In 1859, the first official residence on this site was built by George Hunter Cary, Attorney General of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. Cary went bankrupt a few years after construction began on what was known as “Cary Castle”; only the library tower and a few of the rooms were complete.
In 1865, Cary Castle was purchased by Governor Arthur Kennedy as the official residence of the Governor of Vancouver Island and, with additions quickly added to the building, it was ready for occupancy by October of that same year. On July 20, 1871, British Columbia entered Confederation, and Cary Castle became Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of British Columbia. Unfortunately, it was not to last. In May 1899, plagued by years of small fires, repairs and additions, Cary Castle and its contents were completely destroyed by fire.
After some discussion, the government of the day agreed that a new Government House would be built on the same site. Renowned Victoria architects Francis Rattenbury and Samuel Maclure were given the task and completed the new Government House in 1903. In 1909, then Lieutenant Governor James Dunsmuir commissioned Rattenbury to build a porte cochère, based on one Maclure had designed for Dunsmuir’s own Hatley Castle.
The Rattenbury-Maclure designed Government House would serve the province for 54 years. During that time the House was the site of numerous receptions, dinners and ceremonies, as well as a Royal Visit from King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939.
On April 15, 1957, Government House once again succumbed to fire. The building was razed and the only thing left standing was the porte cochère. While no one was injured, everything inside the House was lost.
Construction on the new Government House began in December, 1957, and officially opened on May 19, 1959. While the outside of the House was contemporary, the interior was designed to closely match the previous building. With all of the furnishings in the previous House destroyed, the then Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Frank Mackenzie Ross, along with his wife, Phyllis, went to the United Kingdom in search of suitable pieces. The Ross’s purchased 114 pieces for the new Government House, which they donated to the House.
In addition to the Ross’s large donation, many other British Columbians donated antique furniture, artworks, china, and silver to the new House. These gifts remain in Government House today as a legacy of the generous spirit of the people of British Columbia and their regard for the Office and residence of the Queen’s representative in British Columbia.
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