Construction on the New Military Barracks began in 1835, just a year after the completion of the Old Military Barracks. So why the rush? Fearful of a convict uprising, the colonial powers deployed extra soldiers to Norfolk Island. And those soldiers needed somewhere to live, pronto.

Like many of the buildings in the Kingston UNESCO World Heritage Site, the barracks were built by convict hands. With its handsome Georgian facade, it’s hard to think of the New Military Barracks as a place of turmoil. But for the poor prisoners tasked with the hard labour, life was anything but rosy.

Today the New Military Barracks are used as the Administrator’s Office and Council Offices and not open to visitors.