Darlington, part 3

Grass

A non-building to start with. Part of the site of the Separate Apartments, built 1840s (dotted line).

The first block of 102 cells formed a rectangle nearly 85 m by 20.5 m. They were built to keep the worst behaved and suspected homosexual convicts completely separate. Improvements and additions were commenced until, at the very end of 1848, the complex consisted of 205 cells in two tiers. The 1846 cells were 3.05 m high, 2.44 m long and 1.22 m wide whereas the earlier cells were wider, longer but not as high. You can see where the two storey level is indicated by joists in the wall of the Bakehouse close to the oven’s chimney. The building was derelict and housed pigs in 1876. Within ten years, the bricks were used to pave roads or build Bernacchi’s cottages prior to the erection of the Coffee Palace where one complete cell exists beneath the floorboards.

View of inside, outside (long building at front) and plan and elevation.

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