Worked on cockatoo when it was closing. I know where the cells were, did they really claim they have been lost?
Under the front of the cookhouse? Certainly did
http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/about/heritage-projectshttp://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/mediarelease/convict-cells-discovered-cockatoo-island"In 2009, initial archaeological research excavations were undertaken in the convict precinct on Cockatoo Island which revealed nothing. The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust’s heritage architect Libby Bennett re-examined early drawings of the site and recommended that excavation work should be relocated to the area in front of the former cookhouse, which resulted in the exciting discovery of two solitary confinement cells. Buried for over 100 years, the uncovering of the solitary confinement cells is the most significant archaeological discovery the Harbour Trust has made.
The cells in the convict precinct were originally built in 1841 when Cockatoo Island was established as a convict prison. Built beneath the original convict cookhouse, the cells were each designed to hold a single convict and would have been used as punishment for the hardened secondary or re-offending prisoners sent to Cockatoo Island for hard labour from 1839.
It is likely that the cells were used until the Cockatoo Island prison closed in 1869. It is unclear what their future use was after that, but the cells were filled in and covered over during the 1890s.
Excavation recommenced in July 2009 and within a few days, the roof slabs and front entry walls were uncovered. Over the next two months, progressive excavations revealed the two solitary confinement cells, the ration store, the coal store and two water cisterns. Once the excavations were finished in August 2009, extensive stabilisation and reconstruction work was required on the front entry walls and doorways, side retaining walls, the roof and a timber floor and door were installed. The conservation and reconstruction work was completed in July 2014.
These cells are a rare surviving example of convict solitary confinement architecture. Their discovery and reconstruction provides a compelling revelation of the harshness of the convict system on Cockatoo Island."
