View source for Government House (Newfoundland and Labrador)

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox Historic building
| name             = Government House
| image            = Government House Newfoundland.jpg
| caption          = Rear façade of Government House
| map_type         = 
| coordinates      = {{coord|47.572053|N|52.704878|W|type:landmark_region:CA-NL|display=inline,title}}
| location_town    = 50 Military Road<br />[[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador]]
| location_country = [[Canada]]
| architect        = 
| client           = [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|The King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]<br><small>([[George IV of the United Kingdom|George IV]])</small>
| engineer         = 
| construction_start_date = 1827
| date_demolished  = 
| cost             = £38,000
| structural_system = [[Timber framing]] and [[Load-bearing wall|load-bearing]] [[masonry]]
| owner            = [[Monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador|The King in Right of Newfoundland]]<br>([[Charles III]]){{citation-needed|date=April 2024}}
| current_tenants  = [[Joan Marie Aylward]], [[Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador]]
| style            = [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]]
| size             = 
| embedded         = {{Designation list |embed=yes |designation1=NHSC |designation1_offname=Government House National Historic Site of Canada |designation1_date=1982 }}
}}

'''Government House''' is the [[official residence]] of the [[lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador]]. Government House was a by-product of the wave of administrative initiatives that took place during the 1820s. The royal charter of 1825 bestowed official [[Colonialism|colonial]] status for [[Colony of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]].

The first governors of Newfoundland were naval officers who resided on their [[flagship]], anchored in [[St. John's, Newfoundland|St. John's]] harbour. However, Admiral [[Richard Edwards (c.1715–1795)|Richard Edwards]] 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 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]] even died there in the winter of 1818.

The building plans for Government House were drawn up in [[England]]. The Ordinance had told the Treasury that workmen's wages were too high in Newfoundland, and subsequently, workmen in [[Scotland]] were engaged and arrived in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] to begin construction in April 1827. The original plan as conceived by [[Thomas John Cochrane|Governor Cochrane]] was for a [[Palladian architecture|Palladian style]] two-storey house, plus basement.  When completed in 1831, Government House cost £38,175, which was five times the original estimate; equal to £{{Inflation|GBP|38,175|1831|2019|r=2}} today. The two-storey building consists of a centre block flanked by slightly lower wings on the east and on the west. The exterior is of rough, red sandstone quarried at [[Signal Hill, Newfoundland and Labrador|Signal Hill]], trimmed with English [[Portland stone]].
[[Image:NL Government House.jpg|thumb|left|The front of Government House]]

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.<ref>[http://www.heritage.nf.ca/govhouse/introduction.html Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage: Government House]</ref>

The Lieutenant-Governor's residence is where  dignitaries visiting the province 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.

The site was designated a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site of Canada]].<ref>{{CRHP|13399|Government House|8 July 2012}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" widths="200px">
Garden Party at Government House, 2014 (14786608284).jpg|The rear of Government House, greenhouses, and surrounding garden
Government House (14608538750).jpg|One of the salons in Government House
Government House (14792911964).jpg|A corridor within Government House
Government House (14794915352).jpg|A detail of the painted ceiling in a Government House salon
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Government Houses of Canada]]
* [[Government Houses of the British Empire]]
* [[Lieutenant-Governors of Newfoundland and Labrador]]

== References ==

<references/>

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081207235458/http://www.mun.ca/govhouse/government_house.html Official website of Government House]
* [http://www.heritage.nf.ca/govhouse/introduction.html Newfoundland Heritage - Government House]

{{ca-residence}}
{{NHSC}}
{{St. John's landmarks}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Government Houses in Canada|Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Houses in Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Palladian Revival architecture in Canada]]
[[Category:Historic buildings and structures in Newfoundland and Labrador]]