Island Hall

Island Hall is one of Alderney’s official buildings, and in the absence of a Government House, it is used for official functions.  It was built in about 1763 by Major-General John Le Mesurier (1781-1843), the last hereditary Governor of Alderney, who served from 1803 to 1824.  Later it served as a Catholic school, and now also houses the island’s main library and museum.

There have been many royal visitors including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in August 1854.  The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh first visited in June 1949, as part of a Channel Islands tour.  The Queen and Prince Philip returned in 1978 and 1989, both times attending receptions at Island Hall.  They visited again in 2001.  Island Hall contains a portrait of the Queen by June Mendoza, painted in 1987.  In 2012 the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall planted an oak tree here.  They came to see an exhibition of paintings by local children, arriving in a vintage car.