The Public Buildings

The Public Buildings is considered to be one of the finest architectural structures in Guyana.  Located in the heart of the capital city of Georgetown, close to Stabroek Market and the Demerara River, the two-storied brick building features a low dome, two wings and a portico.  The building was constructed in 1832 according to the plan of architect Joseph Hadfield and was formally handed over to the British colonial legislature on 5th August, 1834.

Over the years, the building housed the Parliament Chamber and various public administration offices and ministries.

Today, most offices in the Public Buildings relate to parliamentary matters and are directed by the Clerk of the National Assembly.   However, there are still limited facilities for Members of Parliament.       

The Parliament Chamber, the room in which debates of the National Assembly takes place, is located on the top floor of the eastern wing of the building.  The Chamber is arranged according to the Westminster tradition, with government and opposition members facing each other across wooden tables.

Members of the party obtaining the most votes in a general election form the government and sit to the right of the Speaker.  Members of the opposition parties sit to the left of the Speaker.  Members of Parliament sit in assigned seats, which reflect to some extent the party’s hierarchy.  There is a public gallery behind a rail, opposite the Speaker’s chair, with a seating capacity for 72 persons.  Seating is also available for the media and for special guests.

Adjacent to the Parliament Chamber is a Lobby where Members of Parliament can discuss matters privately and make telephone calls.  Behind the Lobby, there is a Committee Room where Parliamentary Committees meet and where refreshments are served to Members during a suspension of a National Assembly Sitting.  In the center of the Committee Room is a large table made of the local greenheart wood, a gift from Willems Timber and Trading Company Limited.  The table was in the center of the Parliament Chamber when it was used by the British Colonial State Council in 1953 and then by the Senate from 1961 to 1964.  It was moved to the Committee Room when Guyana’s Legislature again became unicameral (consisting of a single legislative chamber) in 1964.

One of the most striking features of the Chamber is the ceiling, coffered and painted in 1875 by the Italian artist, Cesar Castellani.  The Chamber also features an elaborately carved Speaker’s chair made of teak wood, an Independence (1966) gift from the Government of India; a table and three chairs for the Clerks, and a Sergeant-at-Arms’ chair, an Independence gift from the British House of Commons; two paintings, of Arthur Chung, Guyana’s first ceremonial President (1970-1980) and of Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, Guyana’s first executive President (1980-1985); and a gilded clock, depicting the rays of the sun, a gift from the Demerara Company Limited (1954). 

The walls of the Parliament Chamber are panelled with mahogany finished wood. Floor length shuttered windows allow light and air to enter, and those windows on the northern end of the building have small balconies. The floor is made of local greenheart wood.