It is the largest and the most significant building of the English Rule period. It was built between 1819 and 1824 by the English engineer Sir George Whitmore, during the rule of the English Commissioner Thomas Maitland. Architecturally it belongs to the style of English romantic classicism and it was executed from Maltese limestone. The Palace served different purposes throughout the years from being the Government House, a residency of the Governor, a summer residence of the royal Greek family, to housing the European Summit after reconstruction and preservation works. Nowadays the Museum of Asian Art, the Municipal Art gallery and the 5th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities are hosted in the Palace.
The Palace complex consists of the main building and two symmetrically wings placed to the left and right side. The local sculptor Pavlos Prossalentis created the cornice of the roof which is decorated with symbols of the 7 Ionian Islands. In front of the Palace, the statue of Lord Frederick-Adam stands. He was an English Commissioner who contributed a lot to the development of Corfu’s aqueduct construction which supplies the entire city with water. The Palace’s gardens adorned with old Venetian stone aquariums, exotic trees and flowers are a sightseeing of their own. After the end of the Greek monarchy, the old Royal Gardens are renamed as "Garden of the People".