Terrace Gardens at Fremantle Prison restored

29/3/99
The Terrace Gardens at Fremantle Prison have been restored to a state reminiscent of their turn-of-the-century glory.
Launching the $230,000 project today, Works and Services Minister Mike Board said the restored gardens were the culmination of a painstaking and rigorously researched conservation project which started last Steptember.
"The project was initiated following the completion of a Terrace Master Plan Study, which adhered stringently to heritage policy guidelines and which was endorsed by the Fremantle Prison Trust," Mr Board said.
"The project was managed by Contract and Management Services (CAMS) and required detailed research through maps, plans, photographs and official records.
"The researchers also conducted a number of archaeological digs to verify the documentary evidence."
CAMS contracted Considine & Griffiths Architects to carry out the works, entailing the lowering of the gardens to their former levels, rebuilding the crumbling limestone walls and reconstructing missing elements.
Thompson Palmer Pty Ltd architectural landscape designers provided the horticultural consultancy and oversaw the redevelopment of the gardens in a simple and functional style reminiscent of Western Australian gardens of the 1920s.
"The Fremantle Prison has been recognised as the most intact convict establishment in Australia and a place of high cultural heritage significance," Mr Board said.
"The restoration of the Terrace Gardens, which is the first of three stages of the Terrace Masterplan, has achieved a significant visual improvement to the 'street front' of the prison.
"Fremantle Prison is being considered for nomination as a World Heritage Site. Completion of the Terrace Gardens is a major milestone in the ongoing process of conserving and interpreting the prison site."
Media contact: Jody Robb 9222 9211