Government House, The Bahamas
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Government House is the official residence of the
Governor General of The Bahamas The governor-general of the Bahamas is the vice-regal representative of the Bahamian monarch, currently King Charles III, in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime ...
, located in
Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
. It was built in the
colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...
days and was the residence of the
Governor of The Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The loc ...
. It later continued in the role of official residence and office of the
Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
following political
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
from the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in 1973. Built on a hill known as Mount Fitzwilliam and completed in 1806, this imposing stuccoed-coral-rock building on Duke Street is the Bahamian archipelago's foremost example of Georgian Colonial architecture. In 1814, Colonel Don
Antonio de Alcedo Antonio de Alcedo (1735–1812) was a Spanish soldier and scholar. Born in a settlement near Quito (Ecuador), Alcedo was a military officer in the Spanish Army, and a notable historian and geographer. He is best known for his pioneering, five-volum ...
, a Spanish scholar and soldier, wrote admiringly of its effect. ''The Oriental Herald'', in 1825, stated: "The new Government-House, standing on the centre of the ridge that overlooks the town, was built by a sum voted by the House of Assembly from the funds of the Treasury and cost upwards of 20,000''l''. It is built in the European style of architecture, and is universally considered the best building of the kind throughout the West Indies". The building's original neoclassical aspect, as well as its stone construction, was directly influenced by the arrival of
Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
s from the southern United States in the 1780s. Previously most Bahamian buildings had been built of painted wood. Typically Bahamian elements, however, include louvred wood shutters and brightly painted exterior, in this case a brilliant shade of conch-pink. The primary façade, centred on a pedimented entrance supported by four stout Ionic columns, dates from the 1930s, when the building was remodelled following the hurricane of 1929.


History

The original Government House on this site was completed in 1737, as a home for Governor Richard Fitzwilliam. That building was supplanted by a neoclassical structure built between 1803 and 1806; Charles Cameron was the first governor to occupy it. This two-story incarnation measured more than 100 feet in length, and its primary façade, overlooking the harbour, was dominated by a full-length upper gallery supported by ten columns.Michael Craton and Gail Saunders, ''Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People'', Volume One (University of Georgia Press, 1999), page 215 The statue of
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
, which stands at the harbourside entrance of the building, was reportedly designed in London by an aide to American novelist
Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
, a Columbus biographer. The 12-foot-tall representation was placed in front of Government House by Governor James Carmichael Smyth in 1830 and is "notable for its size rather than its artistry". As another observer wrote of the statue, "It is fortunate that the statue is labeled, for otherwise no one would ever guess that the swaggering, piratical-looking figure, with a slouch hat cocked rakishly on its head and a toga over its shoulder, is intended to represent Columbus".


Early renovations

In 1909 the east wing was added; the west wing is commonly known as the Windsor Wing, named for the
Duke of Windsor Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his abdication on 11 December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a ...
, who was Governor from 1940 to 1945. Government House was seriously affected by the hurricane of 1929. As a history recounts, " e eastern wing of the Government House was unroofed on three sides and damaged to the extent that it was not fit for occupancy so major repair work had to be done to the roof and buildings". This restoration work, which included the removal of the original gallery and its replacement by the current temple-like entrance and cupola-topped roof, was completed in 1932.


1940s renovations

From late 1940 through 1941, Government House, then described as "a cracked and flaking edifice ... with about as much warmth and atmosphere as
Wellington Barracks Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards battalions on public duties in that area. The building is located about three hundred yards from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to ...
", was renovated by the
Duchess of Windsor Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986), was an American socialite and wife of the former King Edward VIII. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused a ...
, whose husband, the Duke, formerly King Edward VIII of Great Britain, served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1940 to 1945.Geoffrey Bocca, ''The Woman Who Would Be Queen'' (Rinehart & Company, 1961), page 188 During the renovation of the interiors—which suffered from an excess of high-gloss blue paint and worn Victorian furniture—the Windsors occupied Sigrist House, the residence of Sir Frederick Sigrist, a British aviation magnate, "who offered to let them use it while repairs and redecorations were in progress. The couple's term at the Sigrist house ended when they agreed to move to Westbourne, the mansion of industrialist
Harry Oakes Sir Harry Oakes, 1st Baronet (23 December 1874 – 7 July 1943) was a British gold mine owner, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. He earned his fortune in Canada and moved to the Bahamas in the 1930s for tax purposes. Though American by b ...
. The Government House renovation architect was an American, Sidney Neil, who practised largely in Palm Beach, Florida. In addition to structural repairs, the building was replumbed and rewired; a new wing was built as well, for the Windsors' staff and offices. (The so-called Windsor Wing is now used by the Royal Bahamian Defence Force.) The interior decorator for Government House was a friend of the Duchess's, socialite Isabel T. Bradley (Mrs Winthrop Curtis Bradley).
Iles Brody Illés Bródy ( , December 27, 1899 – November 11, 1953) was a Hungarian-born journalist and writer who lived in the United States from the 1930s. After a false start as a portrait artist, he became known as a food writer and gourmet. For his ...
, ''Gone with the Windsors'' (John C. Winston Company, 1953), page 252
As the Duchess informed her aunt Bessie Merryman, in a September 1940 letter, " gether we are going to dish this shack up so that at least one isn't ashamed of asking the local horrors here". Client and decorator purchased furnishings from the United States and via mail order for the project. The resulting decor was described as "'frankly smart and modernistic' with Regency touches" and included a room with baseboards made of natural rattan and a table whose surface was ornamented with a three-foot-long replica of the Duchess's signature. The Duchess "introduced New York wallpapers and she painted one room exactly the same shade of her favorite face powder". Though the budget for the renovation had been set at $6,000 by the
House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...
, the eventual cost turned out to be $21,000, much of it paid for by the Windsors, but the results were "now so charming the Duchess of Windsor has been blessed by every succeeding Governor's wife".Owen Platt, ''The Royal Governor ... and the Duchess: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor in the Bahamas 1940–1945'' (iUniverse, 2003), page 9 One of the Duchess's suggested improvements, however, was denied. As recounted in a lengthy profile of the Windsors in ''Life'' published in 1941, "In the modernization of Government House, the Duchess wanted to remove the front door which was a relic of an older government house and which had withstood all hurricanes, even the famous storm of 1929. The door also withstood the Duchess who was permitted to cover the upper half of the battered wood with a black glass panel on which is appropriately printed in white the famous device of the Duke's
Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...
—''Honi soit qui mal y pense"''. The glass plaque was shipped from the Windsors' house in France and remains in place.


See also

*
Government Houses of the British Empire A Government House is any residence used by Governors-General, Governors and Lieutenant-Governors in the Commonwealth and the British Empire. Government Houses serve as the venue for Governors’ official business, as well as the many receptions ...
* Governors General of the Bahamas


References


External links

{{Official Government residences in North America and the Caribbean Official residences in the Bahamas Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth