King's House (also known as Government House) is the

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

of the

Governor-General of Jamaica The governor-general of Jamaica is the viceregal representative of the Jamaican monarch, King Charles III, in Jamaica. The monarch, on the advice of the prime minister, appoints a governor-general as his or her representative in Jamaica. Both ...

, who represents the

Jamaican Monarch The Jamaican monarch (''Danaus cleophile'') is a species of milkweed butterfly in the nymphalid Danainae subfamily. It is found in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica. The Danaus cleophile jamaicensis, or Jamaican butterfly, is gener ...

, and

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state (polity), state#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international p ...

. It is located in the part of St. Andrew Parish that is considered part of the City of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

. By the year 1690, the first official residence in Jamaica (for use by the

Governors of Jamaica This is a list of viceroys in Jamaica from its initial occupation by Spain in 1509, to its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. For a list of viceroys after independence, see Governor-General of Jamaica. For context, see History of Jamai ...

) was in

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping an ...

. Another was constructed in

Spanish Town Spanish Town ( jam, label= Jamaican Creole, Panish Tong) is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. T ...

in 1762. When

became the capital of Jamaica in 1872, a new official residence (called King's House) was constructed at the former home of the Anglican Lord Bishop of the

Diocese of Jamaica The Anglican Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands is a diocese of the Church in the Province of the West Indies. It was originally formed as the Diocese of Jamaica, within the Church of England, in 1824. At that time the diocese included th ...

. This house was destroyed by an earthquake in 1907. Soon after,

Sir Charles Nicholson Sir Charles Nicholson, 1st Baronet (23 November 1808 – 8 November 1903) was an English-Australian politician, university founder, explorer, pastoralist, antiquarian and philanthropist. The Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney was na ...

, a British architect, supervised the rebuilding and restoration of King's House. Despite a major fire in 1908, the present King's House is structurally similar to the reconstruction of 1907. Today, King's House is still used as the office of the Governor-General of Jamaica. It is also the venue for state and ceremonial functions, including the swearing in of Ministers of Government and Judges of the High Court.

References

External links

King's House (official)

IMDB Locations

Aerial view
Official residences Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth Buildings and structures in Kingston, Jamaica Government buildings in Jamaica Houses completed in 1908 1908 establishments in the British Empire {{Jamaica-struct-stub