Government House

Government House is the Official Residence and Office of Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AO QC, 39th Governor of New South Wales and Mr Dennis Wilson. Her Excellency is the 28th Governor to occupy this Government House and has held the position since 2 May 2019.

In 1788, soon after a British settlement was established at Sydney Cove, the first Governor of the colony of New South Wales, Governor Arthur Phillip, laid the foundations of Sydney's first Government House. This building was located in Bridge Street (on the site of the Museum of Sydney). After nearly 50 years of serving as the colony's political, ceremonial and social centre, the building had become worn and dilapidated and many submissions were made to the British government for permission and funding to construct a new building.

In 1836 construction finally began on a new Government House. The new building was influenced in its location and architectural style by the existing Governor's Stables, completed in 1821 (now the Conservatorium of Music located at the main entry gates to Government House). Locally quarried sandstone was used for the construction.

The building was designed by Edward Blore, architect to William IV and Queen Victoria. Blore had recently built the British Houses of Parliament in an Elizabethan Gothic style, expressing the continuity of government by constitutional monarchy. Blore had also worked on Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. The new Government House was built in the Gothic Revival style characterized by castellated towers and other medieval features.

After years of delay and budget overruns, the House was completed in 1845 when Governor Sir George Gipps, 9th Governor of New South Wales, and his wife took up residence.

Over the years the building has been extended, refurbished and modernized to suit the tastes and needs of successive Governors. Today, the House holds a significant collection of portraits, furniture, decorative arts and gubernatorial memorabilia as a result of Vice Regal patronage.

Government House

Government House was constructed between 1837 and 1845 by Edward Blore after the British government decided upon its necessity in Sydney in 1835.

Its construction was supervised by Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis, and Colonel Barney of the Royal Engineers. The stone, cedar and marble used in the construction were sourced from various sites around New South Wales.

The first resident, Governor George Gipps, did not move in until 1845, though the residence was used to honour Queen Victoria on the occasion of her Birthday in 1843 during its ongoing construction.

The 19th and 20th Century furnishings of the State Rooms of the ground floor reflect the shifting styles and tastes of the Governors and their wives who have occupied it. The first floors State Apartments were used by the Governor, visiting members of the Royal Family and other Heads of State.

Set on Sydney Harbour overlooking Farm Cove, its garden area is comprised of 5 hectares.