Fremantle Prison Stick Hut

This delightful little conservation project involved the restoration and reconstruction of an old guard hut at Fremantle Prison, fondly referred to as the ‘Stick Hut’.  It sits high above the rear of the Prison site, overlooking the Exercise Yards, and would have provided Prison officers with a sheltered place to watch over prisoners.  The project was triggered by an urgent need to restore the structure due to its extremely poor and perilous condition.

First steps involved a detailed condition survey of what fabric could be salvaged and repaired, and where beyond repair what needed to be replaced. Original fabric that was managed to be retained included some mini-orb panelling and select timber members.  Like for like replacement of fabric included a new galvanised iron roof, partial rebuild of a very thin floor slab, and rebuilding of the surrounding landscape. We found the original phone that officers would have used while working in the hut, which was safely stored during works and reinstated afterwards for authenticity. The works also involved a paint analysis that revealed a historic custard colour for the structure, which we used for the new paint finish.