Beaumaris Gaol

Beaumaris Gaol

This is a two-storey gaol with a main east-west range that incorporates the north entrance to Bunkers Hill, a south wing extended to the perimeter wall in 1867, and a lower wing on the east side, creating an F-shaped plan. The elevations are constructed principally of coursed rubble-stone walls with freestone dressings and monolithic surrounds, topped with a hipped graded-slate roof on wide eaves, and freestone stacks.

The severe three-bay entrance, positioned between splayed abutting walls of the outer perimeter, is built of coursed rock-faced limestone. It features a central tripartite doorway of minimal classical distinction, with '1829' incised into the entablature. The entrance has recessed small-pane flanking windows and a segmental-headed central studded door. Windows throughout are 16-pane hornless sashes.

Behind the perimeter wall and opening to one of several prison yards is a seven-window elevation. The upper storey contains iron-barred cell windows with recessed small-pane casements. In the lower storey at the right end is a studded door with a small-pane sash window to its right and a blocked window to the left, opening to a small kitchen yard. On the left side is a courtyard wall comprising a freestone coped dwarf wall and tall vertical slate slabs, incorporating a freestone doorway surround. To the left of the kitchen yard is a studded door with a barred window to the right and two barred windows to the left. Iron railings with a gate are built between the end of the wall and the perimeter wall.

The east end wall contains a panelled door with flanking lights and overlight. Above this is a studded door, which led by temporary walkway to the gallows in the perimeter wall, with a small-pane overlight.

At the southeast end of the main range is a single-storey punishment wing beneath a roof of small slates, facing west toward one of the main exercise yards. It is open-fronted on two cast iron posts. At the north end are six stalls for a wooden treadwheel, which pumped water to the prison well, accessed through a boarded door on the right. Further right is another boarded door leading to a whipping room. At the right end is a monopitched ty bach with a wooden seat under an original roof of large slates, with a wall continuing to the perimeter wall and closing off the yard but incorporating a doorway.

The south wall of the main range, on the east side of the south wing, has seven upper-storey cell windows, of which the fourth and fifth are set lower with two-light casements, with a single-light barred window further right. The lower storey contains a small-pane sash window to the left and a studded door flanked by two-light small-pane casements. A splayed angle with the south wing features a pair of 16-pane hornless sashes in the lower storey (lighting the chapel), a two-light window upper left, and a 12-pane hornless sash window upper right.

The south wing is four-window in its original form, with a wider two-window extension. In the original portion is a doorway to the right with a barred overlight, and three two-light windows, of which the outer ones are barred. The upper storey has four barred cell windows, except the centre-right which is blind. The south wing is surmounted by a tall rectangular water tower with a projecting cap on a deep moulded corbel table. Either side of the water tower are small-pane dormer windows lighting the central lobby of the main range. The extension to the south wing has two-light windows in the lower storey and shorter but similar barred windows in the upper storey. A lantern has four similar windows.

Returning to the main range, on the right (west) side of the main entrance, facing a yard on the north side, is a seven-window elevation similar to the east side, except that there are three doorways instead of two, and iron railings across the yard to the perimeter wall. At the end of the wall is an added lean-to ty bach and another gate with iron railings. The west end wall has a triple barred window in the lower storey and a barred window above, both lighting the corridors, with smaller cell windows right and left. The south elevation has seven cell windows in the upper storey, of which the two at the left end are blocked, and in the lower storey a studded door left of centre, with two barred windows to its right and a two-light window at the right end. Across the entire front are six stone-walled bays used for breaking up rocks, into which a monopitched projection has been inserted at the left end.

The splay in the angle with the south wing has two 24-pane sash windows in the lower storey and similar but shorter 16-pane and 12-pane sash windows above. The south wing has four upper-storey cell windows, of which the centre-left is blocked, and in the lower storey a doorway with overlight to the left and three barred windows. The right-hand window has a vertical joint beneath its left jamb, suggesting that it was originally a doorway. The extension of the south wing has two barred windows in each storey, shorter to the upper storey, and a lantern with four similar barred windows.

The prison is planned with central corridors giving access to rooms and cells. The ground floor was devoted to daytime activities, and the upper storey houses the cells. The east side of the main range accommodated women prisoners. From the central entrance lobby, the corridors have iron railings and gates. Doors are mainly thick studded doors with heavy bolts, some reinforced with metal plates.

In the lower storey, the east side of the main range includes rooms on the north side: a kitchen and women's workroom. On the south side is a punishment cell, a room later adapted as a kitchen for the police station, and a chapel. The chapel has pews with shaped ends and a panelled pulpit incorporating a reading desk. On the west side are rooms including a men's workroom and two slightly better cells, used for those sentenced to correction rather than hard labour, one of which was converted after 1878 to a drunk's cell. In the south wing the doorways have ovolo-moulded surrounds to cells, which included reception cells for new prisoners. At the end of the south wing, the extension of 1867 has a cast iron stair to a cast-iron balcony on scrolled brackets with balustrade. Stone stairs are in the main range. A straight stair with winders at the base is on the east side and, at the end of the west side, is a straight stair with winders at the top and bottom, both with iron balustrades. In addition are closed-string stone stairs from the men's and women's workrooms.

The upper storey is laid with slate flagstones. The governor's office is at the centre of the main range. It has half-glazed doors and small-pane fixed lights to the right and left, allowing a view down each of the corridors. On the west side are cells and a small infirmary. On the east side are the women's cells, a condemned cell, nursery, and a cell adapted as a police station bathroom. From the central lobby is a panel door set high above the entrance to the south wing, giving access to the water tower. To its left are wooden steps, set high, beneath the dormer window.