Thursday, February 12, 2015

Porth Arthur - Australia

These cards are also from a UNESCO site, not new in my collection but I really wanted these cards. Both were in my favorites and were sent by Alison. 

The Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2010. 
Consisting of eleven sites spread throughout Australia in Tasmania, New South Wales, Western Australia and on Norfolk Island, the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property tells the epic story of Australia’s convict heritage. 
Each site in the Property represents a different aspect of the convict system and are the most significant examples in Australia’s history of forced migration.

 Photographs by Dennis Harding
Now an imposing ruin, the Penitentiary was constructed in 1843 as a flour mill and granary. In 1857 it was converted into a penitentiary, capable of housing over 480 convicts in dormitory accommodation and separate apartments. 
Flanked by the Watchmen’s Quarters, the Penitentiary also contained a mess room, library, Catholic chapel, workshops and ablutions complex. The building was gutted by fire in 1897 and lay derelict until a concerted conservation program began in the 1960s. 

Mike Calder Photography
Port Arthur's timber and stone church, constructed in 1836-37 is a lasting tribute to its convict builders.
Built on high ground to overlook the convict settlement, the church could accommodate over one thousand souls at its services. 
The church was never consecrated, due to its use by prisoners of different denominations, but was representative of the authorities’ goal to reform the convict population through religion. 
The church was destroyed by fire in 1884 and has undergone repeated conservation work throughout the 20th century. - in: http://www.portarthur.org.au/

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