Prince of Wales Hospital
Project Vision
Prince of Wales Hospital Memorial Garden
During construction at the Prince of Wales Hospital, archeologists retrieved the remains of 174 children who died and were buried at the then Randwick Destitute Children’s Asylum, which operated from 1858 to 1916. Seventy bodies were excavated and 35 children identified by name. Minale, Tattersfield, Bryce designed interpretive and commemorative signage for a memorial garden incorporating the history of the asylum, names of the children who died there, and details of the children whose remains were identified. Addressing the sensitive issue of the asylum and visually expressing the dignity of the children who died challenged the designers both mentally and emotionally. They decided on an ephemeral look for the sign family in order to commemorate the fleeting lives of the children. This same approach was deemed appropriate for the descriptions of aboriginal habitation and a military hospital on the same site, reflecting the transient nature of history.
Project Details
Interpreting a forgotten history requires speaking to the observer in strong and emotional terms. The elegant line of name plaques in the linear horizontal format is a story statement of time and remembrance. Incorporating the names and list of names into a serene garden provides timelessness. The contrast of the stainless plaques applied to the long stone edge catches the light and allows renewal through remembrance. The stoic and linear spacing of the rectilinear forms is an especially fitting approach to this elegant memorial.
Design Team
Michael Bryce (Principal in Charge), Hans Gerber, Elke Tunold
Design Firm
Minale, Tattersfield, Bryce & Partners
Consultants
Rice Daubney (architect), Tract Consultants (landscape architect), Godden Mackay Logan (archeologist)
Fabricators
Cunneen & Co.