Austin House (Guyana)

Austin House (also Bishop’s Court[2]) located in Georgetown, is the official residence of the Anglican Bishop of Guyana. The building is named after William Piercy Austin, the first Anglican bishop of Guyana.[1]

Austin House
Austin House (Guyana) is located in Guyana
Austin House (Guyana)
Location within Guyana
General information
Town or cityKingston, Georgetown
CountryGuyana Guyana
Coordinates6.82235°N 58.16335°W / 6.82235; -58.16335
Completed5 October 1894
ClientAnglican Diocese of Guyana
Technical details
MaterialWood[1]
Design and construction
Architect(s)John Bradshaw Sharples

Overview

The original residence for the bishop was a U-shaped building constructed in 1842, and was named Kingston House.[2] In 1892, it was renamed Austin House in honour of William Piercy Austin, the first Anglican bishop of Guyana.[3] The building fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1894.[2]

On 5 October 1894, the new building was completed.[2] The Austin House is a wooden building with two steep roofs and Demerara windows.[1] In 1930, the ground floor was enclosed to enlarge office space.[2] In 1950,[2] two stained glass windows were installed over the main entrance. One window contains the arms of the dioceses of London and Canterbury, and the other the arms of the dioceses of Guyana and Barbados.[1] Austin House was restored in 2012.[2]

In 1998,[4] Guyana started a procedure to nominate Georgetown as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Austin House was one of the 13 monuments selected for inclusion, however the nomination ran into difficulties due to inadequate legislation to protect the monuments.[5] As of 2021, Guyana is not listed.[6]

References
  1. Arlene Munro (14 December 2006). "The stately civic buildings of Georgetown History This Week NO 50/2006". Stabroek News via Land of Six People. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. "Colonial Homes of Georgetown". Guyana Times International. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. "Historic Kingston". National Trust of Guyana. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  4. "Guyana to resume UNESCO heritage listing quest -Nathoo". Stabroek News. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  5. Lloyd Kandasammy. "History This Week No. 26/2008". Stabroek News. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  6. "Guyana". Unesco. Retrieved 13 December 2021.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.