Old Government House is located in the historical quarters of Calabar, Cross River State, it stands as one of Nigeria’s most significant colonial structures. Once the seat of British colonial administration in the Eastern Protectorate and Southern Nigeria, this elegant building served as the official residence of early British governors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Today, it remains a monumental symbol of Nigeria’s colonial legacy and administrative evolution.
Historical Background
- British Colonial Headquarters: Calabar was the capital of the Oil Rivers Protectorate (1885), later renamed the Niger Coast Protectorate, and finally Southern Nigeria before the capital moved to Lagos in 1906. The Old Government House was central to all these shifts in British control.
- Colonial Architecture:
- Constructed using imported British materials mixed with local styles.
- Features expansive verandas, high ceilings, and colonial furnishings.
- Served as the residence of Sir Ralph Moor and later Sir Frederick Lugard during their governorship tenures.
- Political Legacy:
- Key treaties with local chiefs were signed here.
- It was a strategic base for British expansion into the hinterlands.
- The building later became part of the government secretariat of Cross River State.
