Still locked up

Beechworth Lock-up

The Beechworth stone lock-up was built in 1867 as police holding cells. The building had a cell for both male and female prisoners held on remand before court appearances. It is believed that Ned Kelly and his mother Ellen were both held here prior to their trials in the nearby courthouse. There were five courts held in the town (Police, Petty Sessions, Mining Board, County and Supreme Court).

Beechworth Jail main entrance

Beechworth Jail was built in 1889, at a cost of 47,000 pounds. A 16-year-old Ned Kelly was imprisoned there for 6 months. A medium security prison, it closed in 2004 and the site was purchased by private contractors. The 3.5-hectare site comprised a governor's residence, administrative buildings, warders' residences, and vacant land, as well as the prison itself. A replacement facility - the $20 million minimum security Beechworth Correctional Centre was opened in January 2005. This is the jail where Glenn Wheatley served.

Obviously using the same government architect is Ararat's J Ward a similar style to the Beechworth Jail. While Beechworth used the local honey coloured granite, J Ward was built of bluestone.

J Ward Main entrance

J Ward in Ararat, started its life as a goldfields prison in 1859. In the mid 1880s the prison buildings were acquired by the Lunacy Department as a temporary housing for the Criminally Insane.

The County Gaol then became a ward (J Ward) of the Ararat Lunatic Asylum where the criminally insane were housed in horrific conditions under the highest security.

The Ward was closed in 1991, and is now a museum.

More on the relationships between Beechworth and Ararat later, and other notable bluestone institutions.