Governor House Lahore Punjab

The Governor’s House in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan is the official residence of the Governor of Punjab (Pakistan). It is spread over 700 kanals. The Governor’s House is located along the famous Mall Road in Lahore, the capital and political center of Punjab province. The current governor of Punjab is Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar

The residence is a typical mansion built among a large expanse of surrounding lawns and gardens. Close to the house, there is a tomb belonging to a man by the name of Muhammad Qasim Khan, who is said to be a maternal cousin of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Four doorways enclose the two-story tomb and to the north, there is a stairway which leads up. Much of the furniture and artifacts used in the house are antique relics that date back.

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History

The present building of Governor House, a historic wonder of Anglo-British architecture
surrounded by lush green lawns, presents a beautiful panoramic view with a history of 419 years.
In 1600 A.D, Emperor Akbar built a magnificent tomb (which still forms the nucleus of the
building) on the grave of his cousin Qasim khan (d.1597 A. D). Kushal Singh, one of the Generals
of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1799-1839), built residence for himself and his contingent officers
adjacent to the tomb. He used the front lawns to establish military camps for his troops.
When British annexed Punjab in 1849 they acquired this place, in exchange to Haweli Dewan
Hakim Roy Sialkot, on the request of Teja Singh nephew of Kushal singh. The British during
1851-1853 reconstructed the building by obliterating the Haweli of Kushal Singh into their own
residence. Civil Eng. Lt. Col. Napier prepared the estimate and plan to reconstruct the Haweli into
British residency. Lt. Fagan finalized the construction of the building under the direct supervision
of Sir Henry Lawrence. Deputy Commissioner Mr. Boring was the first one to reside the newly
constructed house, after him Deputy Commissioner MacGregor was the second. Then Sir Henry
Lawrence (President Board of Administration), who left his old secretariat residence was the third
to acquire the House. In 1858, the Residency was named Government House, Lahore.
In 1892, a double story wing was constructed on the southern side of the building. In far South of
the wing a beautiful balcony was constructed under the supervision of Mr. Lock Wood Kipling,
Principle of Mayo School of Art (1882) and father of the famous writer Rudyard Kipling.
On the Northern side of building offices were constructed in 1905. In 1913, on the Northern side
of the building Governor wing, Family wing and Darbar Hall were constructed consequently. The
guest wing in which Royal Suit is situated was specially built for Prince of Wales later King
Edward VIII.
In the British Era, the building of Governor House was used to host the visiting Royal guests and
Viceroys. After partition it continued to host state dignitaries and foreign diplomatic missions
anchoring to Lahore. The founder of nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first
Governor General of Pakistan, venerated the august Governor house with his presence both as a
guest and host.
Chaudry Muhammad Sarwar is the 58th Governor of Punjab.