You may think that touring a state’s or country’s government buildings is boring, but we love seeing them because they represent the best of what the country or state wants to be. This afternoon we walked through the Legislative Assembly Building and saw its beauty and history.
This present day building has served as the seat of government in New Brunswick since 1882 after it replaced the old Province Hall that had been destroyed by fire.
The main entrance (huge doors!) opens into a vestibule where we were greeted by a security guard.
She directed us into the security room where we went through the metal detector, handed over our drivers licenses for identification, and got our ID to wear as we walked around. She also ended up storing Barney’s pocket knife. Yes, he got it back.
The entry hallway had 2 large portraits and a lovely modern-looking chandelier. I usually wouldn’t show so many portraits, but they show us who was important in New Brunswick’s history. First the hallway portraits.
As we turned right out of the entryway, we saw this beautiful mace safely stored in a locked cabinet.
And then got to see the legislative chamber.
left side 
right side
So much to notice here. First, the portraits on the left wall are of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in their younger days. The portraits in the front are of King George and Queen Charlotte. Hang on, we’ll see the second set of portraits close up pretty soon.
Then there’s the speaker’s chair (throne) and the clerks’ table. The speaker’s chair is set on a dais under a canopy with a carving of the royal coat of arms. The chair is referred to as the Throne when the Lieutenant-Governor enters the Legislative Assembly to deliver the Speech from the Throne opening a session or to perform other formal functions, such as giving royal assent to bills or to prolong the Legislature.
The members sit across from each other while they debate and vote on issues important to the people of NB. Traditionally the premier, cabinet, and members of the government party are seated on the right, and the opposition members are seated on the left. However, 4 parties are in power now, so we’re not sure how seating works. Extra seating is in the back, probably for the members’ aides.
The room is 42 feet high, rising through the 2 main stories of the building, and it reflects the taste of later Victorians in design.
Then there is the impressive crystal chandeliers that we’ll see in a later view from the balcony. Now on to closeups.
Back in the hallway, we saw this lovely little statue in the rotunda by the spiral staircase.
Remember the spiral staircase? It’s made of hardwood and is free standing; the supports come out from the wall instead of having a central pole. It winds up from the first to the third floor.
At the end of the hallway is the Legislative Library. Its distinction is in its style since it has a high, Gothic ceiling. While created in 1784, it wasn’t until 1841 that it was formally established by the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council.
The library houses all of the legislative materials dating back to 1786. Its key role is to provide information and reference services to the members, staff, members of the civil service, and the public. It also has a welcoming sitting area in the back of the picture on the right.
Back to the assembly room from a bird’s-eye view. While we were sitting in the gallery, one of the clerks was speaking to a group of students. So interesting. One of his comments was about the 4 parties that represent the province today. One he called the Progressive-Conservatives. Sounds like an oxymoron to us. We have seen campaign signs for liberal and conservative candidates (voting is in October), but not the party he mentioned. More about this in the next post.
Next is the Legislative Council Chamber. Originally NB had 2 chambers. This chamber was abolished in 1892 (don’t know why) and served then as the NB Court of Appeal and then as a law library.
Some wonderful features are in this room.
This style was popular in England in stewards’ rooms or large country houses. The round upper portion revolves, and the skirt has a row of 12 pie-shaped drawers. The pedestal base has 12 separate vertical compartments that may have stored tenants’ record books.
Also in the room are portraits of Queen Elizabeth’s grandparents.
Interesting that Queen Elizabeth’s parents’ portraits aren’t in the building.
As we were ready to leave the building, we saw this bust of the Duke of Wellington, one of the most famous men in modern British history.
I’ve always found that the real character of a building is found in its restrooms, because this is a great place to cut corners. But this building continued its character in these private rooms.
We so enjoyed touring the building and learning about the history of political life in New Brunswick and what current day politics looks like. Now off to a whole different kind of place!
