Government House, Aldershot

Government House is a building in Aldershot Garrison near Aldershot, Hampshire, England.

Government House circa 1890

History

The house was built in Queen Anne revival style as the garrison commander's house in 1883.[1] A military horse cemetery was created in the grounds of the house in the late 1880s.[2] After a serious fire in 1903, the house was remodelled internally and it became the garrison officers' mess.[3] In May 1904, shortly after the house re-opened, Lieutenant General Sir John French, Commanding the Troops at Aldershot, hosted a visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales there[4] and in July 1914 Lieutenant General Sir Douglas Haig, Commander-in-Chief Aldershot Command, was waiting anxiously inside the house when he heard that the First World War had broken out.[5]

In the 1920s and 1930s searchlight military tattoos were held in the grounds of Government House.[6] The house was designated as Grade II listed in 2002.[1] The building was again extensively refurbished in 2012 by Rydon[7] and the Queen's Dining Room continues to be used to entertain important visitors to the garrison.[3] The stables at the house will be converted for use as accommodation as part of the Army 2020 plan.[8]

References
  1. Historic England. "Government House Mess, Farnborough Road (1272436)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  2. "Warhorse". Army Golf Club. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  3. "Government House". Rydon. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  4. "Group photograph including the Prince and Princess of Wales, taken at Aldershot, May 1904". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  5. Rowlands, p. 56
  6. "The Aldershot Command Searchlight Tattoos". Aldershot Military Museum. Archived from the original on 23 November 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. "Aspirations" (PDF). Aspire Defence. Spring 2013. p. 9. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  8. "MoD to reveal base plans for soldiers returning from Germany". Get Hampshire. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.

Sources

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