Canada House
| Canada House | |
|---|---|
Canada House
|
|
| Former names | Union Club, Royal College of Physicians |
| General information | |
| Type | Office building, cultural centre |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Location |
Trafalgar Square London, WC2 |
| Coordinates | 51°30′28″N 0°07′45″W / 51.5077°N 0.1291°WCoordinates: 51°30′28″N 0°07′45″W / 51.5077°N 0.1291°W |
| Current tenants | High Commission of Canada in London |
| Construction started | 1824 |
| Completed | 1827 |
| Owner | The Queen in Right of Canada |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Robert Smirke |
| Other designers | Septimus Warwick |
Canada House (French: Maison du Canada) is a Greek Revival building on Trafalgar Square in London. It has been a Grade II* Listed Building since 1970. It is the home of the High Commission of Canada in London.
The building which would later become known as Canada House was built between 1824 and 1827 to designs by Sir Robert Smirke, the architect of the British Museum. It was originally two buildings used by the Union Club and the Royal College of Physicians. Under the leadership of High Commissioner Peter Charles Larkin the Canadian government acquired the Union Club in 1923 for the sum of £223,000. It was Larkin's intention to centralise the work of 200 Canadian employees scattered among offices in Victoria Street in one central building. Renovations cost $1.3 million CDN and were supervised by the architect Septimus Warwick, who moved the main entrance from Trafalgar Square to Cockspur Street. The designers imported Canadian furniture, carpets and maple and birch flooring. The exterior was reclad in Portland stone to match the facade of the Royal College of Physicians. The building was officially opened on 29 June 1925 by King George V.
When he declared Canada House open, King George said: "Canada is a great country: alike in the literal sense of vast extent from 'sea to sea' and great in achievement and in promise: and it is right and necessary that its official representatives here should be housed in a manner worthy of the Dominion and adequate to the discharge of their ever-growing and important duties."
During the London Blitz, a bomb fell near the building, only 20 yards (18 m) away from future Canadian prime minister Lester B. Pearson, who was the secretary to the High Commissioner at the time. Canada increased its presence by acquiring the future Macdonald House, located at 1 Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, in 1961.
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