Once upon a time it was a sumptuous Colonial establishment. Now, it is a dignified and majestic feature of Victoria as our pictures show. Tony Mathiot shares his fascination …

Isn’t it absolutely splendid? With its twin porticos, white pillars and balustrades that typify the utter sublimity of Edwardian refinement and colonial opulence. Isn’t it magnificently perfect? This great gem of a house that shows off the sheer stately beauty of the former colonial residence of British governors. It is a marvellous edifice and it is an enduring legacy of Governor Walter Edward Davidson (1859-1923).

On Saturday December 7, 1912, a farewell reception was held in the hall of the New Government House (the actual State House) for the 53-year-old governor. Among his many achievements in the colony that were enumerated in an encomiastic address by a member of the Legislative Council, was the construction of the New Government House.

Well, in fact the great building in which that champagne d’honneur took place wasn’t exactly quite completed yet. It was on the May 5, 1910, that governor Davidson wrote to the Secretary of state colonies, Lewis Vernon Harcourt (1863-1922) to inform him of his decision to build a new Government House, having already notified his lordship of his intention the previous year. The Secretary of State for the colonies had given his approval for the new Government House to be built but at a cost not exceeding R60,000.

In his dispatch, Governor Davidson submitted plans and drawings of the proposed New Government House and an elaborate description of the building by William Marshall Vaudin (1866-1919), the superintendent of Public Works.

The governor was characteristically optimistic about the new scheme. “Granite for the walls, coral for the pillars, and excellent wood for the floors, doors and roof timbers are obtainable locally” he wrote.

Davidson, who had arrived in the colony of the Seychelles in May 1904, after spending two years as colonial secretary of Transvaal South Africa, wanted to maintain the momentum of development that his predecessor, Sir Ernest Bickam Sweet-Escott (1857-1941) had initiated as the first governor of the Seychelles in 1903. And he was desperately ambitious to establish social infrastructures and implement economic regulations which would bring a measure of prosperity to the almost 20,000 inhabitants of the colony. Indeed, his social concerns were often reflected in the enactment of various ordinances during his 8-year tenure as governor of the colony. An Advisory Building Committee which was appointed to review tenders for the construction of the New Government House agreed in unanimity with the Executive Council that work should be undertaken by the government.

That decision came after the committee received only one serious tender from the only engineering firm in the colony, Messrs Pare, New Sam, E Pare. This was for R80,000. However, Vaudin, who the previous year had designed and supervised the construction of the Carnegie Library at a cost of R26,000, estimated that the new Government House, which admittedly, was to be an edifice of unprecedented size and scope could be completed for about R59,515. After serious consideration of the possible modifications and improvements to the original design, that might occur in the course of the construction, he advised that with an additional R5,000, the work could be satisfactorily executed. Finally, it was decided that a round sum of R65,000 would be sufficient for the Public Works Department to build the house.

Interestingly enough, this was the sum which one of the tenders Charles Morgan had offered, stating that with this sum, he could obtain a profit of R13,000.
As the year 1910 ended, excavation work began. A quarry was discovered on the site, providing most of the stones required for the foundation.

Davidson’s last concern was the coronation festivities on the occasion of King George V’s (1865-1936) accession to the throne on May 6. The Governor had intended to spend R6,500 on the celebrations which would take place in 1911 – King George V was crowned on June 22, 1911 – asking the Legislative Council to approve a vote of R1,500 and hoping a further R 5,000 could be raised by public subscription. In fact, the amount spent was R6,332.83.

During 1911, construction work on the New State Government House progressed rapidly. Indeed the weather was excellently favourable throughout the year, with a total of 77-21 inches of rainfall, making it the driest year ever recorded then.

Vaudin, who in 1903 had supervised the erection of the Victoria Clock tower, was proud of the noble task he had undertaken.

Together with his head mason, Alcide Collet (1846-1934) he saw his ambitious drawings and diagrams of the colony’s most grandiose scheme begin to gradually take shape and form. When the foundations and masonry of the first storey had been completed, the amount of expenditure had reached R18,954.72. And by the end of 1911, the sum had reached R32,153.99, almost half the amount voted for.

1911 budget was R546,669.73

The year’s budget was R546,669.73, and besides the construction of New Government House, various public works were being undertaken. These included: the reclamation of foreshore along the pier, a new police station at Glacis, a new road from Anse Aux Pins to Anse Boileau and a new lighthouse for Victoria harbour. Since 1904, Victoria had been declared a port or registry for ships and it was of paramount importance that a relatively modern lighthouse, replacing the one constructed in 1872 was built so that the Messagerie Maritimes and those of the British India Company could approach the port safely.

The Year 1911 was an eventful year by all accounts. In late February, the colonial government mourned the death of one of its most distinguished civil servants: George Hollier Griffiths passed away on Monday February 27 at 71 years. He was treasurer, collector of customs and manager of the Savings Bank, a post he had occupied since 1901. He was also a member of the Legislative council (since 1901). An important event of the year was the census of the Seychelles islands which took place in early April that showed that the population was then 22, 691 inhabitants, showing an increase of 3,454 inhabitants on the previous census of 1901. And on the fourth of June, Vaudin’s wife, Bertha, gave birth to a baby girl named Nancy Margaret (in honour, no doubt, of Davidson’s second wife!).

The trade of the colony was not as prosperous as for 1910 when the value of exports had exceeded two million rupees – although the products of the colony were in strong demand at remunerative prices, the total value of exports for the year 1911 was slightly less, R1,903,799, the principal commodities being copra, guano, vanilla and cinnamon. About 12,000 acres of land throughout the colony were under coconut cultivation. In 1911, over 23 million coconuts were gathered!

The site where the imposing constructions were taking place was on a gently sloping hill at an elevation of 80feet above sea level affording a picturesque view of town and the sea. A good water supply that existed there tempted the possibilities of laying out terraced gardens.

People who passed by the clock tower in early 1912 were attracted by the imposing structure that was sprouting. There were no JCB machines then, there were no excavators, no dumpers, mixers or telescopic cranes that today would be indispensable in the erection of such an edifice.

Nevertheless, the massive structure rose on its great pillars. The central hall which was designed as a ball room was already evident. It formed a cube of almost 35 feet. And what a sight! The wide verandahs that encompassed the rectangular building on both storeys attested to the sheer workmanship involved. The elegant geometry of the structure was awesome.

This was unmatched anywhere else in the colony. It was unprecedented. This was nonpareil. This was a veritable paragon of architectural beauty …. This was an anachronism! However, to the somewhat delightful surprise of Vaudin, during the course of construction, quite a few alterations and modifications to the original plans suggested themselves, the consequences of which the likelihood of expenditures exceeding the original sum of R65,000 was obvious but not disquieting, by any means the upper verandah which were to be of wood were made in reinforced concrete, the floor of the lower verandah was tiled instead of being simply cemented, the walls of the three main reception rooms were panelled in local wood, a parquet floor was laid in the central hall, additional rooms were put over the billiard room and various other modifications were carried out. Davidson’s aim was to give the colony a residence for future governors that would reflect the dignity of the post.

In mid-June, as the building gradually assumed its majestic appearance, as the head carpenter, George Marie (1860-1922) directed his works in the laborious and intricate task of tenoning and mortising , turning hardwood timber into ceiling joists, flooring joists, ridge poles and beams, the governor made a request to the Secretary of State for the Colonies for copies of the state portraits of the King and Queen to be sent so that they would be ready for installation for the inauguration of the New Government House, the date for which the Governor was anticipating would be on May 6, the following year, 1913, to coincide with the anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne.

The amount spend during 1912 was R32,153.89. Early in May, the Legislative Council had voted for a sum of R2,000 to be spent on laying out the grounds for the New Government House but by the time the work was completed, the total sum of expenditure had arrived to R2,498.25.

It was therefore clear that the eventual cost of the building was going to exceed the original estimate of R65, 000 by many thousands of rupees more!

An issue that created concerned for the Colonial Government was the extent of land that should form part of the New Government House Estate. Many years before, on March 12, 1894, a memorandum of survey demarcated the boundaries of the Government House grounds, that is the old Government House built in 1851. The total acreage was 15 acres. This included two cemeteries – one which opened in 1778 and the other in 1809 – for the burial of the wife of Chevalier Jean Baptiste Queau de Quincy. With the erection of the new large and lofty colonial residence, there seemed a need to increase so the adjoining lands of 22 acres in extent, known as Terrain Dugand, on the south of the house were acquired for R6,035.92 to form the large and lofty New Government House Estate. As for the old Government House, Davidson had it repaired for R804.18. He recommended that the place should become the residence of the chief justice.

Governor moved in 1912

As the months of the year 1912 elapsed, Davidson prepared to leave the Colony of Seychelles to take up his new post as Governor of the Dominion of Newfoundland. In October, the Governor and his wife, Margaret Agnes (1871-1964) moved into the New Government House although it was not entirely completed. Presiding over his last session of the Legislative council October 12, 1912, Governor Davidson made a proposal that the New Government House be called The King’s House. The Governor and Lady Davidson left the colony aboard the SS Cambodge on the evening of Saturday December 16, 1912.

When he arrived in the colony on December 28, Governor Charles Richard Mackey O’Brien (1859-1935) who had just turned 53 years, the same age as his predecessor, occupied the old residence. The first ordinance that he enacted was April 7, 1913.

This was an ordinance to repeal “The Pigs Prohibition Ordinance of 1890” which had made it unlawful for any person to keep pigs in the town of Victoria.

During the year, work on the New Government House was completed. New furniture was acquired for R7,103.40. Raffia blinds were made and fixed to the verandahs. These cost Rs 223.61.

State House cost R76,411
The cost of building the colony’s most sumptuous residence was R76,411, slightly more than the salaries of the governor for four years. O’Brien’s annual salary was R18,000. Facing the Victoria pier, from behind a stone wall with wrought-iron gates, from which “sang-dragon” shaded avenue led up to its main entrance – just like it does now – the New government House, as it was officially called, could then be seen from as far as Hodoul Island where a disinfector which had been installed sterilised the luggage of passengers and fumigated the cargo of all vessels from ports where smallpox was prevalent.

The old Government House which by then had become too expensive to maintain was pulled down except for a part of it known as the ’Admiral’s Wing’ which was kept and renovated to be used as the judge’s residence but was demolished in 1959.

The caretaker of the New Government House was James Fernando who had been appointed by Davidson in 1904. His annual salary was R240.

In 1913, the value of exports was R2,484,202 and it was the highest on records. It seemed that the agricultural economy of the colony was complemented by the whale industry when an export duty of R1 per 100 litres was imposed. That year 21,000 litres of whale oil were exported for a value of R4,542.

Seychelles was exporting rubber (802kilos) cinnamon bark (707,487 kilos)…essential oils (42 hectolitres)…yes, even coconuts (103,350 nuts).

The town of Victoria had a network of routes consisting of cart roads, bridle paths, lanes and foot paths. The shops and sheds were like most of the dwelling-houses, made of timber with roofs of corrugated iron. A few had walls of limestone coral. There was a pawnbroker, an iron, a watchmaker and ……even an opium seller. There was no electricity; of course. The town was lit by 80 kerosene oil lamps. James Stevenson was the lamplighter then. He earned R240 a year. Transport within the confines of the town was done by rickshaws. Many inhabitants had horses for which they had to pay an annual tax of R 3.

The portraits of King George and of his wife Mary, which Davidson had requested from the Secretary of State for the colonies, way back in June of 1912, arrived in the colony a little more than three years later. During the proceedings of the legislative council, September 3, 1915, O’Brien informed the council that the portraits had arrived and were hung in the Ball room of the New Government House. He invited the six members of the Legislative Council to view the portraits after the meeting, and he announced that arrangements would be made for members of the public to see the paintings. By then, the place was equipped with a petrol driven electric plant which has been installed a year before.

It was customary at that time for the Governor and his wife to organise “at-homes” at their luxurious residence. For those whose social status allowed them to attend, those “at-homes” usually consisted of tea, talk and lawn tennis, from 4pm to 6pm.
During the colonial era, many colourful social functions were often held here. Sumptuous banquets, cocktails, and lavish tea parties being essential features of the colonial administration during the days of empire.

On Friday May 14, 1937during the coronation celebrations of King George VI about 1800 school children accompanied by their teachers from the primary schools of Victoria Belombre, Plaisance, Glacis and Anse Etoile gathered at Government House for a reception held under the distinguished patronage of his Excellency the Governor Arthur Francis Grimble (1889-1968) and his wife. The building was decorated and at night the royal cipher sparkled from the rooftop. On Tuesday June 2, 1953, Governor Frederick Crawford (1906-1978) held a State Banquet for the coronation of Queen Elisabeth II, who was born in 1926.

Well, even the first ever dog show in Seychelles was held in the lush grounds of Government House. That was on Sunday March 12, 1961 when 49 dogs and 400 spectators gathered on the terraced slopes of the Government House entrance. A delightful event wholeheartedly supported by Governor Sir John Thorp (1912-1961) and his wife Doreen Mary.

In 1971, Walter Edward Davidson’s splendid creation was enshrined in the glossy pages of the Christmas issue of British Vogue. In September of that year, British Fashion photographer Norman Parkinson (1913-1990) arrived in the colony and being the top-notch photographer of his generation, it was a cinch for him to gain entry into Governor Sir Bruce Greatbatch’s (1917-1989) large and magnificent reception room to photograph his 18- year-old Dutch model, Apollonia Van Ravenstein in Italian fashion designer Walter Albini’s (1941-1983) summer wear, among myriad colonial brick a brack.

1965 renovation cost R300,000

The first major renovation on the Government House was in May of 1975. Governor Colin Hamilton Allan (1921-1993) and his wife had to move to villa Val Riche where they stayed for a few weeks while work was under way, because even the most durable hardwood timber deteriorates rapidly when subjected to alternations of moisture and heat, many laths of the Government House ceiling had to be replaced and various structural renewals had to be carried out. The cost was R300, 000. At that time, the annual salary of the governor was R78.667, more than what it had cost to build the Colonial Residence 62 years before!

Approximately R300, 000 was spent on overhauling the colony’s most precious edifice, in anticipation of independence (29th June 1976), after which Government House was called State House.

During its almost hundred years of existence, the place was the home of sixteen British Governors, and briefly, one Seychellois President Sir James Mancham born in 1939.

In 1977, the political scruples that prevailed during the post- independence socialist ethos were such that it was deemed proper for the building to cease being the residence of the chief executive. It was used as his office only.

Current status

In 1997, a new building was built next door to the State House, which became the President’s Private Office, and the State House became a venue for receiving dignitaries, hosting diplomatic functions as well as other important ceremonial events. Over the decades, it has seen many spectacular events of pomp and pageantry.

The Vice-President’s Office – located on the right handside of the ‘Grand kaz’ – was also renovated in 1997. Having a history of its own, it was constructed as the BIOT control station.

In 1977, the Ministry of Defense occupied the vacant building as security quarters.

In 1993, the security offices were transferred from the building to the administration block. The Administration Office building was built in the late 1980s, after the demolition of an old edifice at the back of State house.

From 1995 to 1997 the President’s Private Office was in the interim located in the current Vice-President’s Office building while waiting for the completion of the main President’s Private Office.

Tragic moments have been rather rare. Such a one was the death of Governor Malcolm Stevenson who died here at 49 on November 27, 1927, soon after his arrival in Seychelles on August 13 after developing rheumatic fever.

Indeed, this great and magnificent building set in resplendent surroundings of landscaped garden with slopping lawns and shrubberies is pregnant with history.

Perhaps, it was from the balcony of the upper verandah, that a troubled and worried Governor Grimble contemplated the implementation of drastic economic measures of the Defence Regulations that were enforced during the Second World War.

It was here on the lawn, some 50 yards from the entrance steps, that the Pierre de possession which Nicholas Morphey brought to Seychelles on Monday November 1, 1756, was kept from 1894 until 1965 when it was removed and placed in the National History Museum.

It was in the luxurious interior of the elegant drawing-room that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburg (1921- ) gazed at photogravures of her parents while conversing with the Governor and Chief Minister Mancham, during the late afternoon of March 20, 1972.

And much more recently, it was here, amidst hundreds of invited guests and dozens of foreign dignitaries, that on the afternoon of Tuesday May 24, 2011, the swearing-in ceremony of President James Michel who was born in 1944 and Vice President Danny Faure, born in1962 took place. The National Flags fluttered from atop the pillars, and balustrades of the verandahs were decorated with pennants, endowing the colonial building with stately gaiety. A cherished souvenir of the island’s colonial history.

Forrás: www.nation.sc