Reference numberES00472DescriptionThe Knowle, 16 Alma Street. The Knowle was built in 1852 for the Comptroller General of Convicts in Western Australia, Captain Edmund Henderson. Henderson designed the house to accommodate himself, his wife and small son. It was built by convict labour with the aid of "sappers" or freemen from South Australia. From 1867 to 189/1892 the building served as an Invalid Depot where incapacitated men were fed, clothed and housed. In 1895 after some strenuous lobbying by a number of Fremantle citizens and medical men, the Forrest Government decided the convert the Knowle into a public hospital. The invalids were moved to an old hospital building on the prison site and repairs and additions carried out to make the building fit for hospital use. The first patients moved in on 22 January 1897 and on 27 October it was proclaimed a Public Hospital. Over the years various additions and alterations were made to the building but gradually new and extraneous buildings supplanted it as the demand for medical services grew.Date1982PhotographerEdmonds, MurrayPhotograph FormatSlideDigital ItemYes
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