Government House (British Columbia)

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Government House
Tudor revival
Location1401 Rockland Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia
V8S 1V9
Coordinates48°25′06″N 123°20′33″W / 48.418464°N 123.342434°W / 48.418464; -123.342434
Construction started1857
ClientThe King in Right of British Columbia
OwnerThe King in Right of British Columbia
Technical details
Structural systemSteel frame and reinforced concrete
Official nameEstate of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia National Historic Site of Canada
Designated2002

Government House of British Columbia is the official residence of the

lieutenant governor of British Columbia in Victoria and is nominally a residence of the Canadian monarch.[1] It has casually been described as "the Ceremonial Home of all British Columbians."[2] It stands in the provincial capital on a 14.6 hectares (36 acres) estate at 1401 Rockland Avenue;[3] while the equivalent building in many countries has a prominent, central place in the capital, the site of British Columbia
's Government House is relatively unobtrusive within Victoria, giving it more the character of a private home.

History

The first building in the area used specifically as a governor's residence was Cary Castle, built in 1860 by George Hunter Cary and purchased five years later by the

Arthur Kennedy, CB, being the first occupant. Following the 1866 merger of the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, the mainland colony's Government House in New Westminster was abandoned to other uses and Cary Castle became the official residence of the new united colony's Governor and, from 1871 onwards, that of the provincial Lieutenant Governor.[4]

Cary Castle, British Columbia's first Government House

The mansion and its contents were destroyed by fire in May 1899, with a replacement immediately built to designs by

King George VI, accompanied by his wife, Queen Elizabeth, arrived in 1939 as part of his cross-Canada tour that year. However, that incarnation of Government House also burnt down when it caught fire on 15 April 1957; the current Government House was begun soon after and completed on 19 May, two years later by John Laing & Sons.[6] The new home was furnished with pieces bought in the United Kingdom by Lieutenant Governor Frank Mackenzie Ross and then donated to the Crown following his departure from office, as well as other items donated by various British Columbians.[4]

By 2002, through the efforts of Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo, Government House and its surrounding gardens were designated as a National Historic Site of Canada and the acknowledging plaque was unveiled by Campagnolo on 2 October of that year.[2][7]

Ownership and use

Government House is where members of the

drop the writs of election,[8] swear-in new members of the Executive Council,[9] and hold audience with her premier
.

The property is owned by the King in Right of British Columbia; as with other Crown property, Government House is held in trust for future rulers and cannot be sold by the monarch except by his lieutenant governor with the proper advice and consent from the Executive Council of British Columbia. The management of the residence is, however, overseen by the British Columbia Government House Foundation, a charitable, non-profit organisation that was in 1987 established by Lieutenant Governor Robert Gordon Rogers, along with his Council at the time. The foundation is mandated to oversee the maintenance of Government House's property and all the structures on it; the acquisition, either on loan or permanently, of British Columbia artworks for display in the royal residence; the management of official gifts to the lieutenant governor or monarch in right of British Columbia; and public awareness of Government House, its history, and value. Besides the four honorary trustees—the lieutenant governor, the viceregal consort, the Chief Justice of British Columbia, and the Private Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor—the foundation also has trustees elected for three-year terms from artistic, horticultural, historical, and legal segments of provincial society.[10]

Architecture and interiors

The southeast view of Government House from below, showing the bow window of the Ballroom at left

The present Government House is a T-shaped, four level (including the

Tudor revival envelope. The walls are of rusticated blue, grey, and pink British Columbia granite with Haddington Island stone trim,[11] and the roof, which is two storeys high in itself, has steeply pitched, chalet-style gables and numerous dormer windows. A rendition of the Royal Arms of British Columbia is visible in the gable above the Ballroom's south facing bow window, which commands a view over Ross Bay and the lower part of the Fairfield neighbourhood, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the Olympic Mountains in Washington state
.

The main entrance is in the centre of the north facade, beneath the original Tudor Revival

parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, the contribution of viceroys and their spouses since the foundation of the Colony of Vancouver Island, and the place of Government House in provincial life. The window, unveiled on 2 May 1990, shows various heraldic devices of the monarch in right of the province and the monarch in right of Canada, natural emblems of British Columbia, and historical artefacts alluding to provincial industry and native heritage.[12]

On axis with the front entrance is the largest room in Government House, the ballroom, which occupies the entire south wing of the building. It rises 12 m (39 ft) past an encircling balcony to a cathedral ceiling, from which hangs three

Arts and Crafts style with handcrafted furniture and a copper foil ceiling, and the Rattenbury room, used as a smaller dining room on the mansion's second floor and containing a table and chairs from the eponymous architect's personal collection, on loan from the Royal British Columbia Museum.[11] The mansion also holds numerous art pieces in the Crown collection, including works by British Columbia First Nations artists especially commissioned by the lieutenant governor.[13][14]

Grounds

Government House's 14.6 hectares (36 acres) property is a publicly accessible area tended by volunteers in the Friends of Government House Gardens Society, and are used frequently by the surrounding community, save for when security otherwise necessitates.[3] The site is divided into numerous different zones according to plant life and/or garden style; for instance, the British Columbia native plant garden contains species unique to the province, and the Cottage Garden is arranged in an informal style with a mixture of ornamental and edible plants. There are also gardens to supply cut flowers, herbs, and an orchard with apple, plum, and quince trees; a rock garden tended by the Heather Society of Victoria; iris, lily, rhododendron, and rose gardens (including a formal Victorian rose garden based on the plan of that at Warwick Castle in England); and water features such as the fountain pond and the duck pond. There is also a unique 8.9 hectares (22 acres) Garry Oak ecosystem.[15]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-662-46012-1
    , retrieved 29 March 2024
  2. ^ a b Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. "Government House". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. "Splendour in Unity: 2013 Annual Statement of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia" (PDF). Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  4. ^ a b Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. "Government House > The History of Government House". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original on 7 December 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  5. ^ "Rattenbury, Francis Mawson", Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, Griscti, Verity; Hull, Joshua, archived from the original on 30 December 2014, retrieved 14 November 2011
  6. ^ Ritchie, p. 129
  7. ^ Estate of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  8. ^ Hunter, Justine (14 April 2009). "Campbell arrives at Government House". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  9. ^ "Premier names new cabinet heading into election". CBC News. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  10. ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. "Government House > The Government House Foundation". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original on 7 December 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  11. ^ a b c Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. "Government House > Description". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  12. ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. "Government House > Description > The Rogers Window". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  13. ^ "New Art Honours First Nations Culture" (Press release). Queen's Printer for British Columbia. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ Bainas, Lexi (28 October 2009), "Work by Cowichan Valley's Luke Marston enters Government House collection", The Citizen, retrieved 21 November 2009[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. "Gardens > Individual Gardens". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.

Sources

  • Ritchie, Berry (1997). The Good Builder: The John Laing Story. James & James.

External links

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