Residence of the Governor of South Australia, Australia
Government House
, located in
Adelaide
on the corner of
North Terrace
and
King William Road
, is the official residence of the
governor of South Australia
.
History
[
edit
]
The original "Government Hut" was a
thatched
hut constructed by the seamen of
HMS
Buffalo
. Governor
John Hindmarsh
wrote in May 1837 "I have but one end of my mud hut finished and all my family lay on the floor of one room while two smaller ones serve for Mrs. H., myself and a female servant", When
Lieutenant Colonel
George Gawler
replaced Hindmarsh in 1838, he abandoned plans for a permanent house of timber and gave directions for the erection of a new building of masonry to cost £4,000 - if possible, but not to exceed £5,000.
[1]
A plan had been obtained from an English architect, Edward O'Brien, but this was amended by
George Strickland Kingston
, who had come to South Australia as an assistant to the Surveyor General,
William Light
, and who had had some experience in architecture and building. When Kingston received tenders for the proposed work they were in the vicinity of £7,000. After further amendment of the plans to reduce the cost, a contract was let to the builders, Messrs East and Breeze. After Governor Gawler was recalled to England in 1841, partly because of his "extravagant" building programs, his successors
George Grey
and
Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Holt Robe
found it necessary to spend the least possible amount on the house.
[
citation needed
]
The earliest part of the house to be built was the east wing of the present building. It was completed and occupied in May 1840. Government House is thus probably the second oldest continuously occupied house in the State, after Walkley cottage in
St Mark's College
, Pennington Terrace,
North Adelaide
, which was first occupied in mid-1839. When completed, Government House consisted of the present main drawing room, morning room, small dining room, and upstairs there were three bedrooms, a dressing room and two small servants' rooms. Governors, their families and house guests make use of all the upstairs rooms.
[
citation needed
]
It was listed on the
South Australian Heritage Register
on 24 July 1980 and on the defunct
Register of the National Estate
on 21 March 1978.
[2]
[3]
The eastern
Kintore Avenue
boundary of the grounds of Government House was stepped back by 10 metres during 2015?2016, to make way for the construction of the Anzac Centenary Memorial Walk connecting the
National War Memorial
on North Terrace to the
Torrens Parade Ground
.
[4]
The walkway was completed in 2016.
[5]
Summer residences
[
edit
]
Governors formerly used a
summer residence
in the
Adelaide Hills
to escape the heat of the
Adelaide Plains
. Two buildings were used for this purpose. The first of these,
Old Government House
, was built in what is now the
Belair National Park
in 1860. In 1880, this building was superseded by a larger residence at
Marble Hill
near
Norton Summit
, until it was destroyed in the
Black Sunday bushfires
of 1955. Subsequently, the Governor was not provided with a summer residence.
[
citation needed
]
Functions
[
edit
]
Government House is located in well-kept grounds which are periodically used for important public ceremonies, such as:
[
citation needed
]
- Presentation of Queen's Scout and Queen's Guide awards
- Presentation of Year 12 Merit certificates
- Presentation of Debating SA Awards
- Other non-profit functions
Arts
[
edit
]
In 2019 a Government House Arts Residency program was instituted, with the inaugural recipient being
Margaret Worth
.
[6]
Flags
[
edit
]
Until May 2022, there were three flag poles on the roof of Government House. From 27 May 2022, governor
Frances Adamson
had four new
flag poles
installed on the lawn, so that the
Aboriginal flag
and
Torres Strait Islander flag
could both be permanently flown for the first time at Government House, along with the
Australian flag
and
South Australian flag
. All of the newly-installed flags are visible from King William Street and North Terrace. The flag-raising ceremony took place at the start of
National Reconciliation Week
.
[7]
Environs
[
edit
]
Cottages were built in the northern part of the grounds, originally for the butler (1928) and the chauffeur (1945).
[8]
The grounds of Government House itself are surrounded by prominent public buildings, statues and memorials:
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
There is a plaque on the front gatehouse which says:
"Near this spot the first Government House of the Province of South Australia was erected in 1837. It was built of earth and wood, with thatched roof, by marines from the 'Buffalo'. Occupied first by Governor Hindmarsh and later by Governor Gawler. It was destroyed by fire in 1841.
The first portion of the present Government House was built in 1839.
Erected by the City Council 1928."
- ^
"Government House"
.
SA Heritage Places Database
. Government of South Australia. 24 July 1980
. Retrieved
11 March
2019
.
- ^
"Government House and Grounds, North Tce, Adelaide, SA, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 6328)"
.
Australian Heritage Database
.
Australian Government
. 21 October 1980
. Retrieved
11 March
2019
.
- ^
Governor's residence in Adelaide to shrink for Anzac centenary walk
ABC News
, 23 April 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^
Anzac centenary memorial walk a 'special place' for remembrance, Governor Hieu Van Le say
ABC News
, 23 April 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^
"Callers: Ms Margaret Worth, recipient of the inaugural Government House Arts Residency, and Mr William Marsh; Mr Steve Saffell, Chief Executive Officer, and Ms Lauren Mustillo, Visual Arts Program Manager, Country Arts SA; and Ms Jennifer Layther, Direct"
.
Government House South Australia
. Retrieved
21 June
2020
.
- ^
Opie, Rebecca (27 May 2022).
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags permanently fly at Government House"
.
ABC News
.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
. Retrieved
4 June
2022
.
- ^
"Government House South Australia - Twentieth Century Works"
.
Government House South Australia
. Archived from
the original
on 27 February 2015
. Retrieved
17 April
2015
.
External links
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34°55′12″S
138°36′01″E
/
34.920126°S 138.600321°E
/
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