Austin House (Georgetown)

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Austin House
Official Residence of the Anglican Bishop, Diocese of Guyana, Suriname and Cayenne
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‘Austin House is named after Bishop William Piercy Austin (1807-1892) who lived in the original building on the site.

Opened in 1842 as the Bishop’s residence, the original building was U-shaped, and was known as Kingston House. Kingston House, in disrepair, was demolished in early July 1894 and construction of a new structure started later in the month.

This second building, handed over on October 5 1894, is the structure we know today as Austin House, which is located on High Street, Kingston District. The 1894 structure is credited to the construction company capability of John Bradshaw Sharples (possibly John Bradshaw) and is typical of the colonial structures of the day with steep roofs, Demerara windows and six-paned Georgian windows.

During the tenure of Bishop William Swaby (up to 1899) the building was known as Bishop’s Court. In the 1930s, the ground floor was enclosed to provide more space for offices and in the 1950s the stained glass windows over the main entrance were added. In 2012, major restorative works were done by architect Rawle Jordon.’
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Courtesy of Guyana Times International:
www.guyanatimesinternational.com/?p=33228

Anglican Diocese of Guyana: www.thedioceseofguyana.org/