ARCHAEOLOGY students from the University of Notre Dame visited the Guildford lock-up on Sunday, April 13, and according to one of the students, they were surprised to discover discrepancies with what is known about the building through historical sources.

The Swan Guildford Historical Society (SGHS) said this was the fourth time the site had been used for university research.

As reported in Advocacy tops Steve Catania’s list in Midland run (Echo News, February 14) Midland MLA Steve Catania is also a member of the SGHS.

The SGHS said Mr Catania showed interest in the tour and visited the site with the students.

Archeology and History senior lecturer Shane Burke said the exercise continued to forge the links between Notre Dame Australia, the City of Swan and the historical society.

The day before the excursion, Dr Burke said the students examined historical data held at the State Library and the State Records Office of WA.

He said the students used what they found in already existing records and compared it to what they observed during their visit to the gaol.

One of the students who attended, Edgar Ani said some maps of the building don’t exist, while others didn’t have accurate measurements.

“It seems like the building is hiding things that we’re yet to discover,” Mr Ani said.

He said he enjoyed this aspect of doing archaeology.

“We always find ambiguity, as there’s always holes in the story.”

In a Facebook post by the SGHS, the society revealed the discrepancies the students discovered.

“The survey over the weekend suggests that the section of building considered as the oldest in the complex did not exist in 1851, in opposition to many secondary sources,” the post read.

Another question raised at the tour was about the rectangular lock-up’s dimensions which were 20 by 30 links, according to the SGHS.

“With extensions, this was increased to 53 links and the structure’s shape altered to an L by the time (Augustus) Gregory surveyed the town,” the SGHS said.

“Gregory’s sketch shows the length of the extension in a west to east direction was 72 links.”

Mr Ani said he grew up in the area and regretted taking it for granted.

“At first I thought, ‘it’s just good old Guildford’.

“But actually studying it now, it’s fascinating.”

Although he is still a student, Mr Ani said the excursion sparked his interest and hoped it sparked the interest of others too.

“There’s history that we have in Western Australia that hasn’t really been looked at,” he said.

“I think Guildford’s one of those mysteries that I think we should start looking into.

“I would love to do more work on the gaol and the Guildford area in general to discover our more recent history.”

Mr Ani said people can learn a lot about the world around them, if they just look.

“Western Australia, and Australia in general, is a place built on stories of migration,” he said.

He said Guildford, a place based on the England town, showed that people who migrated wanted to keep a part of home with them.

“Having come from an immigrant family myself, I think that’s definitely true,” Mr Ani said.