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The Gaol was not big enough for the increase in prisoners. Construction of a new cell block commenced in 1851. On completion in 1864, the Gaol became one of the largest buildings on Melbourne's skyline, a symbol of authority. It was at the forefront of prison design, based on the Model Prison at Pentonville, London.
Architecture was used as part of the process of social reform. Prisoners were incarcerated not only from the outside, but also from each other, in single solitary cells, thus enabling a strict rule of silence to be enforced.
The Gaol closed in 1929. Most of the land was then sold and many of the buildings, including the women's wing, were demolished. The Gaol reopened briefly during World War II when the Australian Army used it as a military detention barracks from 1942-1946.
In 1972 the National Trust of Australia (Vic) opened the Gaol as a penal museum.
Death Masks
The Melbourne Gaol was the scene of 135 hangings including that of the infamous bushranger, Ned Kelly. The Gaol houses a grim yet fascinating collection of death masks of executed prisoners. These were used in the scientific study of phrenology in order to understand the criminal mind.
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