day-1-chapter-3-city-of-westminster

~ / kihaku / trips / longer-trips / londonshire-2020 / day-1-chapter-3-city-of-westminster

2020:02:10 14:03:23

2020:02:10 14:04:11

2020:02:10 14:04:23

2020:02:10 14:09:31

2020:02:10 14:10:16

2020:02:10 14:10:31

2020:02:10 14:11:31

2020:02:10 14:12:07

2020:02:10 14:12:47

2020:02:10 14:12:54

2020:02:10 14:13:14

2020:02:10 14:14:07

2020:02:10 14:14:22

2020:02:10 14:19:21

2020:02:10 14:20:23

2020:02:10 14:20:31

2020:02:10 14:20:37

Canada House, the seat of the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom (basically a fancy name for an embassy for Commonwealth countries). It was finished in 1827 and was initially used by the Union Club and the Royal College of Physicians. Later it was purchased by the Canadian Government to unify its employees working in London. It was made the High Commission almost 100 years after its completion, in 1925. It was actually closed in 1993 as a cost-cutting measure and the High Commision moved completely to the Macdonald House in Mayfair, which until then was used as the second building. The change in the Canadian government meant however that the plans to sell the building were scrapped and in 1997 the renovation began. The building was closed again in 2010 (and opened in 2012) and in 2013 it was decided that the whole High Commission would move back to the building (previously most of the work was done from Macdonald House anyway, which was later sold). So, the cost-cutting happened after all, just in a different direction.