The Roundhouse is the oldest surviving building in Western Australia. It is located on Cape Arthur Head in Fremantle. A recent survey of the Roundhouse's surroundings for historical value has also resulted in Cape Arthur Head itself being listed as a Western Australian Cultural Heritage Site.
The Roundhouse was built in 1830 by local engineer Henry Willie Reveley, and was the first capital building in the Swan River Colony. The building was constructed as a prison - with 8 cells and a warden's room, all opening onto a courtyard. The Panopticon, a type of circular prison with room for the warden in the centre, invented by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham, was chosen as a model.
Until 1886, the Roundhouse was used for its intended purpose for colonist and local Aboriginal prisoners. After the Correctional Colony for Offenders (now known as Fremantle Prison) became a prison, the Roundhouse housed a small holding cell. It was not until 1900 that the building became a dwelling - the Chief of Police and his wife and ten children settled here.
At the end of the 19th century, an underground tunnel was built under the Roundhouse to allow quick access from the town to the beach and back. Whalers did this: when a passing sea giant was spotted from an observation post on Cape Arthur Head, the whalers could use the tunnel to quickly get ashore at their boats and go in pursuit of their prey.
In 1929, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the town's founding, the Royal Historical Society of Western Australia placed a commemorative plaque on the wall of the Roundhouse in recognition of the historic value of the site.
In 1982, the Roundhouse came under the ownership of Fremantle City Council and was opened to the public shortly afterwards. Today, wedding corteges like to come to the Roundhouse for photo shoots against the backdrop of the colonial architecture.
