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Perth Barracks Arch
& Enrolled Pensioner Guard Barracks
(Working draft, references pending)
Just before Parliament House at the western end of St Georges Terrace stands the Barracks Arch. Most people probably drive past it without realising what it once was. The arch formed the main entrance to what was once a massive site known as the Pensioner Barracks. The rest was demolished in 1966, thanks to a few pompous twats in Parliament House, who complained it was blocking their view.
Recruiting the Enrolled Pensioner Guards
To ensure the safety of the voyage, each convict transport carried a detachment of retired soldiers. These men had been pensioned off from the British Army, the Royal Marines or the East India Company. Their job was to guard the prisoners during the long journey to Australia and maintain order once the ships arrived.
Convict transportation to Western Australia began in 1850, when the first ship arrived at Fremantle on 3 June that year. Over the next eighteen years until transportation ended in 1868, nearly 9,700 convicts were sent to the colony along with administrators, engineers, warders and the families of the Pensioner Guards.
Between 1850 and 1874, 37 ships brought 1,248 Pensioner Guards to Western Australia. Another ten military men have since been identified as serving with the Enrolled Force, bringing the total to 1,258 men.
Incentives to settle
To encourage these soldiers to volunteer, the British government offered a number of incentives. Each man received free passage to Western Australia for himself, his wife and children, guaranteed employment for a limited period and for those who qualified, a land grant and a small cottage. After seven years of occupancy and improvements, the property would become theirs.
Many of the men who joined the force were experienced soldiers who had already served across the British Empire. Some had fought in campaigns in India and Afghanistan during the 1840s, while later arrivals included veterans of the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. By the time they arrived in Western Australia they were often older soldiers who were no longer suited to active campaigning but were still capable of performing garrison duties.
Many of the soldiers travelled with their families. Between 1850 and 1868, more than 800 wives and nearly 1,500 children arrived in Western Australia alongside the pensioners. By the time transportation ended, around 2,500 pensioners and their families were living in the colony, making up a significant portion of the population. Some later left Western Australia in search of better opportunities, particularly in the eastern colonies but many remained and became permanent settlers.
In 1862 the Imperial Government decided to withdraw the regular British army units stationed in Western Australia and instead rely on the Enrolled Pensioner Force to carry out garrison duties. By February 1863, pensioners in Perth had already taken over the responsibilities of the departing 12th Regiment detachment.
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Choosing the site
With the number of pensioners and their families continuing to grow, the government recognised the need for proper accommodation in Perth.
The site was carefully chosen. Built on high ground, the barracks had clear views over the Swan River and the growing settlement below. It also placed the military presence close to important government buildings and the Mt Eliza (Convict) Depot near the base of Kings Park.
The barracks were designed by Richard Roach Jewell, one of Western Australia’s most important colonial architects. Jewell gave the building a Tudor-Gothic style, with pointed arches, towers and decorative brickwork that was inspired by the architecture back in Britain.
The building was to be funded jointly by the colonial and imperial governments. Convicts would carry out much of the labour, including preparing the site, making bricks and transporting many of the materials used in construction, while skilled work would be completed by contractors.
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Building begins
Construction of the Pensioner Barracks began in 1863, with the contract awarded to Alexander Halliday and James Brittain. Halliday was responsible for the timber work, while Brittain handled the brickwork. Brittain also operated a large brickmaking business in East Perth on land that later became Queen’s Gardens.
The design included accommodation for around sixty married families and twenty single men, along with a range of supporting buildings. These included guard rooms, cells, workshops, a reading room, stores and a small hospital. Detached structures such as cooking sheds, washing house and working sheds were also constructed.
Although building began in 1863, delays meant the complex was not completed until April 1866. For several years beforehand, the pensioners had been living in temporary rented accommodation in Perth. Once the barracks were finished, the pensioners and their families finally moved into the new complex overlooking St Georges Terrace.
Life in the barracks
The Pensioner Barracks was an entire community. More than 120 rooms were built, along with stables, washhouses, a cookhouse and even a handball court. Each soldier and his family lived in a modest two-room unit, which was simple but considered respectable accommodation for the time.
A canteen operated near the archway selling groceries as well as ale and stout, although spirits were not permitted. A fives court was later added for recreation and a small fire engine was kept at the barracks in case of emergencies.
Life at the barracks followed a strict military hierarchy. Senior officers and superintendents held authority over the site and occupied better quarters. For the pensioner guards, the accommodation still offered stability and security.
The role of women
Although the soldiers were the official occupants, the barracks depended heavily on the work of women. Only wives and daughters were allowed to live there but they played an essential role in everyday life. Women handled cooking, cleaning, sewing and childcare. Some acted as informal midwives when babies were born within the community. Others quietly earned extra money by working in Perth as laundresses or cleaners. Their work helped support families while still fitting within the strict social expectations of the time.
Events of fire
On one occasion a fire broke out while the pensioners were away attending church parade. It was their wives who operated the barracks fire engine and extinguished the blaze before the men returned.
Fires remained a risk. A more serious blaze in 1887 damaged part of the building, particularly the north-east wing. The fire was eventually brought under control by local residents using a bucket brigade, until assistance arrived from the Fremantle fire brigade.
January 2022
By the early 1900s, parts of the former barracks had been converted into offices for the Public Works Department. One of the engineers who worked there was C.Y. O’Connor, the man responsible for designing Western Australia’s famous Goldfields Water Supply Scheme.
By the middle of the twentieth century however, attitudes toward old colonial buildings had begun to shift. Many saw the ageing barracks complex as outdated and in the way of modern development. Plans for the new Mitchell Freeway and improved access to Parliament House required major changes to the surrounding area, and demolition of the old buildings was proposed.
During the 1960s most of the barracks complex was cleared away. The Barracks Arch, however, quickly became the centre of a fierce public debate. Some politicians argued that the arch blocked the view from Parliament House and should be removed along with the rest of the buildings.
The public strongly disagreed.
A large community campaign formed to save the arch, bringing together heritage advocates, historians and ordinary residents who believed Perth should not lose such an important piece of its past. It became one of the earliest major heritage battles in Western Australia.
February 2023
In 1966, the issue finally reached Parliament when a motion was introduced to demolish the arch. The vote was extremely close but the motion was defeated, meaning the arch would remain standing.
Although the rest of the Pensioner Barracks complex was eventually demolished, the arch itself was preserved. Because of road works and the reconfiguration of the area around St Georges Terrace and Malcolm Street, it had to be carefully dismantled and rebuilt slightly further back from its original position. The structure was taken apart brick by brick so it would not be damaged during the works, with each section documented so it could be reconstructed accurately. It was then reassembled a short distance from where it originally stood, where it remains today. This is one of the reasons the Barracks Arch survived when the rest of the complex did not.
April 2024
