Richmond Gaol (old spelling of jail) in Tasmania is the oldest intact gaol in Australia. It holds a wealth of artefacts and stories, including the one about Ikey Solomon, an inmate used as the basis for Dickens’ character, Fagan, in Oliver Twist (https://www.ccc.tas.gov.au/places/richmond-gaol/).
This photo, for Becky’s squares, is of the exercise yard and I thought that the tree must have been witness to many an interesting conversation.
The gaol was used to house both make and female prisoners, and even though the ideal number of inmates was about 60, there are records showing that around 100 have been there at a time. Not just interesting conversation, perhaps.
The next yard over was the punishment area, where whippings, or floggings, were held every second day. No hanging tree, though.
Underdown 
Lovely picture, although probably wasn’t so lovely at the time the inmates were there. Fascinating history
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No doubt you’re right about the wealth of conversation and activities in the tree’s vicinity. Must have been a very tough situation to be in for the people, and the tree!
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Times have certainly changed. When I see my children having most of their conversations over the internet, trees are going to hear a lot less in the future. They’ll probably be grateful.
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We went there earlier this year and I thought it had a very interesting history. I liked how commentary would automatically come on when you walked in a room. Very thankful that I wasn’t born hundreds of years ago!
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Same here. The commentary helps to summarise, as I find that sometimes there’s so much to read – plaques, records, etc., I’m not sure if I catch it all.
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Yes, there’s only so much you can take in.
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