Darlinghurst Court House and Gaol

Darlinghurst Courthouse and residence was originally designed by the Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis. Work commenced in 1835 but was not completed until 1844.

The construction of a new courthouse and gaol had been a priority of the incoming Governor of New South Wales, Richard Bourke, who was concerned by the need to march prisoners through the city from the gaol on George Street to the courthouse on King Street.

The foundations for Darlinghurst Courthouse were laid by convict work gangs and construction began in 1836. Court proceedings were held in the building as early as 1842, despite the unfinished state of the building. Construction of a new gaol in Darlinghurst began in the 1820s and was ready for occupation in the early 1840s. The courthouse was a milestone building in New South Wales, being specifically designed to suit its purpose and impart authority and the power of the law.

In 1903, Darlinghurst Courthouse was selected as one of the sites for the newly-created High Court of Australia following Federation.

The interiors of the courthouse are highly intact, with original furniture and fittings intact in all courtrooms and most offices. The courthouse has been added to continuously throughout its 170-year history, but retains a strong, coherent form to the main frontage on Oxford Street.