Local Government
Fremantle
Region
Metropolitan
Alma St Fremantle
(on Fremantle Hospital Gounds)
Fremantle
Metropolitan
Constructed from 1929, Constructed from 1852
Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
---|---|---|---|---|
Heritage List | YES | 08 Mar 2007 | ||
State Register | Registered | 18 Feb 2000 |
Register Entry Assessment Documentation |
Heritage Council |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
---|---|---|---|
(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Category | Description | ||||
Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 04 May 1992 |
|
Heritage Council | |
Register of the National Estate | Permanent | 30 May 1995 |
|
Heritage Council | |
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 18 Sep 2000 | Level 1A |
Level 1A |
Refer to HCWA's Assessment Documentation of Places for Entry in the Register of Heritage Places.
Originally a 2 storey masonry building, rendered and lined-out externally with 2 storey verandahs. The original shingle roof was later replaced with corrugated iron. The main building has three large faceted bays along its western facade. These bays are encompassed by the two storey verandahs, covered by a reduced pitch extension of the main hipped roofs over the bays. The original verandah detailing has been replaced. The upstairs verandah has been enclosed. There are French doors to the ground floor rooms. Ornamented timber and iron staircase lead to the first floor from the entrance hall. Secondary staircase, probably of later construction, has turned timber newels and balustrading. The building was later altered for hospital use and major extensions and alterations in a number of stages were added to the southern side of the building and internally.
Refer to Heritage Council of Western Australia's Register of Heritage Places - Register and Assessment Documentation.
The Knowle was built in 1853 as a private residence for Captain Henderson, the Comptroller General of Prisons of the Convict Colony in the Swan River Colony. Henderson designed the building and convict labour was used in the construction of the original building. It ceased to be a private residence in 1867. The building was used by the colonial authorities in the latter half of the 19th century for a variety of functions including the accommodation of convicts, British invalids and to accommodate residents from the lunatic asylum.
The Knowle was thus part of the prison until 1890s when the state government took it over and turned it into the first public hospital in Fremantle to cope with a typhoid outbreak. Alterations and repairs were undertaken by J Herbert Eales. In January 1897 it opened as a 52 bed hospital. Further extensions were built under J H Eales in 1903, which included operating theatre, outpatients’ quarters, examination rooms, waiting and consulting rooms. The old house was extended by one third by PWD architect Charles Rosenthal who later had a distinguished architectural and military career. Construction work on the hospital and its grounds was performed by prisoners who later contributed to its maintenance.
The Knowle is remarkably intact, retaining the staircase made by the convict smiths in the prison smithies, and most of its interior fittings, floor and ceiling. The distinctive verandahs and semi-circular arched lower edge are still evident and the long axis is still recognisable for its three faceted projections, which wrap around the two storeys. The building is now obscured by the development of the hospital around it and it has lost its landscaped setting.
Many additions and alterations have occurred since its construction and for a detailed history refer to Heritage Council of Western Australia's Register of Heritage Places - Register and Assessment Documentation.
Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
---|---|---|---|
11815 | Henderson & Coy : Royal Engineers & the Convict Establishment Fremantle Western Australia 1850 - 1872 | Book | 2017 |
166 | The Knowle: a conservation study for Fremantle Hospital. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1991 |
4126 | The Knowle : Fremantle Hospital conservation plan. | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 1999 |
11483 | Medical background: Being a history of Fremantle hospitals and doctors | Book | 1969 |
7467 | Fremantle : beyond the Round House. | Book | 2005 |
6426 | A preliminary study of convict sites in Western Australia (draft). | Heritage Study {Other} | 1997 |
6772 | Fremantle Hospital : a social history to 1987. | Book | 1987 |
Individual Building or Group
Epoch | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Other Use | OTHER | Other |
Present Use | HEALTH | Hospital |
Original Use | RESIDENTIAL | Two storey residence |
Present Use | HEALTH | Office or Administration Bldg |
Original Use | GOVERNMENTAL | Government Residence |
Style |
---|
Victorian Regency |
Type | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Wall | RENDER | Smooth |
Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
Wall | STONE | Limestone |
Roof | TIMBER | Shingle |
General | Specific |
---|---|
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Settlements |
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Workers {incl. Aboriginal, convict} |
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Government & politics |
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Law & order |
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Education & science |
This data is provided by the City of Fremantle. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of this data, the City of Fremantle makes no representations or warranties about its accuracy, reliability, completeness or suitability for any particular purpose and disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages (including indirect or consequential damage) and costs which you might incur as a result of the data being inaccurate or incomplete in any way and for any reason. Under no circumstances should this data be used to carry out any work without first contacting the City of Fremantle for the appropriate confirmation and approval.