Male Ward No. 1

Description

From 1804 female convicts were housed in the original Female Factory, atop the first gaol on the site of Prince Alfred Park. By 1817 this had become overrun, and in 1818 Gov Macquarie instructed Francis Greenway to design an institution for 300 female convicts. This was completed in 1821. It ceased to be a prison in 1848 (transportation had ceased in 1840), and it became part of the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum until it was demolished in 1883. Some of the walls from the Female Factory remain. The sandstone blocks from the Female Factory were used to build the Male Ward No. 1. The clock which graced the front arch of the Female Factory was transferred into a purpose built tower over the northern corner of Ward 1. This clock was made in London in 1820, the bell in 1821. The clock was one of 5 given to the colony by King George IV in 1822. The other four are in St John's Cathedral Parramatta, St Matthew's Church Windsor, St Luke's at Liverpool, and Government House Hobart.[The site is in Cumberland Hospital's property - please check permissions with them]

Area: North Parramatta

Detail