Government House (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Encyclopedia
Government House is the official residence
Official residence
An official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...

 of the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. Government House
Government House
Government House is the name of many of the residences of Governors-General, Governors and Lieutenant-Governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. It serves as the venue for the Governor's official business, as well as the many receptions and functions hosted by...

 was a by-product of the wave of administrative initiatives that took place during the 1820s. The royal charter of 1825 bestowed official colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...

 status for Newfoundland.

The first governors of Newfoundland were naval officers who resided on their flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

, anchored in St. John's harbour. However, Admiral Richard Edwards
Richard Edwards (governor)
Richard Edwards naval officer and colonial governor of Newfoundland.Edwards a member of the Royal Navy was appointed governor of Newfoundland for his first term in 1757. His main concern was defense of the colony as Britain and France were at war...

 decided it would be more apt for the Governor to live ashore, and thenceforth the governor resided at Fort Townshend, where the first Government House
Government House
Government House is the name of many of the residences of Governors-General, Governors and Lieutenant-Governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. It serves as the venue for the Governor's official business, as well as the many receptions and functions hosted by...

 was constructed. Completed in 1781, it was intended to be a summer house for the governors, but remained in constant use until the present structure was finished in 1831. Never intended for winter use, the inhabitants complained of the cold, and Francis Pickmore
Francis Pickmore
Francis Pickmore naval officer and colonial governor born in Chester, Cheshire, England and died St. John's, Newfoundland....

 even died there in the winter of 1818.

The building plans for Government House were drawn up in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The Ordinance had told the Treasury that workmen's wages were too high in Newfoundland, and subsequently, workmen in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 were engaged and arrived in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

 to begin construction in April 1827. The original plan as conceived by Governor Cochrane
Thomas John Cochrane
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas John Cochrane GCB was an English naval officer and colonial governor.-Naval career:...

 was for a two-storey house, plus basement. The building was to be enclosed within a 12 foot ditch which, popularly mistaken to be a moat, was merely designed as a provision for allowing light into the basement level. When completed in 1831, Government House cost £38,175, which was five times the original estimate and an enormous expense at the time. The two-storey building consists of a center block flanked by slightly lower wings on the east and on the west. The exterior is of rough, red sandstone quarried at Signal Hill
Signal Hill, Newfoundland and Labrador
Signal Hill is a hill which overlooks the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.Due to its strategic placement overlooking the harbour, fortifications have been placed on the hill since the mid 17th century.-History:...

, trimmed with English Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...

.
The construction of the new Government House was meant to reflect the proper status of the governor of a province that was now a proper British colony, and a key part of the Empire. The principal rooms for entertaining - a salon, dining room, and ballroom - along with the main entrance hall were laid out in such a manner as to allow for ceremonial processions, and pomp befitting a governor.

The Lieutenant-Governor's residence is where the Canadian Royal Family and visiting foreign dignitaries are greeted. Inside are also reception rooms, offices and support facilities; the Lieutenant-Governor's office is the site of swearing-in ceremonies for Cabinet ministers, where Royal Assent is granted, and where the Lieutenant-Governor receives the Premier

See also

  • Government Houses of Canada
    Government Houses of Canada
    In Canada, Government House is a title given to the official residences of the country's monarch and various viceroys...

  • Government Houses of the British Empire
  • Lieutenant-Governors of Newfoundland and Labrador
    Lieutenant-Governors of Newfoundland and Labrador
    The following is a list of the Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Newfoundland and later Newfoundland and Labrador. Though the present day office of the lieutenant governor in Newfoundland and Labrador came into being only upon the province's entry into Canadian Confederation in 1949, the post...


External links

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