Government House (British Columbia)

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Government House

Main façade of Government House
Building
Architectural style	Modern Tudor revival
Structural system	Reinforced concrete
Town	1401 Rockland Avenue Victoria, British Columbia
Country	Canada
Client	The Queen in Right of British Columbia (Elizabeth II)
Owner	The Queen in Right of British Columbia (Elizabeth II)
Coordinates	48°25′06″N 123°20′33″W / 48.418464°N -123.342434°E / 48.418464; -123.342434Coordinates: 48°25′06″N 123°20′33″W / 48.418464°N -123.342434°E / 48.418464; -123.342434
Construction
Started	1957

British Columbia's Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. It is located in Victoria, British Columbia.

[edit] History

The first vice-regal residence in the area was Cary Castle, built in 1860 by George Hunter Cary, and purchased for use as the residence of the Governor of Vancouver Island in 1865. After the two colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia joined in 1866, the house became the official residence of the new united colony's Governor, and from 1871 onwards the residence of the provincial Lieutenant Governor (the Mainland Colony's Government House was in New Westminster). Cary Castle was destroyed by fire in 1903, and a replacement was immediately built. However, this house too burnt down in 1957, after which the current Government House was constructed, integrating the original porte cochère of the previous house. The present house was completed on May 19, 1959.

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. Among many public receptions and garden parties held annually, the Lieutenant-Governor's New Years Day Levèe remains a popular and well-attended highlight of the holiday season in Victoria.

[edit] See also

• Monarchy in British Columbia
• History of British Columbia
• List of Lieutenant-Governors of British Columbia
• Government Houses of Canada
• Government Houses of the British Empire

[edit] External links

• Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
• British Columbia Archives: Video of the Royal Suite at Government House in 1939

v • d • e   Official Residences of Canada Federal Governor General Rideau Hall (also Ottawa residence of the monarch), Ottawa • La Citadelle, Quebec City Prime Minister 24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa (residence) • Harrington Lake, Gatineau Park(retreat) Leader of the Opposition Stornoway, Ottawa Speaker of the House The Farm, Gatineau Park Guest house 7 Rideau Gate, Ottawa Provincial Residences of the Lieutenants Governor British Columbia Government House, Victoria Manitoba Government House, Winnipeg New Brunswick Old Government House, Fredericton Nova Scotia Government House, Halifax Prince Edward Island Government House, Charlottetown Newfoundland and Labrador Government House, St. John's Former Government House, Edmonton · Government House, Regina · Government House, Toronto · Government House, Quebec City · The Monklands, Montreal

[Category:Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth]]