The Law Society of Western Australia Old Court House Law Museum

23/10/2026

We were delighted to attend the Margaret Medcalf Awards today, where The Unfortunate Woman v Her Well-Respected Killer was shortlisted alongside 14 outstanding research projects.

Congratulations to Fiona Giles (Our Horrible Asylum) and Jenny Davis and Josephine Jay (Arthur Haynes and the Smoking Gun), recipients of this year's Margaret Medcalf Award for excellence in research using the WA State Archives.

This year's ceremony was particularly special, marking the 100th birthday of Margaret Medcalf OAM. We were honoured to meet Margaret and thank her for her extraordinary contribution to preserving and understanding Western Australia's history.

Congratulations to all shortlisted projects for their important work researching, interpreting and sharing our state's history. Thank you to the State Records Office of Western Australia and the State Library of Western Australia for hosting a wonderful event. We also enjoyed the opportunity to share our film with Minister Simone McGurk MLA and learn more about the inspiring projects recognised this year.

State Library of WA The Law Society of Western Australia Simone McGurk MLA

07/10/2026

Behind the scenes at the Museum 👀

We're digitising our Collection!

With the support of our donors and supporters, digitisation specialist Daniela Chirita is helping us create digital copies of thousands of pages of historical documents.

This work is not glamorous, it demands repetition and attention to detail and helps to protect original records, improves access for future research, and unlocks new opportunities for storytelling and discovery.

✨ Every scanned page helps preserve and share the stories in our Collection for future generations.

02/10/2026

Trip to Toodyay! 🕍 👋📸

The Museum and volunteer team were given an exclusive tour by Curator of Toodyay Museums Margie Eberle, who generously shared her knowledge of the town’s cultural heritage sites and collections.

We spent the day touring Connor’s Mill, Newcastle Gaol Museum, the machinery shed, police stables and shearing shed, and had exclusive access to the museum workshop and 1907 lock-up.

The excursion was a valuable opportunity for our team to deepen their understanding of museum practices, heritage interpretation and collections, while fostering connections across the sector. It was a wonderful day of learning, discovery!

30/09/2026

We hope you had a happier spring equinox last week than those involved with the barque Elizabeth, which on 22 September, 1839, was driven ashore at Cottesloe during an equinoctial gale. The ship broke apart and cargo had to be rescued from the stormy seas.

Among the wreckage were imported luxury goods rarely seen in the young colony, including shawls, grass cloth and silk handkerchiefs.

The shipwreck later became the subject of a trial held in the Old Court House on 1 January 1840, when second mate Charles Lovett was tried for stealing and selling rescued cargo.

Through trials such as Lovett’s, the Museum shares Western Australia’s legal history which reflect the wider social pressures, values and economic circumstances of the community.

Image of typical barque with full sails from the 1830s, retrieved from shipwreckswa.com

23/09/2026

Mysteries of Perth's oldest building are still unfolding

189 years ago, on 30 December 1837, Quaker missionary James Backhouse recorded a visit to the Old Court House. His diary provides a fascinating glimpse into the building in its earliest years. Backhouse observed that the Court House windows were covered with white calico rather than glass, with external Venetian blinds.

These details are particularly significant because formal documentation of the Old Court House’s early appearance and materials is limited. The 1836 architectural plans have not been located and the earliest known photographs were taken some 25 years after the building's construction. Much of what we know about the building’s earliest form has been pieced together from letters, diaries, newspapers and other historical accounts.

Reveley’s original 1836 handwritten specifications provide some formal detail of the intended design of the building’s original windows. They refer to the external windows being fitted with pulleys, weights and lines, while two small internal windows were to be fitted as French windows. However, Backhouse’s 1837 account confirms that the external windows had not yet been fitted with glass one year after construction.

What did the Old Court House look like when it was first built? What materials were used, and how did the building change over time? Christopher Paterson Heritage + Architecture designed a 3D render of the building based on Reveley's Specification and other sources to bring to life archival evidence.

The Old Court House continues to hold secrets, surprises and evolving stories.

Discover more about the building, its early evidence and the work of Western Australia’s first civil engineer at our Enduring Walls, Evolving Stories exhibition at the Old Court House Museum as we commemorate the190th anniversary of Perth's oldest building.

The Museum is open Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 4pm.

Christopher Paterson Heritage & Architecture

09/09/2026

❤️ Enjoyed your recent visit?

If you visit our Museum, please take a few minutes to leave a review - either on Google or ask our team about our Exit Survey. Your feedback helps us understand what visitors value and how we can improve.

Visitor feedback also helps us demonstrate the Museum’s cultural and community value, we use this feedback when applying for grants and funding.

Donations are always welcome, and your feedback is too!Your support helps us to keep the Museum open and free to the public, 6 days a week. ✏️💌

02/09/2026

💐 Djilba season

We’re now in the Noongar season of Djilba, which is a time of transition in the weather, flora and fauna. We see cool, wet days alongside increasing sunshine and warmer days and welcome the blossoming of wildflowers and new-born birds and other animals.

Our wonderful volunteer, Freda, captured these beautiful photographs in the Stirling Gardens, reflecting the changing colours, light and life of Djilba. 🌼📷

13/08/2026

We are honoured to be shortlisted with other such impressive finalists for the 2026 Margaret Medcalf Award!

The City of Perth congratulates The Law Society of Western Australia Old Court House Law Museum on being shortlisted for the 2026 Margaret Medcalf Award, which recognises research projects that make use of the Western Australian State Archives.

Their short film, 'The Unfortunate Woman v Her Well-Respected Killer', was screened as part of the City’s 2025 Lotterywest Boorloo Heritage Festival and explores a trial held at the Old Court House in 1876.

As part of the Festival’s celebration of Perth’s unique mix of historical and cultural stories, the film brings this compelling chapter of our past to life and highlights a story that continues to hold relevance today.

Congratulations to the Old Court House Law Museum on this well-deserved recognition, and best of luck for the awards!

16/07/2026

The Museum's short film, The Unfortunate Woman, is shortlisted for the 2026 Margaret Medcalf Award!

This award celebrates research projects which reference the Western Australian State Archives. We are so honoured to be acknowledged alongside so many outstanding projects.

The Unfortunate Woman covers a domestic violence trial which took place in the Old Court House in 1876 and provides a fascinating glimpse into a tragic and compelling chain of events which still hold relevance today.

This film has invited conversations and reflections around the issue of family and domestic violence, and we are proud to see it recognised alongside the meaningful work shortlisted this year.

We could not have done this without the support of so many wonderful people and organisations; thank you to film maker Andrew Clarke from Edify Media, The Honourable Lindy Jenkins, Dr Caroline Ingram, Professor Peter Handford, Mark O'Hare and Dr Jennie Gray. Technical support from Reilly Stewart, camera and Rebecca Erin, music supervisor. Supported by the Lotterywest Boorloo Heritage Festival.

link to short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmPUS4k36gY

link to the 2026 Margaret Medcalf Award Shortlist: https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/shortlist-the-2026-margaret-medcalf-award

10/07/2026

This NAIDOC Week, we celebrate the enduring strength, knowledge and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Old Court House Law Museum is proud to be collaborating with Traditional Owners with our Let the Walls Speak Project, to create an opportunity for reflection, to better understand the diversity of law on this land.

We are excited for the animation, Kwejuk Knitting, to become a permanent fixture in our Museum and the ongoing collaboration with Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association and artist Ilona McGuire. Reimagining our first gallery and incorporating Noongar law will demonstrate the depth, diversity and nuance of law systems that have shaped Western Australia.