Government House (British Columbia)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
British Columbia's Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia. It is located in Victoria, British Columbia.
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[edit] History
The current Government House is the fourth building to be built on the site. The first was built, and burned down, in 1852. In 1860, Cary Castle was built on the site by George Hunter Cary, the Attorney General of British Columbia and Vancouver Island at the time. In 1865, it was purchased by the Governor of Vancouver Island.
In 1866 Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia were merged to form the single Crown Colony of British Columbia, and in 1871 this new Crown Colony joined Canadian Confederation. At this point, Cary Castle was renamed Government House and became the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor.
This house was also destroyed by fire in 1899, and in 1903 another Government House was built on the site. In 1957, this house too burned down; with the exception of the porte cochère, the house and contents were totally destroyed.
Two years later, the current Government House was opened on May 19, 1959 built around the porte cochère of the previous house.
[edit] Today
Today Government House serves as the official residence of the current Lieutenant-Governor, Her Honour the Honourable Iona Campagnolo.
[edit] See also
- History of British Columbia
- List of Lieutenant-Governors of British Columbia
- Government Houses of Canada
- Government Houses of the British Empire
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[edit] External Links
- http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/
- Maps and aerial photos
- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Street map from Mapquest or Google Maps
- Satellite image from Google Maps
- Topographical map from Maptech
