The abode of the first Governor of New South Wales,
Captain Arthur Phillip, was a structure made of canvas and timber brought from England with the
First Fleet and erected in January 1788. First Government House took about a year to build. Governor Phillip laid the foundation stone in May 1788. He moved into the house on 17 April 1789. As the first permanent building in the colony, it had two storeys built of bricks and stone comprising six rooms, two cellars and a rear staircase. In front of the house was a garden where many imported plant species were grown and the first orchard planted. After establishing the site of the settlement, a substantial "temporary" government house in the
Australian Georgian style was established on the corner of
Bridge and
Phillip streets in the
Sydney central business district. The two-storey house was built under the direction of
James Bloodsworth, a convict builder responsible for the construction of most of the colony's buildings between 1788 and 1800. This building, the first "permanent" building in Sydney, was completed by 1789 using English bricks, native stone and a quantity of convict-baked sandstock bricks from the Sydney region. In 1795,
Governor Hunter set up the colony's first printing office in the grounds which produced Notices and Orders, and in 1803, Australia's first newspaper, the
Sydney Gazette. The stables were built in the
Gothic Picturesque architectural style with turrets, the building was described as a "palace for horses", and is a portrayal of the romantic vision of Macquarie and the British architectural trends of the time. It is the only example of a gothic building designed by Greenway still standing. The cost and apparent extravagance was one of the reasons Macquarie was recalled to Britain. The stables, located close to picturesque
Sydney Harbour, reflect the building techniques and the range of materials and skills employed during the early settlement era. Despite these problems, the house was an architectural milestone for Australia, and the first proportionately classical building in the continent. It even included Australia's first staircase. The colony's first
Legislative Council met at the house in 1824. Whilst the museum building was being built in November 1993, the New South Wales Minister for the Arts announced that the museum would be known as the
Museum of Sydney on the Site of First Government House, described in the press at the time as a "mouthful" The site was placed on the (now defunct)
Register of the National Estate by special gazettal and public meetings were held to raise support for the site. The progress of the excavations was followed in the media. As a result of the importance of these finds the NSW Government, owner of the site, released the commercial developers from their development lease to keep the site for future generations. A national design competition was announced for a development design to ensure the conservation and protection of the site. In 1984 a third stage of excavation was carried out. Between December 1984 and January 1985 the site was sealed with bitumen to protect the remains. Further analysis of the stratigraphy and artefacts from the site was carried out. In June 1988 an architectural competition was announced for the design of a structure to commemorate first government house, and adjoining commercial office development. It is now the site of the
Museum of Sydney. == Description ==