Government House (Manitoba)
Government House | |
---|---|
Victoria) | |
Owner | The King in Right of Manitoba (Charles III)[citation needed] |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Timber framing and load-bearing masonry |
Size | 1,858 m² (20,000 ft²) |
Government House of Manitoba (
History
Prior to the foundation of
The house there, however, was in constant need of repair; after $10,000 was spent on the structure in 1873,
The current provincial royal residence was constructed in 1883, at a cost to the
The architect Frank Worthington Simon included in his plans for the Manitoba Legislative Building a new Government House, to be constructed on the bank of the Assiniboine River, opposite the parliament. This plan never came to fruition, however, and the Victorian Government House was adapted over time to suit the lieutenant governor's changing needs. In 1978, the mansion was designated as a historical structure by the Manitoba Heritage Council and in 1999,[8] at the initiative of Shirley Liba, wife of Lieutenant Governor Peter Liba, the house underwent a major renovation, in which many of the original features of the mansion were uncovered and restored.
Use
Government House is where visiting dignitaries are greeted and often stay while in Winnipeg. It is also where numerous vice-regal events take place, such as the bestowing of provincial awards or inductions into the
Architecture and interiors
Manitoba's Government house is a structure of solid masonry walls and timber floor framing, the original block being 18.3 metres (60 ft) square and four storeys in height, counting the basement level, covering a total of approximately 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2), including the tower. The volume and its facade composition was at first symmetrical along an east-west axis through the centre of the building, though this arrangement was later altered by the addition of new wings; this is clad in brick, trimmed with cut stone and ornate wood cornices at the roof line, and iron cresting tops the tower.
When first built, the ground floor of Government House held a suite of interconnected rooms that, opened to one another, formed a suite 29 metres (95 ft) long and 6.1 metres (20 ft) wide. Altogether, these included, in a counter-clockwise array around the central stair hall, the library, immediately to the right of the foyer, the breakfast room, the drawing room, the dining room, a serving room, and the viceroy's office at the left of the foyer. Later, in 1901, a veranda was built around the north-east corner of the house, and a ballroom was added to the rear, both at the personal expense of Lieutenant Governor
Reached by a staircase of oak treads, newels, balusters, and handrail with pine risers, the second floor consisted in 1880 of six bedrooms, two dressing rooms, a bath room, a toilet, and a storage closet. Two of the bedrooms were connected by large sliding doors, as with the library and breakfast room beneath; during large parties, these doors would be pulled back and the combined bedrooms would be used for expanded entertainment space. Over time, the spaces on this level were altered and some of the bedrooms were divided into private en suite bathrooms. The royal bedroom is reserved for use by the sovereign and other Royal Family members when they are in Winnipeg,[9] and the gold room accommodates royal support staff or other royals if the monarch is occupying the royal bedroom.[10] Also on this floor is the viceregal suite, consisting of a master bedroom, the lieutenant governor's private office, and a library and living room.[11]
The basement of Government House is divided into several sections; originally it held living quarters for the domestic staff—a kitchen and bedrooms—as well as the main kitchen for the state dining room on the ground floor. Currently, it contains storage and laundry facilities.
Grounds
Manitoba's Government House is surrounded on three sides by manicured gardens; the fourth side—the rear of the building—faces directly onto the parking lot of the Legislative Building. In 2010, part of the grounds were set aside and dedicated as the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens by the Queen herself on 3 July that year, the event marked by the planting of an Amber Jubilee Ninebark shrub, the species having been created specifically for Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. At the same time, a statue of the Queen that had been created in 1970 by Leo Mol and installed outside the Manitoba Centennial Centre was moved to the eponymous gardens and unveiled by her.[14] The statue was toppled over on 1 July 2021 in a protest against Canada Day.[15]
See also
- Government Houses in Canada
- Government Houses of the British Empire
References
- ISBN 978-0-662-46012-1, retrieved 21 June 2009
- ^ a b c d Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > Brief History". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Bowles, Frances (17 March 1970). "Manitoba's Government House". MHS Transactions. 3 (25). Government House, Winnipeg: Manitoba Historical Society (published 1970). Special supplement. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > Early Government Houses". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ISSN 0226-5036. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ a b c Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > Aides Room". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > Famous Visitors". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Heritage, and Tourism. "Historic Resources Branch > Significant Heritage Resources > Plaques > Government House". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > The Royal Bedroom". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > The Gold Room". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > Family Living Quarters". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > Basement". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > Third Floor". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ Department of Canadian Heritage. "2010 Royal Tour > Itinerary for 2010 Royal Tour of Canada". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ^ "Statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II torn down in Canada". BBC News. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.