Statues And Architecture On The Hill

 Picking up where we left off yesterday, here we have the Peace Tower. At present Centre Block is fenced off, with construction access points here and there for the work going on inside and around it.

A turn in another direction looks towards West Block. You might notice a low modern glass structure on the roof, to the left of the tower. That is the glass roof placed over the temporary House of Commons. 

Another new feature of the Hill is this entrance, placed below the hill I showed in yesterday's post. The statues of Pearson and Queen Victoria can be seen in this shot. A new visitor centre was installed between West Block and Centre Block during the preparations for transferring the Commons to West Block. This is its primary entrance.

Heading along, I took this shot of West Block.

Turning, I took a shot of East Block. Some of the work is going on there as well, with sections of the building in scaffolding at present.

This is the last of the Parliament buildings, and it has the distinction of being the only one not actually on the Hill. The Hill is deemed to be on the north side of Wellington Street, and this is on the south. Formerly the Langevin Block, this is now referred to as the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council. It dates to the 1880s, and is done in the Second Empire style.

A classic Canadian view of Centre Block. Complete with construction cranes. Behind the wall a lot of work is happening, with excavation in front of the building, but it's not easily photographed.

I continued my walk, heading east, taking in this view. No sign of the PM at any of the windows.

Here we have a view of East Block.

The most recent monument is one that's been here since the previous Conservative government. I do think it would be more fitting down the street in Confederation Park where there are other military monuments. However, I do like the monument itself. This is the War of 1812 Monument, erected in 2014, depicting several figures, both military and civilian. Landmarks like the government conference centre, the War Memorial, and the Chambers can be seen in these two shots.

To my American readers: your side wanted to boot the Brits out of North America and take us over. We didn't want that. Guess which side achieved their objective?

That's right. We won. You're welcome.

One last shot, with the Chateau Laurier in the background. Two prime ministers stand here in the east end of the property. At the top of the slope is Wilfred Laurier. At the bottom of the slope, temporarily moved here during work, is a statue for William Lyon Mackenzie King, who saw the country through the Depression and the Second World War.