Government House (Nova Scotia)
| Government House | |
|---|---|
Main façade of Government House
|
|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Adamesque Georgian |
| Town or city | 1451 Barrington Street Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 44°38′36″N 63°34′17″W / 44.643414°N 63.571293°W |
| Construction started | 1800 |
| Client |
The King of the United Kingdom (George III) |
| Owner |
The Queen in Right of Nova Scotia (Elizabeth II) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Timber framing and load-bearing masonry |
| Official name | Government House National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 1982 |
| Type | Provincially Registered Property |
| Designated | 1983 |
| Reference no. | 00PNS0007 |
Government House of Nova Scotia is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, as well as that in Halifax of the Canadian monarch. It stands in the provincial capital at 1451 Barrington Street; unlike other provincial Government Houses in Canada, this gives Nova Scotia's royal residence a prominent urban setting, though it is still surrounded by gardens.
Construction of Government House was ordered in 1800 by then governor Sir John Wentworth to replace the existing Government House that stood on the present location of Province House, with the cornerstone of the former being laid on 1 September of that year. The site had originally been purchased by the Crown as the location for a new colonial legislature, but it was eventually deemed to be too far removed from the capital, and was allocated for use as a viceregal residence instead. The Governor and his family moved into the still incomplete building in 1805.
The first royal resident was Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), in 1860, who was followed by others such as Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, in 1869 (he would also serve as Governor General of Canada); Prince George (later King George V) in 1883 and 1901; Prince Albert in 1913 and again in 1939 as King George VI, along with his wife, Queen Elizabeth, who returned as the Queen Mother in 1967 for the Canadian Centennial and in 1979; their daughters, Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, in 1951 and again in 1959, 1976, 1994 and 2010 as Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, in 1958 and 1988; Elizabeth II's children, Prince Andrew in 1985 and Prince Edward in 1987, as well as Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1983, accompanied by Diana, Princess of Wales. The mansion was also the gathering place for the various ministers of finance attending the 1995 G7 summit in Halifax.
...
Wikipedia