Gordon House | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Parliament building, government building |
Location | 81 Duke Street, Kingston, Jamaica |
Country | Jamaica |
Coordinates | 17°58′26″N76°47′26″W / 17.9740°N 76.7906°W |
Current tenants | Parliament of Jamaica |
Construction started | 1959 |
Completed | 1960 |
Gordon House (or George William Gordon House) is the meeting place of the Jamaica Parliament, located at 81 Duke Street in Kingston, close to the old parliament building headquarters.
The house serves as the meeting place of both the Senate and the House of Representatives since independence on August 6, 1962 [1]
The house was built before the 1960s. It became the official seat of the legislature on October 26, 1960. It was named the George William Gordon House in honour and memory of George William Gordon, who served in the Jamaican Parliament. Gordon was accused of instigating the 1865 Morant Bay rebellion and was condemned to death. Earlier, the Parliament met at nearby Headquarters (Hibbert) House that was in use since 1872. [2] [3]
A new parliament building to replace Gordon House will be built on the National Heroes Park, directly north of Gordon House. [4]
Construction on the new parliament building was expected to start in early 2021. [5] However, the start of construction has been delayed until at least 2022. [6]
The house currently has only one chamber. Visitors are often allowed when Parliament is not in session. [7]
The two-story contemporary building has a symmetrical design at the entrance elevation. It is L-shaped with an open courtyard for parking concealed from the adjoining roads. [8]
The City Chambers or Municipal Buildings in Glasgow, Scotland, has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of municipal government in the city since 1889. It is located on the eastern side of the city's George Square. It is a Category A listed building.
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island. Kingston is the largest English-speaking city south of the United States in the Western Hemisphere.
Michael Norman Manley was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been described as a populist. He remains one of Jamaica's most popular prime ministers.
Port Royal is a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and commerce in the Caribbean Sea by the latter half of the 17th century. It was destroyed by an earthquake on 7 June 1692 and its accompanying tsunami, leading to the establishment of Kingston, which is now the largest city in Jamaica. Severe hurricanes have regularly damaged the area. Another severe earthquake occurred in 1907.
Hugh Lawson Shearer was a Jamaican trade unionist and politician, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1967 to 1972. He was also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade from 1980 to 1989, under Edward Seaga.
Fort William is a fort in Hastings, Calcutta (Kolkata). It was built during the early years of Britain's administration of Bengal. It sits on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganga. One of Kolkata's most enduring British-era military fortifications, other than those in Bombay (Mumbai) and Madras (Chennai), it extends over an area of seventy hectares.
Parliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Victoria, one of the parliaments of the Australian states and territories.
Parliament House, located in the Old Town in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a complex of several buildings housing the Supreme Courts of Scotland. The oldest part of the complex was home to the Parliament of Scotland from 1639 to 1707, and is the world's first purpose-built parliament building.
Sabina Park is a cricket ground and the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, and is the only Test cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica.
George William Gordon was a Jamaican businessman, magistrate and politician, one of two representatives to the Assembly from St. Thomas-in-the-East parish. He was a leading critic of the colonial government and the policies of Jamaican Governor Edward Eyre.
Saint Andrew is a parish, situated in the southeast of Jamaica in the county of Surrey. It lies north, west and east of Kingston, and stretches into the Blue Mountains. As of the 2011 census, it had a population of 573,369, the highest of any of the parishes in Jamaica.
St Andrew's House (SAH), on the southern flank of Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, is the headquarters building of the Scottish Government. The building houses offices for the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, as well as the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government.
The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown, the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives.
The Order of Distinction (OD) is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament in 1968. The motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service".
County Hall is a former municipal building in Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, England. The building, which was the headquarters of Surrey County Council from 1893 to 2020, is a landmark in Kingston and is a Grade II listed building.
Hibbert House, also known as Headquarters House, is the head office of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. It is located at 79 Duke Street in Kingston, Jamaica. It was built in 1755 by Thomas Hibbert, a wealthy English merchant, to serve as his residence. Hibbert migrated to Kingston in 1734, at a time when Jamaica was becoming the wealthiest of the British Caribbean islands and the largest single destination of African slaves. In the early 1750s, he formed a partnership with Nathaniel Sprigg to serve as factors for slaves, purchasing them off the ships from Africa and reselling them to planters and others in Jamaica. Hibbert also helped found a major West Indian house in London, trading in sugar and rum.
The roads in Jamaica allow people and goods to traverse the island of Jamaica, which is the third largest in the Caribbean. As of 2011, Jamaica has road network 22,121 kilometres in length.
St Andrews Town Hall is a municipal structure in South Street, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is the meeting place of the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council, is a Category B listed building.
Fraserburgh Town House is a municipal building in Saltoun Square, Fraserburgh, Scotland. The building, which was the headquarters of Fraserburgh Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.
Royal tours of Jamaica by Jamaica's royal family have been taking place since the 20th century. Elizabeth II, Queen of Jamaica, visited the island six times; in 1953, 1966, 1975, 1983, 1994, and 2002.