The Fremantle Lunatic Asylum
Clicking on an image will take you to the page where I found it.
Fremantle Lunatic Asylum (now the Fremantle Arts Centre) c1870. Construction of the limestone building by convict labour began in 1861 and was completed in 1864. Dr Barnett became the Superintendent in 1872.
The Fremantle Arts Centre ‘Our History’ page has a floor plan of the current building with details of how it was used in the past.
The asylum, with the extensions added in the 1880s and 1890s, is in the upper right corner of this photo from the 1940s. Note the wall around the ten acre site. The former Skinner Street Cemetery is behind the asylum. Dr Barnett’s house, Park Bungalow, would have been just off to the bottom right corner of the photo.
(Image from Freotopia, taken from a Fremantle City Library brochure)
The Fremantle Arts Centre, opened in 1973 after extensive renovation. To a visitor enjoying its shady gardens, polished wooden floorboards and immaculate galleries, it’s difficult to imagine what it must have been like when it was still used an asylum.
(Image by Balou on Wikipedia)
This is the second in a series of posts showing some of the images I collected while researching and writing Madness and Marvels. The good news is that I’ve finished setting up the print version of the book. It should appear on Amazon and Ingram in a week or two. The ebook is already available on most ebook sites, including Hoopla.