Government House, located in

Road Town Road Town, located on Tortola, is the capital and largest town of the British Virgin Islands. It is situated on the horseshoe-shaped Road Harbour in the centre of the island's south coast. The population was about 15,000 in 2018. The name is d ...

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

, is the

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

of the

governor of the British Virgin Islands The governor of the Virgin Islands is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of the British Virgin Islands. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The r ...

. There have been several structures built on the same site, with the original dating back to 1889. The current residence was built in 2003 on an adjacent site, with the previous building adapted into a museum.

History

The original structure, dating back to 1899, was destroyed by a hurricane in 1924. The present structure was built on the same site in 1925-26 and was the home of commissioners, presidents, administrators and governors until 1999, when it was deemed unsuitable. ''

The Island Sun ''The Island Sun'' is a weekly newspaper in the British Virgin Islands. Founded on 23 June 1962, it is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the British Overseas Territory. The Sun is published weekly by Sun Enterprises (B.V.I.) Li ...

'' published an editorial against the demolition of the historic building and members of the public expressed their disagreement with the official decision. In 2003, a new Government House was built on adjacent land while the old structure has been transformed into a museum. In November 2003, Governor Thomas Macan moved into the new residence located at Tortola. The project included the construction of the new Government House and a reception hall, as well as the restoration of the old Government House, which is now a museum. The structure was built by Meridian Construction and designed by OBM and FCO Estates. The house is currently occupied by Governer Daniel Pruce.

Royal Visits

Government House was visited by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in 1966, and again, accompanied by Prince Phillip in 1977. Prince Phillip returned to the British Virgin Islands aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1993, and again paid a visit to Government House. Additionally,

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

stayed at Government House for five days as part of a state visit in 1972.

References

{{reflist

External links

Old Government House Museum, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Official residences Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth Buildings and structures in Road Town

History

Royal Visits

See also

References

External links