australia, with construction of the perimeter walls commenced in 1822 as a result of the Bigge Inquiry. The complex is recognisable as a fine example of a design based on the radial planning system championed by the Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline (SIPD) and retains many features of its earliest phase of construction in the 1840s. It also reflects, in its fabric and dynamic history of use, an almost continuous construction programme demonstrating aspects of the various approaches to penal discipline tried in NSW during the 19th century, including adaptations for varied schemes for classifying and separating prisoners, and adaptations to accommodate the engagement of prisoners in productive labour across eight decades.

The National Art School and former East Sydney Technical College is state significant for historic values as a major central teaching institution for the arts in New South Wales, in continuous use on this site since 1922. It represents changing educational philosophies from an early focus on the working 'man' to encompass ever-more rounded education for men and women, through times of war and depression and international economic churn since the 1950s. Many major Australian artists, crafts-persons and practitioners taught and trained here, forging networks they used for their entire careers. Many returned here to teach, demonstrating the connection between its historic and social values.
Overall, the site demonstrates a distinctive and homogenous architectural quality deriving from the relationship of the forms of the circular central chapel and surrounding buildings which date from the early penal period; and the unusual spaces created; the use of ashlar dressed sandstone walling and hipped roofs; the consistent design and detailing of the individual buildings contributing to a unified complex; and the continuous landscaping works and the general sense of enclosure.

The former East Sydney Technical College cum National Art School has been at the centre of Sydney's art scene for almost a century and has expounded and nurtured the talents of generations of Australian artists who have studied and worked here. Its potential state significance is enhanced by the site and educational philosophy which has made the National Art School an exceptional institution, connecting students with professional artists to practice drawing, sculpture, and an extensive range of creative skills within the historically significant, distinctive walls. The adaptive use of the historic features like the cell blocks, chapel and prisoner workshops to satisfy the practical requirements required to accommodate studio-based education demonstrates this significance.

The state significance is also vested in the sites association with people and organisations that have helped shaped its character and reputation across all phases of occupation. The moveable heritage collection curated on site provides a tangible connection to the National Art School. The range of significant historic figures and people associated with the site include the original convict quarriers and builders, inmates, wardens, and the many prominent people associated with law and order of the 19th and early 20th century. In the transition to an educational facility, this potential state significance continues with associations with many administrators, teachers, artists and visionaries that shaped and continue to shape the Australian art world. There is significant research potential associated with the historical, archaeological and architectural features of this unique site.
Date significance updated: 27 Jan 21
Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description

Construction years: 1821-1876
Physical description: This description is intended to provide a general sense of the place and is adapted from Graham Brooks and Associates Conservation Master Plan 2005 and draft CMP by Urbis (2020). Please note: This is a highly complex site. The description below does not provide a detailed account of each significant structure and space; or an exhaustive account of all the modifications carried out.

Site:
Governor Brisbane reserved 3.5 acres on Sydney's outskirts for a new gaol. It is elevated on a ridge with wide outlook over the city and to the harbour. Busy Oxford Street fronts flanks the Courthouse which is located adjacent to the southern boundary of the site Gaol. Main local streets of Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street extend generally parallel to the sites eastern wall. Forbes Street extends adjacent to the western wall. Its northern wall is located adjacent to Burton Street.
The highest point in inner Sydney is near the corner of Darley Street and Darley Place (just off Burton Street, nearby).

Perimeter Walls, 1822-4; 1836-41:
The site is enclosed by high 19th century sandstone walls. These dramatically contrast with the urban character of the immediate neighbourhood and protect the site from the busy life of the surrounding Darlinghurst and Taylor Square areas, creating a strong and special sense of place. There are only two points of entry to the site: the early entry from Forbes Street and a vehicle gate from Burton Street, opened in the College period. Two pedestrian access points are also located in the perimeter walls in the south east corner and direct courthouse access is in the south west corner.
The walls along Forbes Street, directly opposite along Darlinghurst Road, and the south western wall which closely follows the rear of the Court House fronting Oxford Street, were built in the first building phase 1821-24 and enclosed the original approximately square gaol site.

The walls along Burton Street and northern part of Darlinghurst Road were built when the gaol was expanded 1864-66. Although the Burton Street wall was reduced in height during the 1920s, the walls remain substantially intact, ashlar stone walls up to eight metres in height, punctuated by watchtowers. The walls preserve evidence of warders' walkways, and also feature engraved mason's marks.

A long range of buildings follows the inside of the walls running along both Forbes Street and Darlinghurst road. Those along Forbes Street included the offices and Warders Quarters completed by 1866, and along Darlinghurst Road, the oft-remodelled and extended workshop range that housed many of the industrial pursuits of the prisoners, as well as multiple educational uses.

Radial 1836-41; 1841-63 layout:
The original gaol design was re-designed in line with SIPD principles, with re-commencement of building, after the specifications sent from England were requested to fit the existing 400-foot square perimeter wall. Mortimer William Lewis was appointed as Colonial Architect in 1835, responsible for the revised construction and the suggestion that the Sydney Court House be constructed adjacent to the gaol to decrease construction costs.

The revised plan was a radial design with seven two storey wings, a freestanding central observation point and a chapel. It remained consistent with the SIPD principle, including separate yards and longitudinal walls in the passages. Further alterations were made to the design, including a departure from the SIPD principles, for example, the removal of the longitudinal separating walls in the cell block and the creation of an uninterrupted central space from the ground floor to the roof and construction of six-person cells rather than single cells.

Internally, the prison works between 1841-1863, which were generally guided by Barney and Lewis were in line with the 1836 planned radial layout. While these buildings establish a distinctive pattern, the radial layout was never implemented in full (two key buildings on the eastern side were not constructed as planned). Development from the 1860s was more ad hoc and adopted rectilinear forms. Further, the yard walls which reinforced the radial pattern were largely removed at the beginning of the College period.

Central Chapel:
Centrally placed is the chapel, in the footprint of the central, circular building featured in the Lewis and Barney design. The building is of two stories topped with a glassed watchtower over a bell-cast roof. The first floor was in place by 1847 and in use as a kitchen, and the building completed in 1872, when it was fitted out with reversible fittings for Catholic and Protestant services and connected to three of the surrounding cell blocks with iron bridges. Cedar furniture, fittings and railings were removed during WW1 usage. The women's balcony level was removed in the 1940s. The chapel has its original stained-glass windows, which had been removed in 1914, and were reinstated in 1980. It was adapted for use as the college library in 1950 and filled that function until 19902002. It is now used for classes on the first floor and administration on the ground floor.

Radiating Cell Blocks:
Four mid-19th C cell blocks radiate out from the chapel to south south-west and north north-west. Each is a long stone building of 2 storeys, with a semi-circular end facing the centre. Although all of these were part of the gaol's 1836 design, they were completed over a longer period and contain evidence of changing penal philosophy.

C block, for example, radiating south, was completed on ground floor level to the 1836 design which featured single prisoner cells, but the upper floor was built with 6-person cells according to the changing approach. C block retains its truss roof timbering and stone stair filling the round 'nose' of the building, but has had window openings modified and enlarged to facilitate education use. The upper level was rebuilt internally in the 1970s. Cell block D was completed second and featured all 6-person cells. It remained unused by the college until post WW2 and then became the Cell block theatre, opening in 1957. The conversion of Cell block D to the Cell Block Theatre was facilitated by the removal of all internal structure. The upper level was rebuilt internally in the 1970s.

Cell Block B, built to house hard labour prisoners and completed 1849 with hard labour yards located adjacent. This was remodelled internally to become the Sheep and Wool Building during the college phase and a third storey was added 1929-30, with the existing roof to be raised and reused. An iron fire escape was added; a hoist installed (involving trapdoors to floors on each level) to hoist wool bales to the top floor; and a number of attached outbuildings added including a single storey wool conditioning building, which existed along the centre of the eastern side of the building.

Other Radial elements:
The Governor's Residence (also 1841), also of stone forms part of the radial arrangement, as does the treadmill and cookhouse building facing the residence across the circle and retains its original lantern range roof. The Governor's Residence internally is largely a product of the 1980s refurbishment and conservation work. Internal finishes primarily date from the period however some penal period joinery has been retained.

1866-72 North-Eastern (non-central) Cell Block:
The large Y shaped building, located on the north-eastern part of the site added to the gaol in the 1860s departed decisively from the radial design. Built progressively between 1866 and 1872, it was composed of three radial corridors flanked by standard 10ft x 8ft cells (later subdivided into single cells) on three levels. A longitudinal wall divided the east-southeast corridor into two separate divisions.
Exercise Yards:
Seven separate exercise yards fanned out from the building divided by low stone walls to the east and north, and the gallows were fitted into the angle of the Y facing the yard.

In the twentieth century, this building has accommodated a number of distinct uses which chart aspects of the development of technical and arts education on this site: from 1923 the Technical College's Sanitation and Hygiene School operated in this. In this period the floors and cells walls were removed, and a new steel and timber floor was added to create two levels (from the original three) and new ceilings were installed. The existing 9 pane windows date from the 1920s
A 1933 site plan shows the three wings of the Y-shaped building in use for plumbing, metalworking and copper smithing.


In 1965 plans were prepared to convert portions of the building into a School of Architecture, with further remodelling and alterations carried out in 1967-68. In 1986-87 concrete piers were introduced along the inner side of the perimeter walls at ground floor and first floor and part of the western wing was refitted for the School of Fashion and Home Science. The floor structure in the western wing of the building was removed again in this period and two new floors were installed.

1870s-80s additions:
Additions of the 1870s and 1880s included the male and female hospitals; morgue; Female Warders Quarters and cookhouse which are arranged at varying angles to the radial plan, and closely infill some parts of the site.

East Sydney Technical College adaptations:
As noted throughout, the adaptive reuse of the site for educational purposes from the early 1920s, involved change as the buildings and spaces designed for prison use were opened and given greater access to light. Walls dividing yards for use by different classes of prisoner between the cell blocks were mostly removed, with the two walls separating the space between Cell blocks D and C remaining and covered for use as a sculpture and welding yard. Internal walls were removed from most of the cell blocks, and floors removed to create 2 storey building out of previously 3 storey buildings to increase internal height (bar bldg. 20, however this demolition was undertaken in the 1950s). Many of the gaol period fittings were removed and sold at auction in 1923.

Weatherboard building additions:
A number of weatherboard buildings were added to the site for college use, including the canteen and classroom which later became the student bookshop, both in the western corner of the site bounded by Forbes Street and adjacent to the rear of the courthouse.

McKennal building:
The McKennal building is a small studio building adjacent to abovementioned that seems to incorporates part of one of the stone walls previously forming separation between yards between Cell Blocks C and D, and an eclectic (possibly recycled) fenestration, completed in the early 1930s and named after one of the pre-eminent sculptors who had worked at a studio teaching at the college - Sit Bertram McKennal. The building is constructed around one of the original four baths from the female bathhouse constructed in 1885 which is visible within a storeroom. The building was renovated in the 1980s and materials from its original construction were discarded.

Pavements:
Much of the internal ground has been surfaced in bitumen, and is accessible to vehicles, and forms part of the services for the NAS.

Plantings and open spaces:
Plantings and areas for passive student recreation - such as the sculpture garden between building 16 and the perimeter wall. The sculpture garden includes the entry for a linking tunnel between the gaol and the adjacent courthouse, completed c1857
Physical condition and/or
Archaeological potential: 		07/09/1981 - s.140 site of former well (Area 1) and to extend area of excavation as determined by the archaeologist and stated in the report (report, see Burritt, P., 1981)
02/03/1988 - draft Conservation Plan submitted to Heritage Office (then Heritage Branch of Dept. Planning)
10/08/1988 - s.140 (88010) approved (Wendy Thorp) to supervise excavation works in association with drainage works.
09/05/1990 - Fire Advisory Panel considered proposal for Building 16 Studio 3
18/03/1986 - Nomination from member of public received for Site under NSW Heritage Act, 1977.
17/05/1991 - HO wrote to Dept. Technical Education informing a PCO/ICO nomination of the site would not proceed.
21/01/2000 - s140 (2000/S140/002; B945444) approved - monitoring of excavation works associated with installation of telecommunications conduits and pits between several buildings, in former yard areas or the locations of former buildings - (report, see Wong, A. et all, 2000).

2017-18: More recently, the National Art School External Facade Maintenance Strategy was commissioned by Property NSW and funded by the Minister's Stonework Program (MSP) to address safety risks and significant back-log maintenance. The objective was to review condition of external building fabric of a group of key significant built assets including the perimeter wall and develop a program of works. The intention was to provide a strategic solution to allow Property NSW to maximise benefits of the capital cost spending in asset maintenance. Inspection was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team including heritage masons, roofer, conservation architect and structural engineer. Actions were proposed to reduce further short-term safety liability and establish a program of essential work. A forward plan set out staging of work with budget breakdown, according to condition and significance, for 2018 and beyond. The first stage of construction work began on 3 of the largest buildings in 2018, including stone replacement using freshly quarried Yellow Block sandstone from a newly accessed city development site (Public Works Advisory: https://www.publicworksadvisory.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney/the-national-arts-school).
Date condition updated:20 Apr 20
Modifications and dates: 1822-24; perimeter walls built
1836-41: first phase of gaol built
The porter's lodge, Governor's house (Building 22) and one wing (Cell Block A, Building 23) were completed.
Block D (Building 20) was nearing completion and construction of Block B and C had started.

1846: Water supply to the gaol was established, a treadmill (Building 26) finished and 434 feet tunnelling from the gaol to the courthouse was also done.

1848-65; second phase of gaol built. An extension was formulated and commenced prior to the completion (1841) of the original plan.
The 1863 sewerage plan shows the buildings constructed by this date including:

1849: Northern cell block (Building 24)
Southern cell block to the first storey (Building 16)
An extra floor to the storehouse for the treadmill (Building 26)

1852: Bathhouse (Building 11)
1853: Extension of Principal Turnkey's quarters in porter's lodge (since demolished)
1855: Construction of gallows over entrance gate (since demolished)
1857: Deadhouse (since demolished)
Gaol kitchen (demolished in 1864) construction on area allocated for the central building

1860: Hospital for female prisoners (since demolished)
1861: Weatherboard kitchen for female turnkeys (since demolished)
Southern cell block (Building 16) fully completed 1861

1864-66: walls along Burton Street and northern part of Darlinghurst Road were built when the gaol was expanded
The next phase of building and use saw abandonment of the original 7 cell wings to a more ad hoc approach, including workshops and land to the north of the site which was resumed to extend the size of the original gaol site. As a result, the northern boundary wall was altered to align with Burton Street and the eastern side with Darlinghurst Road. This new phase of work commenced in 1864 with the extension walled in by 1866.

1871-90: Over the next twenty years a further (at least) eight buildings were added to the complex. These included:
1872: Y-shaped cell wing (Building 5)
Chapel (Building 28) - 1872
A morgue with ornamental and symbolic carving (Building 4)

1872-75: A hospital for females (Building 15)

1885: A new west wall and range with gatehouse (Buildings 1 & 2)
An increase of the workshop range to three storeys and east-west extension on the northern end (Building 11)
A hospital for males (Building 14)
Female warders quarters, later observation wing (Building 27)
c1885: A cookhouse (Building 25).

By 1891 the site was connected to mains sewerage, electricity and an engine room, boiler room and chimney stack were constructed (in Building 26).
By 1895 a sulphur room was installed behind the morgue.
At this time courts were having particular issues identifying the margin between criminal and 'insane' acts. There were facilities, including Parramatta, with a wing for the criminally insane. These, including the area at Darlinghurst, as well as Parramatta and others were beyond capacity. It is likely Building 14 at Darlinghurst was used for observation, with the female warders' quarters (Building 27) co-opted to be used as an observation area. Female warders were moved to the female prison and three of the original six-person cells in Building 20 housed the female patients.

1910 all industries at Darlinghurst were moved to Parramatta gaol
By 1914 prisoners that remained were transferred to Long Bay and Darlinghurst Gaol closed.

1914-18 the site was used as a military and internment camp, a security house for German refugees (ibid, 1988, 78-79).
It was retained as a general storage area until 1921.

1921 change of use, modificiations to be East Sydney Technical College:
Alterations to make it suitable for students. Extensive damage to structures was noted, including bullet marks in walls, wood and fittings from within structures stripped, railings and glass panes removed. Lead removed from roofs causing significant damage to internal wall plaster from rain ingress, doors and frames also severely damaged or gone.

Demolition and adaption of the buildings included all cell wings' internal walls and floors removed, except Building 20.
Floors were rebuilt to increase height of rooms, and change from three storeys to two.

Demolished buildings include:
Extension of Principal Turnkey's quarters in porter's lodge; gallows over entrance gate; Deadhouse and Gaol kitchen (demolished 1864); Hospital for female prisoners; Weatherboard kitchen for female turnkeys.

A new entrance at Burton St was established, and a public auction in 1923 staged to dispense waste from these changes. Changes recorded include 'insertion of windows, widening of doorways, plastering of interior walls, painting and panelling of ceilings'.
The Technical college is recorded as holding classes including 'the whole of the art and applied art classes, comprising drawing of all grades, commercial art and design, ceramic art, sculpture, modelling, pottery and china painting, art metalwork, jewellery, and enamelling. There are fine classes in sanitation and plumbing, in agriculture, motor-body building, and a unique window-display class. Splendid provision is made for women's handicrafts (needlework, millinery, etc.), and for domestic arts (cookery, laundry, etc).

The Government Architect's Branch became responsible for additional works with the school making minor changes. Demand was high, and by the end of the decade it was at capacity. Further changes were made to accommodate this e.g.: addition of another floor to Building 24 now known as the Sheep and Wool Building completed by 1930.
Further changes included infill along western boundary (Building 1) and cell yard walls north of E Wing (Building 5), completed c 1935.

1955: the Cell Block Theatre announced for the site.

2017-18: More recently, the National Art School External Facade Maintenance Strategy was commissioned by Property NSW and funded by the Minister's Stonework Program (MSP) to address safety risks and significant back-log maintenance. The objective was to review condition of external building fabric of a group of key significant built assets including the perimeter wall and develop a program of works. The intention was to provide a strategic solution to allow Property NSW to maximise benefits of the capital cost spending in asset maintenance. Inspection was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team including heritage masons, roofer, conservation architect and structural engineer. Actions were proposed to reduce further short-term safety liability and establish a program of essential work. A forward plan set out staging of work with budget breakdown, according to condition and significance, for 2018 and beyond. The first stage of construction work began on 3 of the largest buildings in 2018, including stone replacement using freshly quarried Yellow Block sandstone from a newly accessed city development site (Public Works Advisory: https://www.publicworksadvisory.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney/the-national-arts-school).
Further information: Extensive changes and modifications to internal structures over time. See CMP for detail
Current use: Art School, events
Former use: Aboriginal land, Gaol/Jail, Internment camp, Theatre, College, Art School

History

Historical notes: The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora", or this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters that were an important part of the cultural resources for the Eora people (Heiss, see below).

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the impact on the Cadigal and Wangal peoples was enormous, but descendants still live in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have now lived in suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney (Source: Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani)

Darlinghurst:
With its elevated position over the city, the area has been called Woolloomooloo Heights, Eastern Hill and Henrietta Town. In the 1820s, Governor Ralph Darling renamed the suburb in honour of his wife, Eliza Darling (Crosson, 2013).
By 1800 several large windmills were on the heights of this area, using its stiff breezes to grind much-needed flour from grain. The area began its suburban life under the name 'Henrietta Town', after Mrs Macquarie, whose second name was Henrietta. Loyalties changed with Governors when Darling took office, changing its name to Darlinghurst in honour of his popular wife. 'Hurst' is an old English word for a wooded hill (Pollon, 1988, 77).

Darlinghurst was once fashionable, housing some famous people. One of its grandest houses was the mansion Craigend, built by NSW Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell, in 1828-31. It stood on nearly 4 hectares now bordered by Kings Cross Road, Surrey Street and Victoria Road. Mitchell and family lived in this neoclassical mansion with the facade of a Greek temple for only five or six years. It passed to several owners and was demolished in 1921, but Craigend Street is a reminder. David Scott Mitchell (1836-1706), the wealthy bachelor who endowed the Mitchell Library with 70,000 pounds and his valuable book and document collection relating to Australia and the Pacific, was a longer-term resident, moving from the family home in Cumberland Street in the Rocks in 1871. He then lived unostentatiously at 17 Darlinghurst Road until his death in 1907 (ibid, 1988, 77).

Nineteenth century Sydneysiders who wanted a home with a view knew Darlinghurst was the place to build. The highest point in inner Sydney is near the corner of Darley Street and Darley Place. By the middle of the century this had become a fashionable residential area. Mansions were built, particularly towards the harbour where there were water views.
The suburb's main thoroughfare, William Street, was named after King William IV, who reigned from 1830 to 1837 and was often scathingly referred to as Sailor Bill, or even Silly Billy (Pollen & Murphy, 1988, 77-79).

First Sydney Gaol:
The first purpose-built gaols in the colony were constructed of log and clay and comprised rows of individual cells flanking a corridor. By the end of Governor Macquarie's term, the Sydney Gaol (at the corner of Essex and George Streets) was severely overcrowded. In 1820, Commissioner Bigge, undertaking a general review of the colony, directed that a new gaol should be constructed on a conspicuous site in Sydney.

Woolloomooloo Stockade and Darlinghurst Gaol: 1820+
The gilt went off the suburb when Darlinghurst Gaol was built in 1841. It was not its style, but the significance of its erection that was the reason for the decline in Darlinghurst's popularity. Following the Bigge Enquiry, Governor Brisbane had reserved 3.5 acres on the heights of Darlinghurst for a new gaol to replace the earlier lock-up in George Street. Between 1822-24 a stockade was erected. Convicts quarried stone from nearby William Street (at the corner of William and Forbes Streets) and hauled it to the hill-top, where other convict gangs shaped up the blocks by hand. The gaol was pegged out adjacent to Darlinghurst Road and parallel to the alignment of the South Head Road on Woolloomooloo Hill (ibid, 1988, 78-79). Each convict had a 'mark' that showed their worked block. Today, many of these convict-made quota marks remain visible.

Butel and Thompson (1984) state that the stone was quarried on Thomas West's estate, Barcom Glen, which is nearby to the Gaol site, to its east.

Work paused on the gaol in 1824 and remained stopped for 12 years due to lack of funds with only the perimeter walls completed. The walls in this intervening time were used as a stockade to contain public works gangs. This enclosure was known as Woolloomooloo Stockade.

During this time gaol design in the colonies underwent significant changes. The Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline (SIPD) recommended a new design for prisons. This focused on classification and separation of inmates and improvements in design and ventilation. Other principles included the central location of administrative buildings (chapel, guards accommodation, service buildings and the like) with the aim of maintaining a direct view of the cell wings.

This new principle was used for the re-design and re-commencement of the gaol build, with the specifications sent to England requesting that they fit the existing 400-foot square perimeter wall. Mortimer William Lewis was appointed as Colonial Architect in 1835, responsible for the revised construction and the suggestion that the (State Heritage Register-listed) Sydney Court House be constructed adjacent to the gaol to decrease the construction costs. Linking these two with imposing architecture on a highly visible ridge-top in the Sydney CBD provided a strong signal about law enforcement and regulation to the colony. Their proximity also allowed the implementation of a strong philosophy of keeping prisoners out of sight and off the ground - with a tunnel linking the courthouse and gaol and allowing prisoners from the Forbes Street entrance to be transferred directly to baths in the lower part of the chapel building and then the cell blocks.

The revised plan was a radial design with seven two storey wings, a freestanding central observation point and a chapel. It remained consistent with the SIPD principle, including separate yards and longitudinal walls in the passages. Alterations were made to the design, however, including a departure from the SIPD principles, for example, the removal of the longitudinal separating walls in the cell block and the creation of an uninterrupted central space from the ground floor to the roof and construction of six-person cells rather than single cells.

Butel and Thompson (1984) state that Lewis' inspiration for the re-design was Philadelphia's Eastern Penitentiary.

Construction (re-)commenced in 1836 (ibid, 1988, 78-79).
By 1841 the old gaol was in such poor state the new Sydney (i.e. Darlinghurst) Gaol started accepting inmates, despite its incomplete status. At this time the porter's lodge, Governor's house (Building 22) and one wing (Cell Block A, Building 23) were completed. Block D (Building 20) was near completion and construction of Block B and C had started. Water supply was established in 1846, a treadmill (Building 26) finished and 434 feet of tunnelling joining gaol to courthouse completed.

Prisoners from George Street gaol were marched in chains to Darlinghurst to jeers and catcalls of a watching crowd. The first public hanging was John Knatchbull in 1844.

Prison labour continued to be used to build the gaol, with an extension formulated and commenced prior to the completion of the original plan. The 1863 sewerage plan shows buildings constructed by this date including:
Northern and Southern cell block to the first storey and extra floor to the storehouse for the treadmill - 1849; Bathhouse - 1852; Extension of Principal Turnkey's quarters in porter's lodge (since demolished) - 1853; gallows over entrance gate (since demolished) - 1852; Deadhouse (since demolished) and Gaol kitchen (demolished 1864) construction on area allocated for the central building - 1857; Hospital for female prisoners (since demolished) - 1860; Weatherboard kitchen for female turnkeys (since demolished) and Southern cell block (Building 16) fully completed - 1861.

The next phase of building and use saw abandonment of the original seven cell wings to a more ad hoc approach, including workshops and land to the north of the site resumed to extend the size of the original site. As a result, the northern boundary wall was altered to align with Burton Street and the eastern side with Darlinghurst Road.
This new phase of work commenced in 1864 with the extension walled in by 1866.

An 1866 lithograph from the 'Illustrated Sydney News' shows an aerial view of the gaol at that time (Butel and Thompson, 1984, 34).

Over the next twenty years a further (at least) eight buildings were added, including: Y-shaped cell wing (Building 5), Chapel (Building 28) and morgue with ornamental and symbolic carving (Building 4) - 1872; a hospital for females (Building 15) - 1872-85; new west wall and range with gatehouse (Buildings 1 & 2); increase of workshop range to three storeys and east-west extension on the northern end (Building 11); a hospital for males (Building 14) and Female warders' quarters, later an observation wing (Building 27); and cookhouse (Building 25) - c1885.

In 1885 the gaol remained overcrowded; a facility intended for 650 accommodated over 700. As a solution, and because long term inmates were trained in the industrial process embedded in the gaol (including mat, shoe, mattress making, tin-smithing, blacksmithing, book binding, masonry and others), short-term inmates were being moved to regional facilities. Cockatoo Island was also used as a temporary overflow measure. The use of industry to occupy inmates with constructive tasks within the 19th century penal system is well established. From use of the tread wheel , stonework, and other industrial processes, these tasks showed 'proper' society that public money was being put to good use (though it was unlikely the treadmill was ever used). This embedded social structure was amply demonstrated at Darlinghurst, and many features of the site itself are testament both to the labour and the skills of the prisoners in stonework in particular.

The Gaol has rich historic associations with people and organisations that helped shape its character and reputation and moveable heritage curated on site further strengthens these associations. The range of associated people include the original convict quarriers and builders, inmates, wardens and the many people associated with law and order of the 19th and early 20th century, for example.

The colony's most famous executioner, Alexander Green who over twenty-seven years officiated at the public execution of almost 490 people in the colony (76 hanged at the gaol) , including six women, administered hangings (generally outside the main gate of the Gaol) from its opening until 1855. The most famous probably the execution of John Knatchbull, naval captain who had been transported to NSW for stealing with force and arms, was involved in an attempted mutiny on Norfolk Island, turned informer, and was then convicted of murder in Sydney in 1844. Having confessed to the crime, he was defended by Robert Lowe, who for the first time in a British court raised the plea of moral insanity. He was hanged in public outside the Darlinghurst Gaol. The last public hanging (outside the gaol) was on 21 September 1852, of Francis Thomas Green, after which the gallows was relocated inside the gaol. Other noteworthy persons hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol are the four young men hanged for rape in what was described as the 'Mount Rennie Outrage', Louisa Collins (the last female to be executed in NSW), Andrew George Scott (Captain Moonlite), and the Aboriginal outlaw, Jimmy Governor. The last hanging in Darlinghurst Gaol was in October 1907 (ibid, 1988, 78-7; Ken Macnab, 'Green, Alexander (1802-?)', ADB, 2005; 'Joh Knatchbull, ADB, 1967)).

Noseless hangman 'Nosey Bob' Howard - the longest-serving executioner for New South Wales, worked here from 1876 to 1904. Sixty one men and one woman met him, under the worst possible circumstances, over that time. Howard once sparked fear and fascination everywhere he went. A new biography of him is published by Dr Rachel Franks (HHA, 2022).

Notable inmates included Henry James O'Farrell, an Irish-Australian who was the first person to attempt a political assassination in Australia and Sir George Richard Dibbs, three-time NSW Premier, was also held at the gaol for slander (Hore, 2021).

By 1891 the site was connected to mains sewerage, electricity and an engine room, boiler room and chimney stack were constructed (in Building 26) and a sulphur room was installed behind the morgue by 1895. At this time the courts were having particular issues identifying the margin between criminal and 'insane' acts. There were facilities, including Parramatta, that had a wing for the criminally insane. These, including the area at Darlinghurst, as well as at Parramatta and others were beyond capacity. It is likely that Building 14 at Darlinghurst was used for observation, with the female warders' quarters (Building 27) also co-opted to be used as an observation area. Female warders were moved to the female prison and three of the original six-person cells in Building 20 housed the female patients.

Internment Camp: 1914
Darlinghurst Gaol remained the main gaol for the inner-city Sydney area until 1914. By the early part of this century work towards improving facilities in any meaningful way had ceased. Long Bay gaol was under construction and in 1910 all industries undertaken at Darlinghurst were moved to Parramatta gaol. By 1912 there were only 323 inmates. In July 1914 the prisoners that remained were transferred to Long Bay and Darlinghurst Gaol was closed.

World War One also started in 1914. During the war the site was used as a military and internment camp and became a security house for German and Irish refugees (ibid, 1988, 78-79). World War I had a devastating impact upon many Germans, including, of course, Sydney's German community. Most German nationals were interned because of national security considerations and for their own security and Darlinghurst Gaol became part of a network of internment places along with State Heritage Register listed Trial Bay Gaol and the Holsworthy internment camp, at Liverpool. It was understood at this time that the gaol would be demolished, and the military occupants repurposed wood, lead and other materials to hand for short-term uses. It was retained as a general storage area until 1921.

East Sydney Technical College: 1922
In 1921 the former gaol was bought by the Sydney Technical College for use as an annex, encompassing the Art School, the Sanitation and Hygiene school, Domestic Science, Sheep and Wool School and other departments. The College had been based in Ultimo from 1891 and had included arts education from its start, as part of a program of working peoples' education for the industrial and technological demands springing from the new industries of the late nineteenth century.

The idea for adaptive re-use as an educational institution was an inspired decision by Labor politician Thomas Mutch at that time minister of public instruction, and James Nangle, a key reformer in NSW technical education who was instrumental in setting the high standards at Sydney Technical College, managed to broaden offerings in the applied arts and enhance their prestige. Their relocation in the early 1920s at East Sydney marked the establishment of the college's 'National Art School'. (Joan E. Cobb, 'Nangle, James', ADB 1986)

The decision ultimately saved the gaol from demolition and its evocative sandstone structures would inspire generations of students.

Alterations were necessary to make the site suitable for students following its occupation by the army during the war. Extensive damage to structures was noted, including bullet marks in walls, wood and fittings from within structures stripped out, railings and glass panes removed. Lead was removed from the roofs causing significant damage to internal wall plaster from rain ingress, doors and door frames were also severely damaged or gone.
Demolition and adaption of the buildings included all the cell wings' internal walls and floor being removed, except for Building 20. At this time floors were rebuilt to increase the height of rooms, and a change from three storeys to two.

A new entrance from Burton Street was built in 1923 and a public auction held to dispense waste from these changes. Changes recorded at the time include: 'the insertion of windows, the widening of doorways, the plastering of interior walls and painting and panelling of ceilings'. The college was recorded to be holding classes including 'the whole of the art and applied art classes, comprising drawing of all grades, commercial art and design, ceramic art, sculpture, modelling, pottery and china painting, art metalwork, jewellery, and enamelling. There are fine classes in sanitation and plumbing, in agriculture, motor-body building, and a unique window-display class. Splendid provision is made for women's handicrafts (needlework, millinery, etc.), and for domestic arts (cookery, laundry, etc)'.

The Government Architect's Branch became responsible for additional works with the school, making minor changes. Demand for the school was high, and by the end of the decade it was at capacity. Further building changes were made to accommodate this increased demand. An example of this is addition of another floor to Building 24 then known as the Sheep and Wool Building completed by 1930, which accommodated classes in wool classing and the like. Further changes included infill along the western boundary (Building 1) and cell yard walls north of E Wing (Building 5), which were completed c 1935.

The trend to make changes as the needs of the school and students dictated continued. In 1955 the Cell Block Theatre project was announced by Hollywood actress Katharine Hepburn. She made a speech noting how appropriate it was that a member of the second oldest profession in the world should open a building which had housed women from the oldest profession.

National Art School
The National Art School can trace its origins back to the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts in Pitt Street, Sydney. In 1843, regular art classes were held, and in 1873, a Technical College was established at this institution which contained a Department of Art. The art department was moved to Sydney Technical College in Ultimo in 1892, which was then relocated to the former Darlinghurst Gaol in 1922.

As the East Sydney Technical College and later the National Art School, this facility has fostered some of Australia's leading artists in a number of fields, friendships and networks between those in the arts and theatre worlds and continues to do so. Many former students have returned to the college as teachers. The institution holds a large collection of artworks from these generations of artists, including many student works from now renowned artists, and many works that took their inspiration from the physical setting of the classes among the adapted spaces of the former Darlinghurst Gaol.
The first 'Lecturer in Charge' of the 'Elementary and Applied Art Department' at East Sydney Technical College was Samuel Rowe.

As an arts education facility of high esteem, the complex is associated with considerable numbers of renowned practitioners, teachers, students and artworks of note, including influential English artist Rayner Hoff, who joined the staff in 1923 and brought a great deal of momentum to the art department until his death in 1937. Hoff helped to establish a five-year Diploma course from 1926. He taught modelling and sculpture and set up a large studio in one of the converted gaol buildings. Hoff employed students to work on his public commissions, including the Anzac Memorial sculptures installed at the Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park. Photographs of Hoff and his student team working on these monuments continue to be displayed in and around the spaces where they worked. Similarly, sculptor Bertram McKennal, visiting Australia from his long-term home in England in the 1920s, had begun work on the figures of the two soldiers at the Martin Place Cenotaph in an extant workroom on the site.

Renowned modernist photographer Max Dupain, was one student who benefitted from the Technical College model, taking evening classes in drawing and other subjects during the 1930s at the same time as he was apprenticed to local photographer Cecil Bostok (Helen Ennis ADB, 2020)

During WW2, the art school continued to function, with a predominance of female students, including painter, Margaret Olley, one of Australia's most significant still-life and interior painters, who graduated from the East Sydney Technical College in 1945. She became a widely recognised figure in Australian art and travelled and exhibited until the mid-2000s. (Art Gallery NSW website https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/artists/olley-margaret/)

The period after the war saw a large group of highly motivated students , including some women enrolling in the art course at the college, many of them under the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Training Scheme for returned servicemen, including renowned abstract expressionist painter (and arts administrator) Tony Tuckson, who had begun his studies in London before the war, but married in Sydney and stayed; sculptors Robert Klippel, Tom Bass and Bert Flugelman and Guy Warren, and painter and print-maker John Coburn, who later returned to teach at the National Art School 1959-66 and became Head of the NAS in the 1970s. Some students had not studied art before, but used the opportunity of the scholarship to do so.

During the 1950s and 1960s the success of the college was consolidated, with burgeoning interest in evening classes. Prominent alumni from this period include Ken Done, Martin Sharp, multi-media artist Reg Mombassa; Elisabeth Cummings, and art gallery owner and interior designer Roslyn Oxley (Walton). Colin Lanceley studied at the school during this period and later described the rich and inspiring cultural milieu that he experienced at the school and in surrounding Darlinghurst: 'I loved being a student at the National Art School. It was the opening of my life, really, because I was learning what I wanted to learn in a milieu that was created by a whole lot of artists We'd hang out in wine bars and coffee shops and so on, and in particular one coffee shop near Taylor Square which was run by a Jewish woman named Magda. She wanted to have a kind of Viennese cake and coffee shop with the kind of intellectual buzz that such a place in Vienna always had. And so she didn't mind the fact that we students occupied every table in the place We were always arguing and jousting and all this kind of business - young artists trying to understand things and get on.' Lanceley remembered the school's librarian as an important influence: 'A really crucial person I mustn't forget was the librarian whose name was John Kaplan, and he was a German Jewish scholar probably philosophy. He was a huge influence on creating the cultural values that the students adopted he would arrange musical performances and talks and a film society, and these are all very important parts of an art education.' (Elizabeth Fortescue, ARTIST PROFILE, 2015)

The school followed a studio based method of teaching, with practicing artists teaching small classes in a workshop setting. These workshops were, and continue to be, set largely within the remaining fabric of the gaol, using the cell blocks, the workshop buildings, a great diversity of spaces enclosed (or left open air) around the stone walls that formerly divided exercise yards and between the gaol buildings and the perimeter walls. The spaces once aimed at incarceration have been transformed into nurturing creative spaces, and an artistic oasis from the loud and busy streets of Sydney - the compulsory labour of the prisoners is now over-written with the artistic labour of several generations of art teachers and students. The school maintains a rich moveable heritage collection that displays the complex and varied roles the buildings within these walls have hosted through time. Fiona Hall, who studied at the school in the 1970s is one of the artists whose work was directly influenced by the physical spaces of the former gaol and the particular light qualities of these spaces, which contributed the development of her distinctive photographic style. (NAS website, On Stillness, 2018)

From the mid-1970s, the college base was reduced and then almost discontinued, as arts education diversified in Sydney, with establishment of the College of Fine Arts (COFA) and Sydney College of the Arts taking the lead. The threat to the life of the arts at the former Darlinghurst Gaol caused teachers and students to articulate the importance of that particular space as an inspiration to their work and a nurturing environment for arts education and practice. The fight to maintain the school continued into the 1980s with formation of the Friends of the National Art School, and the school was gradually rebuilt.

Independence of the National Art School from the NSW Technical and Further Education (TAFE) system was achieved in 1996.

The East Sydney Technical College cum National Art School has fostered the creative and career development of several generations of Aboriginal artists, including Dr Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher (Thanakupi) AO, who is widely credited as the founder of the Indigenous ceramics movement in Australia. Thancoupie came to the East Sydney Technical College from Cape York in the 1970s and developed her practice in ceramics under the guidance of famed Australian ceramicist, Peter Rushforth and the great Japanese potter Shiga Shigeo. Her naturalistic ceramic shapes are etched with surface decoration related to Thainkuith storytelling and totemic symbols. As well as a great number of exhibitions, Thancoupie dedicated 30 years until she passed in 2011 to mentoring artists in Far North Queensland, Arnhem Land, the desert, and the Tiwi Islands.

The co-founders of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Ngemba artist Jeffrey Samuel and Bundjalung-Munajali artist Euphemia Bostock studied at Darlinghurst. Established in Chippendale Sydney in 1987, Boomalli is one of Australia's longest running Aboriginal owned and operated art galleries and provides ongoing support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists so that they can exhibit, define and promote Aboriginal art with Aboriginal endorsed guidance. (https://mgnsw.org.au/organisations/boomalli-aboriginal-artists-co-operative/)

Alumni of the school continue to emerge and to make their marks on the arts and cultural scene of NSW and beyond, and on the public and private galleries and public spaces of NSW. Since the 1970s, prominent alumni include: Badtjala curator, writer and academic Fiona Foley; Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens; printmaker Cressida Campbell; collage and multimedia artist Joan Ross, Archibald prize winners Guy Maestri, Fiona Lowry, Mitch Cairns, sculptor Ron Robertson-Swan AO and many more.

In 2018, The National Art School put on a major exhibition celebrating the work of 50 alumni from the school. All the works were gifted by the artists to build upon a teaching and touring archive. As Steven Alderton, Director and CEO said: 'The exhibition represents a powerful expression of the artists' generosity and the affection they hold for the National Art School, whose history and contribution to Australian art and culture can be traced back 150 years.'(Gina Fairley, ArtsHub Review: National Art - Part One, 2018)

Today, the National Art School is known on multiple fronts; for its reputation as an exceptional teaching facility, for its history as a penal facility and its distinctive profile on the streetscape of Darlinghurst.

More recently, the National Art School External Facade Maintenance Strategy was commissioned by Property NSW and funded by the Minister's Stonework Program (MSP). The objective was to review the condition of external building fabric of a group of key significant built assets including the convict-built perimeter wall and develop a program of rejuvenation. Areas of the site still require restoration.

Through the second half of the 20th century Darlinghurst and its iconic Oxford Street became a conclave for the highly marginalised gay and lesbian community. 'The Wall', of the National Art School between Burton and Oxford streets linked the clubs of Kings Cross and Oxford Street and a popular meeting spot for the community. Darlinghurst, as a place of varying repute over the years, maintains its character in the face of gentrification with entertainment spaces, pubs, galleries and a diverse community, and a popular residential suburb of inner Sydney. The presence of the National Art School has contributed to this enduring picture, encouraging the presence of artists and associated businesses within the precinct. The National Art School established its value to the Sydney community when it achieved status as a State Significant Organisation in December 2018 and was given a commitment to remain on the site for 45 years by the NSW State Government in 2019.

In 2021 the City of Sydney proposed new planning rules to aim to transform Oxford Street precinct by creating more employment and cultural floor space. These rules, endorsed by Coucnil, could create more than 42,000 sq.m.of employment floor space along Oxford Street from Greens Road, Paddington to Whitlam Square, Surry Hills (Architecture and Design, 25/5/2021).

The Darlinghurst Law Courts would become the centre of a new cultural precinct opening the historic sandstone landmark to Oxford Street and the National Art School under plans foreshadowed by the City of Sydney... giving the National Art School a new front door, connecting it to the community and elevating the complex to a major cultural destination (Morris, 2022).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)New South Wales themeLocal theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures. Gardens-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures. Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures. Introduce cultural planting-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures. Changing the environment-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures. Modification of terrain-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities Convict labour-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities Administering the convict system-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities Experiencing secondary punishment-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities Working for the Crown-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities Demonstrating convicts' experiences and activities-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Significant Places How are significant places marked in the landscape by, or for, different groups-Monuments and Sites
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Unseen but Present-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Creating environments evocative of the 'old country'-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Landscapes and parklands of distinctive styles-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Landscapes of institutions - productive and ornamental-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Landscapes of passive recreation-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Landscapes of military activities-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences Developing local landmarks-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences Providing a venue for significant events-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences Developing national landmarks-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Mining-Activities associated with the identification, extraction, processing and distribution of mineral ores, precious stones and other such inorganic substances. Quarrying stone-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. A Picturesque Residential Suburb-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. Housing (regional city)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. Adapted heritage building or structure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. Architectural design-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. police house-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. Accommodating convicts-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal 1820s-1850s land grants-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Early land grants-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Fencing boundaries - mortared stone walls-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Stone Wall-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Changing land uses - from rural to suburban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Resuming private lands for public purposes-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Administering and alienating Crown lands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages living in the city-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Early Sydney Street-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages 19th century suburban developments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Subdivision of urban estates-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages 19th Century Infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages 19th Century Infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Creating landmark structures and places in suburban settings-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Institutions-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages living in the suburbs-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Artists settlement and networks-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Planning relationships between key structures and town plans-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Developing towns in response to topography-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Planned towns serving a specific industry-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages Developing suburbia-
5. Working-Working Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour Working at enforced labour-
5. Working-Working Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour Working on public infrastructure projects-
5. Working-Working Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour Working in the public service-
5. Working-Working Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour Working in the Justice System-Includes work practices and organised labour.
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. Tertiary education-
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. Adult Education-
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. Private education-
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. Adapted villa/ cottage for a school-
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. school site-
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. Educating people in suburban locations-
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. Maintaining libraries and museums for educational purposes-
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. Public (tertiary) education-
6. Educating-Educating Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally. Public (tertiary) education-
7. Governing-Governing Defence-Activities associated with defending places from hostile takeover and occupation Involvement with the First (Great) World War-
7. Governing-Governing Defence-Activities associated with defending places from hostile takeover and occupation Involvement with the Second World War-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. State government-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Public works-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - administration of land-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - jailing prisoners-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - providing education-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - public land administration-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Providing public offices and buildings-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - managing the convict system-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - administering the justice system-
7. Governing-Governing Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes The rule of law-
7. Governing-Governing Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes Prison colony-
7. Governing-Governing Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes Detaining POWs-
7. Governing-Governing Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes Incarcerating prisoners-
7. Governing-Governing Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes Jail-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Industrial buildings-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Developing cultural institutions and ways of life-National Theme 8
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Monuments-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Architectural styles and periods - Victorian (early)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Applying architectural design to utlilitarian structures-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. work of stonemasons-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Architectural styles and periods - Victorian (late)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Architectural styles and periods - Federation Arts and Crafts-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Landscaping - Federation period-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Designing structures to emphasise their important roles-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Creating works of art-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Designing in an exemplary architectural style-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Applying architectural design to industrial structures-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Interior design styles and periods - Edwardian-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Architectural styles and periods - Victorian (mid)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Architectural styles and periods - Georgian Revival-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Interior design styles and periods - Victorian-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Artists, bohemians and intellectuals squat or gathering point-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Landscaping - Victorian period-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Architectural styles and periods - colonial Georgian-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Patronising artistic endeavours-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Designing making and using coats of arms and heraldry-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities. Creating an icon-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions. Ways of life 1900-1950-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions. Ways of life 1788-1850-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions. Ways of life 1850-1900-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions. Convict housing near workplaces-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions. Living in, adapting and renovating homes for changing conditions-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions. Living in suburbia-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation Visiting heritage places-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation Going to the theatre-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation Gathering at landmark places to socialise-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation Going to an art gallery-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities Places of informal community gatherings-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities Local adaptive reuses of military sites-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities Developing local clubs and meeting places-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities Developing and maintaining a local art gallery-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities Belonging to an historical society or heritage organisation-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Clement Meadmore, sculptor-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Commissioner J.T.Bigge, colonial administration auditor-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Rayner (G. Rayner) Hoff, sculptor-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with John Olsen, painter-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Francis Greenway, emancipist architect-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Mortimer Lewis, Colonial Architect, 1796-1879-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Max Dupain, photographer and artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Henry Lawson, poet and writer-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Margaret Ollie, painter and benefactor-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Ken Done, successful commercial artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Reg Mombassa, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Katherine Hepburn, American actress-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Sir Robert Helpmann, artist, director-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with William Dobell, painter-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with James Gleeson, painter-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Tony Tuckson, painter, arts administrator-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Peter Rushforth, potter-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Robert Klippel, sculptor-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with John Coburn, painter-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Jeffrey Smart, painter-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Martin Sharp, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Fiona Hall, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Guy Warren, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Colin Lanceley, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Ann Thomson, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Godfrey Miller, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with John Firth-Smith, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Susan Norrie, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Cressida Campbell, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Tim Storrier, painter-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Guy Maestri, artist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Roslyn Oxley (nee Bushell), interior designer, art gallery owner-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Thomas West, emancipated convict, farmer-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups Associations with Governor (later Maj-Gen.) Lachlan Macquarie, 1810-1821-

Assessment of significance

SHR Criteria a)
[Historical significance] 		Darlinghurst Gaol is state significant as the oldest surviving early gaol complex in Australia, with construction of the perimeter walls commenced in 1821 as a result of the Bigge Inquiry. Redesigned according to the radial planning system advocated by the SIPD, and with construction recommenced in 1835, the gaol remains a fine example of the SIPD philosophy, and it reflects, in the evidence of its fabric, an changing approaches to penal discipline tried in NSW during the 19th century. The perimeter walls were built by convict labour between 1822-4. As the East Sydney Technical College and later the National Art School, this facility has fostered some of Australia's leading artists in several fields, friendships and networks between those in the arts and theatre worlds.
SHR Criteria b)
[Associative significance] 		This site is state significant for its association with a number of notable inmates. Examples include bushrangers Captain Moonlight and Jimmy Governor, Henry James O'Farrell (attempted assassin of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1868) and poet Henry Lawson.
As an arts education facility of high esteem, the complex is associated with practitioners, teachers, students and artworks of note including Rayner Hoff, who held a sculpture school on site in 1923; Bertram McKennal cast the figures of the two soldiers at the Martin Place Cenotaph in an extant workroom on the site, and other notable students and staff of the National Art School include (though not limited to) William Dobell, Max Dupain, Ken Done, Margaret Olley, John Coburn, John Olsen, Colin Lanceley, Martin Sharp, Reg Mombassa; and art gallery owner and interior designer Roslyn Oxley (Walton).
SHR Criteria c)
[Aesthetic significance] 		The site demonstrates overall a distinctive and homogenous architectural quality deriving from such considerations as the relationship of the forms of the circular central chapel and surrounding buildings, sense of enclosure and the unusual spaces created, use of ashlar dressed sandstone walling and hipped roofs, the consistent design and detailing of the individual buildings contributing to a unified complex and the continuous landscaping works. The chapel is considered one of the finest examples of stonemason's art in Australia.
The complex is highly evocative as a former gaol, representative of both the experience of being a prisoner here in the 19th century, as well as penal techniques and philosophies.
SHR Criteria d)
[Social significance] 		Through the second half of the 20th century Darlinghurst and its iconic Oxford Street became a conclave for the highly marginalised gay and lesbian community. ‘The Wall’, of the National Art School between Burton and Oxford streets linked the clubs of Kings Cross and Oxford Street and a popular meeting spot for the community. Darlinghurst, as a place of varying repute over the years, maintains its character in the face of gentrification with entertainment spaces, pubs, galleries and a diverse community, and a popular residential suburb of inner Sydney. The presence of the National Art School has contributed to this enduring picture
SHR Criteria e)
[Research potential] 		The archaeological potential of areas of the site is high with the potential to provide information on the construction, function and changing use of the former gaol to an education facility. This potential is also vested in the landscape, with the zoned use of areas, and the pathways used to manage prisoners and sightlines. The National Art School, Art Collection is a rare and unique blend of artefacts that demonstrate the esteem the buildings and their history hold to the National Arts School students and alumni. The heritage collection curated on site covers a range of categories including artefacts associated with punishment, building items and furnishings related to the various building programs, prison industry, including shoe lasts and templates and archaeological items, including animal bone.
SHR Criteria f)
[Rarity] 		The Former East Sydney Technical College and Darlinghurst Gaol is state significant for its rarity as the oldest surviving convict gaol complex in Australia.
SHR Criteria g)
[Representativeness] 		The site is state significant as an excellent representative example of a gaol complex linked by tunnel and by the deliberate positioning of the Darlinghurst Courthouse adjacent, of state significance in its own right as the first purpose-built courthouse.
Assessment criteria: Items are assessed against the PDF State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management CategoryDescriptionDate Updated
Statutory InstrumentNominate for State Heritage Register (SHR) 
Recommended ManagementProduce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) 
Recommended ManagementCarry out an Archaeological Assessment 
Recommended ManagementPrepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines 

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of actDescriptionTitleCommentsAction date
57(2)Exemption to allow workHeritage Act - Site Specific Exemptions HERITAGE ACT 1977

ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2)
TO GRANT SITE SPECIFIC EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL

National Art School Group, Former Darlinghurst Gaol, Former East Sydney Technical College, Darlinghurst
SHR 02048
I, the Minister administering the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales, in pursuance of s.57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, do, by this my order, grant an exemption from s.57(1) of that Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out of any activities described in Schedule "C" by the owner, mortgagee or lessee of the land described in Schedule "B" on the item described in Schedule "A".




The Hon. Don Harwin MLC
Special Minister of State,
Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations,
Aboriginal Affairs and the Arts
Vice-President of the Executive Council



Sydney, 19th Day of February 2020


SCHEDULE "A"

The item known as National Art School Group, Former Darlinghurst Gaol, Former East Sydney Technical College, situated on the land described in Schedule "B".


SCHEDULE "B"

All those pieces or parcels of land known as Lot 1 DP 568755 in Parish of Alexandria, County of Cumberland shown on the plan catalogued HC 3259 in the office of the Heritage Council of New South Wales.

SCHEDULE "C"

1.All standard exemptions as set out under Section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977 (NSW)
2.All works and activities which are in accordance with a valid development consent in force at the date of gazettal for listing the National Art School Group on the State Heritage Register under the Heritage Act 1977 (NSW)
3.Installation of and alterations to lightweight partitions required to accommodate student studios and gallery spaces, as long as this work will have no adverse impact on heritage significance and/or obscure or alter significant views towards fabric of exceptional, high or moderate significance. Partitions to be reversible. No fixings to be made into masonry walls or window joinery.
4.Erection of temporary hoardings (up to 12 months) and scaffolding associated with maintenance or conservation of facades, windows and roof sheeting and drainage where no physical impact to heritage fabric occurs.
5.Excavation outside the mapped zones of archaeological sensitivity as shown on an approved Archaeological Management Plan. This does not permit the removal of historical archaeological 'relics' or Aboriginal objects if found. Notifications would still be required under relevant legislation.
6.Removal of non-illuminated external signs and decorations, such as flags, rigging, banners, merchandising, holiday livery and associated decorations providing that the signs and decoration are not elements remaining from the significant periods of the site's history.
7.Replacement of non-illuminated external signs and decorations, such as flags, rigging, banners, merchandising, holiday livery and associated decorations where the size, scale and impact of the new items is the same or does not exceed that being replaced and providing that the signs and decoration are not elements remaining from the significant periods of the site's history.
8.Replacement or installation of temporary signage for events, exhibitions and other cultural activities provided there are no fixings into significant fabric and provided that no archaeological 'relics' would be disturbed, exposed or harmed.
9.Installation of new interpretation and/or waymarking signs or relocation or interpretive and/or waymarking signs. Signage must be in accordance with the following Relevant Standards related to Standard Exemptions - Signage: (j) (i) (iii) (iv) (v) and k)
10.Installation of temporary and reversible structures for the operation of special events and activities lasting less than six (6) month duration (i.e. for markets, art shows, gallery exhibitions, filming), as long as this work will have no adverse impact on heritage significance and/or obscure or alter fabric of exceptional, high or moderate significance and provided that no archaeological 'relics' would be disturbed, exposed or harmed.
11.Display of student works and other art works. Minor works such as hanging system for display of works or shelving where the display system relies on recently constructed walls and partitions or on portable display units, as long as this work will have no adverse impact on heritage significance and/or on significant views towards fabric of exceptional, high or moderate significance and provided that no archaeological 'relics' would be disturbed, exposed or harmed. 		Feb 19 2021
57(2)Exemption to allow workStandard Exemptions HERITAGE ACT 1977

ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL

I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977:

revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and

grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A.

This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette.

Dated this 29th day of October 2025
The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC
Minister for Heritage

For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below. 		Nov 7 2025

PDF Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage ListingListing TitleListing NumberGazette DateGazette NumberGazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register 0204819 Feb 21  B21/388
Local Environmental Plan 34528 Jul 00 97 
Register of the National Estate 219821 Mar 78   

References, internet links & images

TypeAuthorYearTitleInternet Links
WrittenArchitecture and Design2021Ground-breaking planning rules to activate Sydney's Oxford Street View detail
WrittenBeck, Deborah2012Hope in Hell - a history of the Darlinghurst Gaol and the National Art School
WrittenBetteridge, Margaret2018Review of the historical artefacts pertinent to the former Darlinghurst Gaol
WrittenBurritt, P. E.1981An interim report on the archaeological possibilities at the site of the Darlinghurst Gaol (1841-1912), Sydney NSW
WrittenButel, Elizabeth and Thompson, Tom1984Pictorial Memories of Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo & Rushcutters Bay
WrittenClement, Jessica2015'Sentenced to a life of art labour: new school on convict site'
Written'Eastern Suburbs Insider' in The Wentworth Courier2014Eastern Suburbs Insider - ten things you might not have known about… Darlinghurst Gaol
WrittenFranks, Dr Rachel2022An Uncommon Hangman: the life and deaths of Robert 'Nosey Bob' Howard
WrittenGreenwich, Alex2019'National Art School Win'
WrittenHeritage Design Services, Department of Commerce (then, Dpt. Of Public Works & Services)1999Archaeological Assessment / Zoning Plan
WrittenHistoric Houses Association of Australia (HHAA)2022Dr Rachel Franks - cocktail evening: 'An Uncommon Hangman' View detail
WrittenHore, Allison2021Multimillion dollar upgrades for National Art School
WrittenKoziol, Michael2022Pride and joy: city to 'party with a purpose' and open up to the world
WrittenLumby, Roy / The 20th Century Heritage Society2006Around about Taylor Square - walking tour notes
WrittenMorris, Linda2022Courts to rule cultural centre View detail
WrittenMorris, Linda2019'Long gaol 'term' secures arts school legacy'
WrittenNational Art School Darlinghurst Gaol (brochure)
WrittenNicholls, Sean2016'Heritage: 'No decision' yet: Historic Jail may be sold as Property NSW takes control'
WrittenRobinsons, in association with Tucker & Co. P/L - NSW agents for Chateau Tanunda - the brandy of distinction, 1962 brochure1962Map no. 121 - Sydney & Environs – Historic Buildings and Landmarks
WrittenSchofield, Leo2019'Artistic fair' in "Lunch with Leo"
WrittenSchwager Brooks & Partners in assoctn. With Jim Kerr, Craig Burton, Wendy Thorp1989Conservation Master Plan - East Sydney Technical College Group
WrittenTaylor, Andrew2021'This will make Darlinghurst hum': the plan to transform Taylor Square View detail
WrittenWong, A., & Smedley, C., for Heritage Design Services, Dept. of Public Works & Services2000East Sydney Technical College (formerly Darlinghurst Gaol) Archaeological Management Report

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.
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Data source

The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name: Heritage NSW
Database number: 5055522
File number: S90/02843/001, EF14/10025

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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