Red House (Guyana)

Coordinates: 6°49′22″N 58°09′45″W / 6.82264°N 58.16261°W / 6.82264; -58.16261
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Red House
Red House (2007)
Red House (Guyana) is located in Guyana
Red House (Guyana)
Location within Guyana
General information
Town or cityHighstreet, Kingston, Georgetown
CountryGuyana Guyana
Coordinates6°49′22″N 58°09′45″W / 6.82264°N 58.16261°W / 6.82264; -58.16261
Technical details
MaterialWood

Red House (also: Kamana Court) located in Kingston, Georgetown, was the official residence of the Colonial Secretary and later the Premier of British Guiana.[1] As of 22 March 2000,[2] it houses the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre.[1]

History[edit]

The Red House is a wooden colonial building from the 19th century.[1][3] In the early 20th century, the building was owned by Eustace Woolford, a former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. In 1925, the building was acquired by the government of British Guiana to serve as official residence of the Colonial Secretary.[4]

In 1961, the Red House became the official residence for Cheddi Jagan, the first Premier of British Guiana.[1] Forbes Burnham was elected in 1964 and changed the official residence to Castellani House.[4] From 1964 onwards, the Red House was used by various governmental agencies. In 1972, the Non-Aligned Conference was held in Georgetown, and the Red House was renamed Kamana Court.[1] The building was declared a national monument of Guyana.[5]

Cheddi Jagan Research Centre[edit]

Jagan's Office

On 22 March 2000, the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre, a centre dedicated to the life and work of Cheddi Jagan, opened in the Red House. The centre is operated by friends and family of Jagan[2] who had signed a 99-year lease on the building.[6] On 29 December 2016, the lease was revoked by President David A. Granger who had planned to move the National Trust of Guyana into the building.[3] The centre took the matter to the courts who ruled on 16 August 2020 that Granger's revocation was illegal and unlawful, and that the centre could retain the lease.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Red House (Kamana Court)". National Trust of Guyana. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The Cheddi Jagan Research Centre". Guyana Times International. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Red House". Stabroek News. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Ruel Johnson on the RED HOUSE controversy". Kaieteur News Online. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Guyana's National Monuments". Guyana Times International. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Cheddi Jagan Research Centre retains 99-year lease on Red House". Kaieteur News Online. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2021.

External links[edit]