Government House, Aldershot

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

Government House circa 1890

History

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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] Most of the house was destroyed in a serious fire in January 1903, but there were no casualties and soldiers from nearby barracks managed to salvage much of the furniture and valuables.[3] The new house was remodelled internally and it became the garrison officers' mess.[4] 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[5] 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.[6]

In the 1920s and 1930s searchlight military tattoos were held in the grounds of Government House.[7] The house was designated as Grade II listed in 2002.[1] The building was again extensively refurbished in 2012 by Rydon[8] and the Queen's Dining Room continues to be used to entertain important visitors to the garrison.[4] The stables at the house will be converted for use as accommodation as part of the Army 2020 plan.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ "Disastrous fire at Aldershot". The Times. No. 36979. London. 16 January 1903. p. 4.
  4. ^ a b "Government House". Rydon. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Group photograph including the Prince and Princess of Wales, taken at Aldershot, May 1904". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  6. ^ Rowlands, p. 56
  7. ^ "The Aldershot Command Searchlight Tattoos". Aldershot Military Museum. Archived from the original on 23 November 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Aspirations" (PDF). Aspire Defence. Spring 2013. p. 9. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  9. ^ "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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51°16′21″N 0°45′33″W / 51.2724°N 0.7593°W / 51.2724; -0.7593