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History: The former Government House stands in Longmarket Street, between Fleming and Pine Streets, near the railway station. It is now one of the buildings of a Training College for teachers.
In early times officials, even including the Lieutenant- Governor of the young Colony of Natal, had to provide their own accommodation. Consequently the second Lieutenant Governor, Sir Benjamin Pine, was obliged to buy .a residence for himself. He chose the house of another official, Dr. William Stanger, the first Surveyor. General of Natal, which stands on Erven Nos. 1 and 2 in Longmarket Street. He rented it for some time and eventually bought it for R2 400. But he was not slow in pointing out to the Governor at the Cape that there was no official residence for the Chief Executive Officer of Natal, and on 13th November, 1852, the Colonial Government bought this house from Pine for use as an official Government House. It was occupied by several other governors in succession after Pine, but as it had not originally been built as an official residence, considerable alterations and additions had to be made to it. After the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910 it became a training college for teachers.
This old building is of architectural as well as historical importance. It reflects the style of its period and is one of the few surviving examples of early Natal architecture. Besides this, it is an example in the effective use that was made of the materials available at that time.
Visual Description: Double storey brick building with broseley tiled roof. Shale stone walls, with ventilated gables. Th
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Site Features: Portico on side facade
Condition: fairRoof replacement in progress
Construction Date: 1865c
Materials: coursed cut stone : tile
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