Government House, Saint Lucia
Encyclopedia
Government House is the official residence
of the Governor-General of Saint Lucia
. The house is located on the crest of Morne Fortune
, near Castries
.
The first Government House that was built on this site was destroyed by a hurricane in 1817, before its completion. A second house, built of timber, was completed on the same spot in 1819. This house fell into disrepair, and was abandoned by 1865. Government House then relocated to a nearby disused military barracks
.
Construction of the present brick-built Government House was started on the site of the previous house in 1894, and was completed a year later. It was originally used as the home and office of the Commissioners of Saint Lucia until 1958, then for the Administratiors of the island. From 1967, Government House was used by the Governors of Saint Lucia, and since Saint Lucia became an independent state in 1979 it has been used by Governors-General.
Official residence
An official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...
of the Governor-General of Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
. The house is located on the crest of Morne Fortune
Morne Fortune
Morne Fortune is a hill and residential area located south of Castries, Saint Lucia in the West Indies. Originally it was a fort constructed by the French, it was captured by the British on 24th May 1796. A memorial to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers still stands commemorating the battle...
, near Castries
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
.
The first Government House that was built on this site was destroyed by a hurricane in 1817, before its completion. A second house, built of timber, was completed on the same spot in 1819. This house fell into disrepair, and was abandoned by 1865. Government House then relocated to a nearby disused military barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
.
Construction of the present brick-built Government House was started on the site of the previous house in 1894, and was completed a year later. It was originally used as the home and office of the Commissioners of Saint Lucia until 1958, then for the Administratiors of the island. From 1967, Government House was used by the Governors of Saint Lucia, and since Saint Lucia became an independent state in 1979 it has been used by Governors-General.
See also
- Government Houses of the British Empire
- Governors General of Saint Lucia