Canada House

Canada House stands on the north side of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster. Designed by Sir Robert Smirke, the architect of the British Museum, it was built between 1824 and 1827 in the Greek Revival style. Originally two separate buildings, it housed the Union Club and the Royal College of Physicians. In 1923 the Canadian government bought the Union Club for £223,000 to centralise 200 employees scattered across London. The High Commissioner at the time, Peter Charles Larkin, supervised the conversion which cost $1.3 million and moved the main entrance from Trafalgar Square to Cockspur Street. The building opened on 29 June 1925 in the presence of King George V, who declared Canada a great country extending from sea to sea. During the London Blitz a bomb landed just eighteen metres away while future prime minister Lester B. Pearson worked inside. After a period of closure in the 1990s the building was restored and reopened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. In 2014 the High Commission moved all diplomatic functions back to Canada House after joining it to the adjacent 2-4 Cockspur Street, which had served as the Canadian Army’s wartime headquarters. Visitors find a Grade II* listed building whose interiors feature Canadian maple and birch flooring, carpets and furniture. The Canada House Gallery displays historical and contemporary art and artefacts. Consular services handle passports, visas and emergency assistance. The High Commission’s political, trade and public affairs officers work here alongside military liaison staff. Special events, conferences and receptions are regularly held in the building’s rooms.