Government House, Jersey
| Government House | |
|---|---|
Birthday celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II at Government House in 2005
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| Former names | Belmont |
| General information | |
| Type | official residence |
| Location | St Saviour |
| Country | Jersey |
| Coordinates | 49°11′41″N 2°05′40″W / 49.19486°N 2.094403°W |
| Current tenants | Lieutenant Governor of Jersey |
| Construction started | 1814 |
| Owner | States of Jersey |
| Website | |
| Government House | |
Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. The building is situated in the parish of St Saviour in Jersey. It is also used for ceremonial functions, receptions and meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries and heads of state. It is also the official residence of the Duke of Normandy (currently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom) as head of state when staying in Jersey.
The current building is at least the fifth official residence of Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Jersey. Early Governors or their Lieutenants resided at Mont Orgueil and later at Elizabeth Castle, although the latter's status as a tidal island meant that for convenience accommodation in the town of Saint Helier was sought. Colonel Magnus Kempenfelt is known to have resided in a house belonging to a man named Le Geyt in 1727. At the time of the Battle of Jersey in 1781, Major Moise Corbet resided at Le Manoir de la Motte, where he was apprehended by the French invaders. Around 1800, under General Andrew Gordon, a house adjacent to the Royal Square was acquired, described in 1809 as a "large, substantial and commodious stone mansion with appropriate offices, pleasure and kitchen gardens". Under General Sir George Don, the house was enlarged by the addition of offices for the conduct of public business, but Major-General Sir Colin Halkett was petitioning the British Government in 1821 to agree the exchange of this town centre property on the grounds that the house needed expensive repairs, was prone to flooding from Le Grand Douet, the adjacent brook, and that "the rooms are ill calculated for public entertainment".
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