Red House, located on Vavaea Ridge in

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lie ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

, is the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the

Prime Minister of Solomon Islands The prime minister of Solomon Islands is Solomon Islands' head of government, consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the National Parliament. Since April 2019, the prime minister has been Manasseh Sogava ...

. The residence is a single story wood siding building on stilts. The name of the home is in reference to the red colour roof.

History

The house was built in the 1950s for the then-colonial Secretary for Finance and later Chief Minister of the

British Solomon Islands The British Solomon Islands Protectorate was first declared over the southern Solomons in 1893, when Captain Gibson, R.N., of , declared the southern islands a British protectorate. Other islands were subsequently declared to form part o ...

. It became the Prime Minister's residence in 1978. Prior to re-occupation, it was used as residence for the

Speaker of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands The Speaker of the National Parliament is the Speaker of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands. The position was established under section 64 of the Constitution of the Solomon Islands of 1978, when the country became independent from ...

following the last renovations in 2010.

Demolition plans and reversals

In October 2011, the National Coalition for Reform and Advancement government of former Prime Minister Danny Philip announced plans to demolish Red House and build a new Prime Minister's residence. The opposition, led by

Derek Sikua David Derek Sikua (born 10 October 1959Sikua CV at Parliament website
) served as th ...

, decried the announcement, noting that $4 million in renovations had been completed at Red House since August 2010. In November 2011, newly elected Prime Minister

Gordon Darcy Lilo Gordon Darcy Lilo (born 28 August 1965) is a Solomon Islander politician who served as Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 16 November 2011 to 9 December 2014. He was a member of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands, representing ...

reversed the previous government's plans. He announced that he would move into Red House from his residence at the Honiara Hotel, citing a need to spend less taxpayer money on hotel or home rentals for election officials. At a press conference, he announced, "I would like to inform the people of Solomon Islands that the Prime Minister will be moving back to the Red House as soon as a minor repair on the residence is complete... I do not intend to reside anywhere else, and wish to tell the people that this Prime Minister will be moving out and into the Red House in a matter of days." Lilo said he would take up residence as soon as minor repairs, such as new locks, were installed.

References

{{Honiara Prime ministerial residences Buildings and structures in Honiara Prime Ministers of the Solomon Islands Government buildings in the Solomon Islands Houses in the Solomon Islands