Description

Canada House 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.HistoryThe 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.