Government House (Manitoba)
Encyclopedia
Government House of Manitoba is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
, as well as that in Winnipeg
of the Canadian monarch. It stands in the provincial capital, on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building
, at 10 Kennedy Street; unlike other provincial Government Houses in Canada, this gives Manitoba's royal residence a prominent urban setting, though it is surrounded by gardens.
, the Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories occupied a designated residence within the walls of Upper Fort Garry
; a house that was, at one point, used by Louis Riel
as president
of the provisional government
of Red River
. After the new province joined Confederation
on 15 July 1870, a structure five kilometres outside of Winnipeg was leased for use as the lieutenant governor's residence, known as Silver Heights, but it was not found to be suitable, given its size and distance from the capital. Instead, the lieutenant governor remained at Upper Fort Gary until the present Government House was completed.
The house there, however, was in constant need of repair; after $10,000 was spent on the structure in 1873, Alexander Morris
wrote to the federal Minister of Public Works
: "You can fancy the state of the house when I tell you there was five feet of water in the cellar till middle of July. Year before till middle of August..." Further, as the population of the province was increasing, the need for public buildings became more pressing, and a delegation travelled to Ottawa to discuss with the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
the matter of parliament allocating funds for a new legislative assembly and Government House for Manitoba. This was approved, and Thomas Seaton Scott
, the Dominion architect, immediately set about drawing up plans for the structures.
The current provincial royal residence was constructed in 1883, at a cost to the federal Crown of $23,995. However, the building was two years later, on 10 June, purchased by the provincial Crown for $1, with the provision that the house be used as a residence for the viceroy "and for no other purpose," as written by John A. Macdonald
at the bottom of the Order in Council transferring the house. In 1901, the royal home played host to the Duke
and Duchess of York
(later King George V and Queen Mary), as well as the Duchess' brother, Prince Alexander of Teck
(who would later become Governor General of Canada); Prince Edward, Prince of Wales
, and Prince George, Duke of Kent
, in 1919 and 1941; and King George VI
was the first reigning monarch to reside at Government House when he and his wife, Queen Elizabeth
, stopped in Winnipeg during their cross-country tour of Canada in 1939; from Government House, the King broadcast over the radio a speech to the British Commonwealth
, the table at which he sat still in the residence. Their daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
, and each of their children have also stayed at Government House over the years.
The architect Frank Worthington Simon included in his plans for the Manitoba Legislative Building a new Government House, to be constructed on the bank of the Assiniboine River
, opposite the parliament. This plan never came to fruition, however, and the Victorian Government House was adapted over time to suit the lieutenant governor's changing needs. In 1978, the mansion was designated as a historical structure by the Manitoba Heritage Council and in 1999, at the initiative of Shirley Liba, wife of Lieutenant Governor Peter M. Liba
, the house underwent a major renovation, in which many of the original features of the mansion were uncovered and restored.
, is where the Canadian Royal Family and visiting foreign dignitaries are greeted and often stay while in Winnipeg. It is also where numerous royal and viceroyal events take place, such as the bestowing of provincial awards or inductions into the Order of Manitoba
, as well as luncheons, dinners, receptions, and speaking engagements. It is also at the royal residence that the lieutenant governor will drop the writs of election
and swear-in new members of the Executive Council
. The viceroy's office is located at the Legislative Building, behind Government House; it is there that legislation is given Royal Assent
and the lieutenant governor meets with his premier
.
with French influence from the Second Napoleonic Empire with the flat steep-sided Mansard roof
".
When first built, the ground floor of Government House held a suite of interconnected rooms that, opened to one another, formed a suite 29 metres (95.1 ft) long and 6.1 metres (20 ft) wide. All-together, these included, in a counter-clockwise array around the central stair hall, the library, immediately to the right of the foyer, the breakfast room, the drawing room, the dining room, a serving room, and the viceroy's office at the left of the foyer. Later, in 1901, a veranda was built around the north-east corner of the house, and a ballroom was added to the rear, both at the personal expense of Lieutenant Governor Daniel Hunter McMillan
. Then, in 1908, the front porch was enclosed in a robust structure and a palm room and adjoining conservatory
were added off the dining room. Until 1946, the kitchens were in the basement and serving took place via a dumbwaiter
; that year a new kitchen was built into another extension off the rear of the mansion. Eventually what had been the palm room was made into an extension of the dining room and, in 1953, the original serving room was sacrificed in favour of a cloak room and powder room, as well as an elevator in place of the dumbwaiter. The ballroom was demolished in 1960 to make way for the current assembly room, which was, for catering purposes, linked to the kitchen by a new serving room, and three years following, the conservatory was pulled down and replaced with a new sun room, potting room, and greenhouse, as well as a three car garage. Today, the lieutenant governor's office has been moved to the Legislative Building and the room it once occupied made into a sitting room for the viceroy's aides-de-camp
. The former library, breakfast room, and drawing room have all been turned into a series of connected salons for official entertaining.
Reached by a staircase of oak treads, newels, balusters, and handrail with pine risers, the second floor consisted in 1880 of six bedrooms, two dressing rooms, a bath room, a toilet, and a storage closet. Two of the bedrooms were connected by large sliding doors, as with the library and breakfast room beneath; during large parties, these doors would be pulled back and the combined bedrooms would be used for expanded entertainment space. Over time, the spaces on this level were altered and some of the bedrooms were divided into private en suite bathrooms. The royal bedroom is reserved for use by the sovereign and other Royal Family members when they are in Winnipeg, and the gold room accommodates royal support staff or other royals if the monarch is occupying the royal bedroom. Also on this floor is the viceregal suite, consisting of a master bedroom, the lieutenant governor's private office, and a library and living room.
The basement of Government House is divided into several sections; originally it held living quarters for the domestic staff a kitchen and bedrooms as well as the main kitchen for the state dining room on the ground floor. Presently, it contains storage and laundry facilities. The attic floor was divided into nine bedrooms, which has been reduced to four bedrooms with the addition of two bathrooms, a sitting room, and a three and one-half room suite for the resident housekeeper. From this floor one can also access the tower, from which the lieutenant governor's standard is flown when he or she is in residence.
of the Legislative Building. In 2010, part of the grounds were set aside and dedicated as the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens by the Queen herself on 3 July that year, the event marked by the planting of an Amber Jubilee Ninebark
shrub, the species having been created specifically for Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee
in 2012. At the same time, a statue of Elizabeth that had been created in 1970 by Leo Mol
and installed outside the Manitoba Centennial Centre
was moved to the eponymous gardens and unveiled by the Queen.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba is the viceregal representative in Manitoba of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
, as well as that in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
of the Canadian monarch. It stands in the provincial capital, on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building
Manitoba Legislative Building
The Manitoba Legislative Building is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, in central Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was originally named the Manitoba Parliament Building, not Legislative. The neoclassical building was completed in 1920 and stands seventy-seven meters tall...
, at 10 Kennedy Street; unlike other provincial Government Houses in Canada, this gives Manitoba's royal residence a prominent urban setting, though it is surrounded by gardens.
History
Prior to the foundation of ManitobaManitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, the Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories occupied a designated residence within the walls of Upper Fort Garry
Fort Garry
Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in what is now downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1822 on or near the site of the North West Company's Fort Gibraltar. Fort Garry was named after Nicholas...
; a house that was, at one point, used by Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
as president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the provisional government
Provisional government
A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...
of Red River
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
. After the new province joined Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
on 15 July 1870, a structure five kilometres outside of Winnipeg was leased for use as the lieutenant governor's residence, known as Silver Heights, but it was not found to be suitable, given its size and distance from the capital. Instead, the lieutenant governor remained at Upper Fort Gary until the present Government House was completed.
The house there, however, was in constant need of repair; after $10,000 was spent on the structure in 1873, Alexander Morris
Alexander Morris
Alexander Morris, PC was a Canadian politician. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald , and was the second Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba...
wrote to the federal Minister of Public Works
Minister of Public Works (Canada)
The position of Minister of Public Works existed as part of the Cabinet of Canada from Confederation to 1995.As part of substantial governmental reorganization, the position was merged with that of the Minister of Supply and Services to create the position of Minister of Public Works and Government...
: "You can fancy the state of the house when I tell you there was five feet of water in the cellar till middle of July. Year before till middle of August..." Further, as the population of the province was increasing, the need for public buildings became more pressing, and a delegation travelled to Ottawa to discuss with the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
the matter of parliament allocating funds for a new legislative assembly and Government House for Manitoba. This was approved, and Thomas Seaton Scott
Thomas Seaton Scott
Thomas Seaton Scott was a Canadian architect. Born in Birkenhead, England he immigrated to Canada as a young man first settling in Montreal...
, the Dominion architect, immediately set about drawing up plans for the structures.
The current provincial royal residence was constructed in 1883, at a cost to the federal Crown of $23,995. However, the building was two years later, on 10 June, purchased by the provincial Crown for $1, with the provision that the house be used as a residence for the viceroy "and for no other purpose," as written by John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
at the bottom of the Order in Council transferring the house. In 1901, the royal home played host to the Duke
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Duchess of York
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
(later King George V and Queen Mary), as well as the Duchess' brother, Prince Alexander of Teck
Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
Major-General Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone , was a close relative of the shared British and Canadian royal family, as well as a British military commander and major-general who served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, the...
(who would later become Governor General of Canada); Prince Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, and Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, and younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI...
, in 1919 and 1941; and King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
was the first reigning monarch to reside at Government House when he and his wife, Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
, stopped in Winnipeg during their cross-country tour of Canada in 1939; from Government House, the King broadcast over the radio a speech to the British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, the table at which he sat still in the residence. Their daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, and each of their children have also stayed at Government House over the years.
The architect Frank Worthington Simon included in his plans for the Manitoba Legislative Building a new Government House, to be constructed on the bank of the Assiniboine River
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
, opposite the parliament. This plan never came to fruition, however, and the Victorian Government House was adapted over time to suit the lieutenant governor's changing needs. In 1978, the mansion was designated as a historical structure by the Manitoba Heritage Council and in 1999, at the initiative of Shirley Liba, wife of Lieutenant Governor Peter M. Liba
Peter M. Liba
Peter Michael Liba, CM, OM was a Manitoba journalist and office holder. From March 2, 1999, to June 30, 2004, he served as the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba....
, the house underwent a major renovation, in which many of the original features of the mansion were uncovered and restored.
Use
Government House, owned by the Queen in Right of ManitobaMonarchy in Manitoba
By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, Canada's monarchy operates in Manitoba as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within Manitoba's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in Right of Manitoba, Her Majesty in Right of Manitoba, or...
, is where the Canadian Royal Family and visiting foreign dignitaries are greeted and often stay while in Winnipeg. It is also where numerous royal and viceroyal events take place, such as the bestowing of provincial awards or inductions into the Order of Manitoba
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
, as well as luncheons, dinners, receptions, and speaking engagements. It is also at the royal residence that the lieutenant governor will drop the writs of election
Dropping the writ
Dropping the writ is the informal term for a procedure in some parliamentary government systems, where the head of government goes to the head of state and formally advises him or her to dissolve parliament...
and swear-in new members of the Executive Council
Executive Council of Manitoba
The Executive Council of Manitoba is the cabinet of that Canadian province.Almost always made up of members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, the Cabinet is similar in structure and role to the Cabinet of Canada while being smaller in size...
. The viceroy's office is located at the Legislative Building, behind Government House; it is there that legislation is given Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
and the lieutenant governor meets with his premier
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
.
Architecture and interiors
Manitoba's Government house is a structure of solid masonry walls and timber floor framing, the original block being 18.3 metres (60 ft) square and four storeys in height, counting the basement level, covering a total of approximately 20000 sq ft (1,858.1 m²), including the tower. The volume and its facade composition was at first symmetrical along an east-west axis through the centre of the building, though this arrangement was later altered by the addition of new wings; this is clad in brick, trimmed with cut stone and ornate wood cornices at the roof line, and iron cresting tops the tower. The overall design was described in 1883 as "Italian, modified to suit the requirements of the climate," though the same year an early visitor noted in the guest book: "It is an unpretending looking structure, of nondescript architecture and with no outside ornamentation." Similarly, in 1953, the provincial architect said that Government House was the one "jarring note" on the grounds of the Legislative Building. By later in the 20th century, however, provincial architects stated the house is "Victorian architectureVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
with French influence from the Second Napoleonic Empire with the flat steep-sided Mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
".
When first built, the ground floor of Government House held a suite of interconnected rooms that, opened to one another, formed a suite 29 metres (95.1 ft) long and 6.1 metres (20 ft) wide. All-together, these included, in a counter-clockwise array around the central stair hall, the library, immediately to the right of the foyer, the breakfast room, the drawing room, the dining room, a serving room, and the viceroy's office at the left of the foyer. Later, in 1901, a veranda was built around the north-east corner of the house, and a ballroom was added to the rear, both at the personal expense of Lieutenant Governor Daniel Hunter McMillan
Daniel Hunter McMillan
Sir Daniel Hunter McMillan, KCMG was a Manitoba politician. He was a cabinet minister in Thomas Greenway's government from 1889 to 1900, and served as the seventh Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba from 1900 to 1911....
. Then, in 1908, the front porch was enclosed in a robust structure and a palm room and adjoining conservatory
Conservatory (greenhouse)
A conservatory is a room having glass roof and walls, typically attached to a house on only one side, used as a greenhouse or a sunroom...
were added off the dining room. Until 1946, the kitchens were in the basement and serving took place via a dumbwaiter
Dumbwaiter (elevator)
Dumbwaiters are small freight elevators intended to carry objects rather than people. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial and private buildings, are often connected between two floors...
; that year a new kitchen was built into another extension off the rear of the mansion. Eventually what had been the palm room was made into an extension of the dining room and, in 1953, the original serving room was sacrificed in favour of a cloak room and powder room, as well as an elevator in place of the dumbwaiter. The ballroom was demolished in 1960 to make way for the current assembly room, which was, for catering purposes, linked to the kitchen by a new serving room, and three years following, the conservatory was pulled down and replaced with a new sun room, potting room, and greenhouse, as well as a three car garage. Today, the lieutenant governor's office has been moved to the Legislative Building and the room it once occupied made into a sitting room for the viceroy's aides-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
. The former library, breakfast room, and drawing room have all been turned into a series of connected salons for official entertaining.
Reached by a staircase of oak treads, newels, balusters, and handrail with pine risers, the second floor consisted in 1880 of six bedrooms, two dressing rooms, a bath room, a toilet, and a storage closet. Two of the bedrooms were connected by large sliding doors, as with the library and breakfast room beneath; during large parties, these doors would be pulled back and the combined bedrooms would be used for expanded entertainment space. Over time, the spaces on this level were altered and some of the bedrooms were divided into private en suite bathrooms. The royal bedroom is reserved for use by the sovereign and other Royal Family members when they are in Winnipeg, and the gold room accommodates royal support staff or other royals if the monarch is occupying the royal bedroom. Also on this floor is the viceregal suite, consisting of a master bedroom, the lieutenant governor's private office, and a library and living room.
The basement of Government House is divided into several sections; originally it held living quarters for the domestic staff a kitchen and bedrooms as well as the main kitchen for the state dining room on the ground floor. Presently, it contains storage and laundry facilities. The attic floor was divided into nine bedrooms, which has been reduced to four bedrooms with the addition of two bathrooms, a sitting room, and a three and one-half room suite for the resident housekeeper. From this floor one can also access the tower, from which the lieutenant governor's standard is flown when he or she is in residence.
Grounds
Manitoba's Government House is surrounded on three sides by manicured gardens; the fourth side the rear of the building faces directly onto the parking lotParking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
of the Legislative Building. In 2010, part of the grounds were set aside and dedicated as the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens by the Queen herself on 3 July that year, the event marked by the planting of an Amber Jubilee Ninebark
Physocarpus
Physocarpus, commonly called Ninebark, is a genus of about ten species of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to North America and northeastern Asia ....
shrub, the species having been created specifically for Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II is the forthcoming international celebration in 2012 marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952...
in 2012. At the same time, a statue of Elizabeth that had been created in 1970 by Leo Mol
Leo Mol
Leo Mol, OC, OM was a Ukrainian Canadian artist and sculptor.Born Leonid Molodozhanyn in Polonne, Ukraine, Mol studied sculpture at the Leningrad Academy of Arts from 1936 to 1940. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union he moved to Germany where he was influenced by Arno Breker...
and installed outside the Manitoba Centennial Centre
Manitoba Centennial Centre
The Manitoba Centennial Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada was an urban renewal program that began in 1960. The Centennial Concert Hall, as part of the Centennial Centre, was built as a Canadian Centennial project. The concert hall cost $8 million. The venue presently has a seating capacity of...
was moved to the eponymous gardens and unveiled by the Queen.