Place Description
Fanningbank, or Government House is a large, wood framed, Georgian influenced residence built for Prince Edward Island's Lieutenant Governors. Set on a sloping treed lot, it has a spectacular view of the Charlottetown Harbour. The home is not only protected municipally but has also been recognized by the National Historic Sites and Monuments Board and the Province of Prince Edward Island. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.
Why is this place important?
The heritage value of Government House lies in its role as the vice regal residence for Prince Edward Island and its fine Georgian influenced architecture.
In 1789, Governor Edmund Fanning set aside approximately 100 acres of land for a Lieutenant Governor's residence. The parcel known as Fanning Bank or Fanning's Bank included farmland for the Governor's use. In 1876, part of the land was transferred to the City of Charlottetown and is now known as Victoria Park. It would be some time before the colony could afford to build a residence on the site; therefore, up until 1834, Lieutenant Governors were forced to obtain their own accommodations. In 1770, when Governor Walter Patterson came to the Island, he was provided with a home on Water Street that had been built two years previous when the City of Charlottetown was just being laid out. Other Lieutenant Governors after him either bought or rented their homes except for Charles Douglass Smith who resided in the Barracks at Fort George.
Finally, in 1832, tenders were called for a vice regal residence to be built on Fanning Bank. Isaac Smith, who had built and designed Province House, and his partner Nathan Wright were paid five pounds for the plans and their firm, which included Isaac Smith's brother Henry Smith, was given the contract to build the massive structure. They met their contractual obligation to have the home built by December 1834 and Lieutenant Governor Aretas W. Young promptly moved in. Government House has been home to the Crown's representative continuously except for a short time after WWI when the residence was used as offices for a Veterans Hospital.
Fanningbank remains the residence of the Crown's representative and the centre of official hospitality in the Province where many distinguished visitors are entertained each year. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip visited the house in 1959 and Edward, Prince of Wales had been there many years earlier in 1860. Delegates to the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 were treated to a ball and supper at Government House and a photograph of the event still exists to this day. The residence is also used as a site to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of Islanders annually with the presentation of the Order of Prince Edward Island.
The outstanding building, located high on a sloping lot and surrounded by trees and formal gardens is an impressive sight. Government House is not only a landmark, but also a source of pride for Charlottetown residents and Islanders alike.
Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Special Characteristics
The following Georgian influenced character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of Government House:
- The overall massing of the building
- The exterior cladding
- The hipped roof
- The style and symmetrical placement of windows including the tall sash windows, the Palladian window and the French windows of the side elevation
- The style and placement of the doors, particularly the front door with its heavy door surround and fanlight
- The style and placement of the impressive portico with pediment and decorative columns
- The colonnade
- The large verandah of the ground floor
- The placement and size of the chimneys
Other character defining elements of Government House include:
- The sandstone foundation
- The long driveway approaching the building
- The size and shape of the reconstructed guard house
- The treed lot with its formal gardens
- The location of the home set above the Charlottetown Harbour
