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The Speaker's Chair

The highlight of the refurbished main legislative chamber is the hand-carved mahogany chair for the Speaker. The chair sits on the dais dominating the room with its canopied solidity embellished with attractive carving.

As one enters the main Chamber of the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly, the Speaker's elaborate chair on a dais at the opposite end to the main doors is the single most eye-catching feature.

Hand-crafted of Cayman mahogany, which is a dense, strong native wood, this imposing specimen of dark brown furniture with its typical roseate hue adds to the grandeur and dignity of the Chamber.

The contiguous canopy over the chair draws the eye up and over to the imposing high ceiling of the Chamber where the simple, yet elegant, chandeliers with their gentle, ochre glow add to the overall ambience of the place where the people's business is conducted.

The canopy is crested by an overhang fashioned in a classic pattern from an angled zenith moving to two simulated columns. It adds to the stateliness of the entire hall and by forming the main niche for the Speaker's domain within the Chamber, it focuses on the authority that emanates from the Chair.

It also draws the eye up to the Cayman Islands Coat of Arms reposing splendidly above the canopy on the wooden-mahogany panelled back wall, which prior to the refurbishment had real mahogany wood relief panelling.

The Chair was donated to the Legislative Assembly by the former Leader of Government Business, the Hon. William McKeeva Bush, JP, when the Legislative Assembly building was rededicated to the people of the Islands in July 2004 following renovations of the building.

Last Updated: 2007-08-13