Parliament Hill: The Country That Rebuilt Itself
The Parliament that visitors photograph is not the Parliament of Confederation. It is a nineteen-sixteen-to-nineteen-twenty-seven reconstruction designed by John A. Pearson and Jean-Omer Marchand for a country that had just discovered, on the battlefields of the First World War, that it was a country. Eight stops, about one kilometre, end at the Major's Hill Park overlook.
4.34|80 minutes|1.1 km|8 Stops
Start
Wellington at Metcalfe: The Gate
1
Wellington at Metcalfe: The Gate
The wide view of the central parliamentary lawn. West Block, Centre Block with Peace Tower, East Block. Two architectural eras layered in one frame.
2
Confederation Square: The 1939 Unveiling
Vernon March's National War Memorial, unveiled 21 May 1939 by King George VI. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier added in 2000. Three war eras layered on one base.
3
Centennial Flame: The 1967 Light
Lit by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson on 1 January 1967, with Diefenbaker and LaMarsh present. Thirteen provincial and territorial shields, including the 2017 Nunavut addition.
4
Centre Block: The Reconstruction
The 1916-to-1927 Pearson and Marchand Centre Block at its full reach. A Beaux-Arts plan inside a Gothic Revival skin. Closed since 2018 for the largest heritage restoration in Canadian history.
5
Peace Tower: The Memorial
Borden's 1 July 1917 site dedication, the 1919 cornerstone by Edward, Prince of Wales, the 1 July 1927 inauguration on the 60th anniversary of Confederation. The Memorial Chamber holds the Books of Remembrance.
6
Library of Parliament: The First Survivor
Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones, 1859 to 1876. Alpheus Todd's iron doors. Michael MacCormac, library clerk, who closed them seconds before the fire on 3 February 1916.
7
East Block: The Second Survivor
Stent and Laver, 1859 to 1866. Victorian High Gothic, walls 0.9 metres thick at ground level. Expanded 1910 to 1913. Untouched by the 1916 fire because geographically separated.
8
Major's Hill Park: The Closer
Ottawa's first park, used as such since Colonel John By's 1826 military reserve. The overlook above the Rideau Canal. The Hill seen from the east, with the Library at the river edge.
Best Time to Visit
Weekday mid-morning, Tuesday through Thursday, between nine and noon. Wellington Street and the Centennial Flame fill with bus-tour and school-group visitors from late morning through afternoon between June and early September; the gate stop reads more cleanly outside of peak. The corridor is quietest on shoulder-season weekday mornings (mid-May, early June, late September, October), and on cold-but-clear winter mornings when the Hill is largely empty. The Centre Block is closed for restoration through approximately twenty thirty to twenty thirty-one; the tour works from the exterior throughout. The Peace Tower carillon plays a short recital weekdays at noon; if you can time Stop 5 around then, the auditory backdrop is the building speaking.
Pro Tips
- •OC Transpo O-Train Parliament Station exits directly onto Bank Street; walk south to Wellington Street and east one block to Metcalfe for the Stop 1 anchor
- •Sightlines from Wellington Street at Metcalfe are best in clear weather; on overcast days the central lawn reads flat and the Pattern-break reveal carries less of the picture
- •The Centennial Flame fountain ledge is at standing height and easy to circle; the Nunavut shield, the most recent addition, is on the north-east side of the ledge
- •The Centre Block lawn has construction hoarding from the ongoing restoration; the Peace Tower above the hoarding is preserved, and Stop 4 and Stop 5 work as written from the standard public vantages
- •The Library of Parliament interior reopens for guided public tours periodically during the restoration; book in advance through Parliamentary Tours if you want the interior, otherwise the Stop 6 audio anchors on the exterior
- •The Major's Hill Park overlook has a low parapet at the western edge; the Ottawa Locks of the Rideau Canal descending below the overlook are themselves worth a downward look before the final beat of Stop 8
- •The Books of Remembrance pages in the Peace Tower Memorial Chamber are turned at eleven a.m. daily; the chamber is currently closed for the Centre Block restoration but the daily ritual continues inside
Safety & Precautions
- Wellington Street is the main east-west avenue south of Parliament Hill and carries bus and vehicle traffic; cross only at marked corners (Metcalfe, Elgin, the Queen's Gates)
- Confederation Square is on a slight slope above the Plaza Bridge; the cenotaph approach has shallow steps with a ramped path on the east side for accessibility
- The central walk on Parliament Hill is paved and level but exposed; in summer the lawn is open sun, in winter the central walk can be icy near the Queen's Gates
- The Library of Parliament exterior path on the north side of Centre Block can be partially closed during restoration works; if the path is blocked, the Stop 6 audio works from the east-side approach with the dome visible
- Major's Hill Park's western overlook has a low parapet; keep children within arm's reach at the edge above the canal locks
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