The Lock-up

Since 2007 The Lock-Up has provided the opportunity for visitors to discover elements of Newcastle's post-settlement history and culture within a uncommon setting, celebrating the city's heritage and simultaneously supporting contemporary creative practices. As a multi-arts cultural centre The Lock-Up fosters the work of visual artists, performers, writers, novelists, playwrights, architects and musicians with a calendar of activity that is as idiosyncratic as the city it resides in. The Lock-Up was the Newcastle Police Station from 1861 until its closure in 1982. Listed in the NSW Heritage Register, The Lock-Up is believed to be the only example in NSW that includes the work of three of the State's important early architects; Alexander Dawson, Mortimer Lewis Jnr. and Walter Vernon. Constructed in Sydney sandstone, the building is one of a row of four significant buildings on Hunter Street that reflect the prosperity of early Newcastle.