With today being the 8th anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding, I wanted to share some local royal history. For anyone who doesn’t live in a Commonwealth country, the Queen is the head of State for 15 different Commonwealth nations. However, being as spread out as we all are, she has representatives in all of these countries, a Governor-General. And given that Canada is as large as it is, we also have a Lieutenant Governor-General in each province and territory. During Doors Open Winnipeg in 2018, I was able to visit the home of Manitoba’s LGG, Government House in Winnipeg!
Before I dive into the house itself, here is my royal rant: why is Canada always given the short shift by the British Royal Family, especially certain parts of Canada? In September 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex undertook a 16 day tour of New Zealand and Australia. Although Canada is only 1 million km larger than Australia and New Zealand combined, we have a much larger population. We haven’t had anything longer than a 12 day tour since 2010, and they never make the attempt to truly touch all provinces and territories.
Quite frankly, a lot of us get ignored. Since 2010, my province, Manitoba, has had two visits. And from the information I can remember/find, it was for one day both times. We aren’t hard to get to- we are literally smack dab in the middle of the country. And I know that the prairies aren’t the hub of Ontario and the GTA, and that we aren’t as sexy as the mountains of Alberta and the coast British Columbia. However, are we not Commonwealth subjects just the same? Are we not worth a visit? Apparently not. Here’s hoping that the British Royal Family remembers that we are here….
Government House in Winnipeg, MB
Government House is the residence of the Manitoban Lieutenant Governor-General. Currently the Honourable Janice Filmon is our Lieutenant Governor-General, so she and her husband Gary (former Premier of Manitoba) live at the house at 10 Kennedy Street. It is actually on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building, so it has a pretty amazing backyard view. According to the Lieutenant Governor-General’s website,
Built by the Dominion Government in 1883, at a cost of $24,000, the stately three-storey mansion has 23 rooms and 11 bathrooms. The official residence was described by the Provincial Architects as “Victorian architecture with French influence from the Second Napoleonic Empire with the flat steep-sided Mansard roof”. It is approximately 20,000 square feet in size, including the flag tower, greenhouse and attached garage.
Sadly, you only get to see about eight of the rooms on the tour BUT I can understand that it is still someone’s home, and everyone deserves to have some privacy. You can’t just stroll in but there are a few ways to visit Government House.
1. Be a visiting royal and/or person of importance.
2. Be inducted into the Order of Manitoba.
3. Visit during Doors Open Winnipeg! (My entry route)
There was a bit of a line up when we visited for Doors Open Winnipeg, but I think we only had to wait 20ish minutes. If you are visiting that weekend, I would make this one of your earlier stops if you don’t want to have to wait as long. The guides are volunteers who work with the LGG, and are incredibly knowledgeable about both the house and the history of the LGG position.
The Royal Family in Winnipeg
Obviously the Queen’s representative’s house is going to have some trappings of monarchy about. And Government House was no disappointment! I don’t know that bronze busts are always the most flattering way to portray people but both Queen Victoria…
and the Prince of Wales get the bronze treatment at Government House! This bust is modelled on the Prince of Wales at the time of his investiture as the Prince of Wales. I’m curious to know if they will keep it on display once he becomes king- because theoretically we should be seeing him like his mother…
In all her portrait-y glory! (I am not going to lie, this was probably one of the most difficult times I’ve ever had getting pictures. Most people ignored me when I would say excuse me and try and move. [And yes, I always tried to give everyone two minutes or more to look at something because saying excuse me!]) I particularly love this portrait because it is a recent portrait. Luckily, our lovely Queen has had quite a long reign, and so there are many portraits to chose from. However, I prefer more recent portraits as I find it emphasises her longer reign and how much of an achievement that it is.
And finally, one of my favourite pieces of history at Government House, the Royal Charter establishing Manitoba as a province. I wish that all documents were treated with such care and historical weight, but this has survived in remarkable condition. If only my handwriting was as neat as this….
What I loved about the tour of Government House was that the guide shared quite a lot about previous visits from the Royal Family, even going back to the 1930s. Quite possibly my favourite piece from the tour was this photograph:
This is a photograph of King George VI on his tour of Canada in 1939. It was a particularly important tour as it lasted nearly a full month (May 17 to June 15, 1939), and was specifically planned to emphasise Canada’s independence from Great Britain as a nation. They visited every province and territory (see, it CAN be done, and that was before many of our modern transportation conveniences existed). The Queen Mother continued to speak fondly of Canada after the tour, and of her happy memories of the tour.
So, the picture: George VI was actually making a radio address to the empire from Government House itself in this picture. (I do wish that there were more addresses nowadays- press releases and Instagram photos aren’t quite the same!) Queen Elizabeth II was presented with this photograph as a gift on one of her trips here, and she actually had never seen it before. While the Queen is given many gifts on all of her tours and engagements, this is believed to be one of her favourites.
The Dining Room, Government House in Winnipeg
I’m sure that we could all guess that the LGG hosts many dinners and events at Government House throughout the year. And no, you aren’t just going to eat around the island in the kitchen. You are going to eat in quite a beautiful dining room, which inexplicably includes a mannequin…. It is really quite a gorgeous dining room- the light blue walls with the white ceiling makes it feel larger than it is, and the windows on the right let you see the beautiful Legislative grounds. Although I doubt that I would ever do anything to warrant being invited to dinner here, if it ever happens I will report back on the food!
The Living Rooms, Government House in Winnipeg
There is a living room and a parlour at Government House, but I think we would all colloquially refer to them as living rooms (or sitting rooms, if you are from abroad). They are quite open spaces, and I’ve got to wonder about how comfortable they would feel. While I’m sure that it feels appropriate to have more formal furniture around when the monarch or heir to the throne is passing through, is it comfortable for the LGG on a regular basis? (Who knows? Maybe it is incredibly comfortable? Anyone know?)
I love that we have a touch of royal history in Government House in Winnipeg, it feels quite special. Do you have any local royal history to share?
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin’
