Government House
1859-1864 - Government House, St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
Government House is home to the Governor of Western Australia, who is the Queens representative for the State of Western Australia. It has the appearance of a little bit of England dropped into the heart of Perth - a two storey mansion in the early Stuart or Jacobean Revival style set in 32,000 square metres of English gardens, between St. Georges Terrace and the Swan River. The unique architectural character of the building is characterised by the use of stonework and bonded brickwork, incorporating square mullioned windows, decorated gables and ogival capped turrets. The building has 16 rooms on the ground floor and 25 on the first floor.
Following the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, the first governor Captain James Stirling and his family were initially housed in tents on a site near the corner of Barrack Street and St Georges Terrace, known today as Stirling Gardens and Supreme Court Gardens.
In 1832 a temporary wooden building was constructed on the same site and used until the so-called original Government House was built a short distance away near the present-day site between 1834 and 1835. This building served successive governors until work began on the new present-day Government House, for which the foundation stone was laid on 17 March 1859. Built at a cost of £15,000 largely by convicts, Governor John Hampton took up residence in 1863, prior to its completion in 1864. In the 1890s, a ballroom was added, designed by or under the direction of government architect, Hillson Beasley who designed a number of other public buildings in the city.
The buildings and gardens are listed on the Western Australian Register of Heritage Places and are open to the public from time to time.
