Parliament Hill

The site of Canada's national legislature, in the district of Upper Town, Ottawa, Ontario. The principal buildings here are three Neo-Gothic structures containing the two-chamber Houses of Parliament and government administrative offices. The chimes of the bells in the 90 m/295 ft-tall Peace Tower surmounting the parliament building are broadcast throughout Canada as a time signal.

Parliament Hill is at the top of a limestone bluff above the Ottawa River. It was originally called Barracks Hill, being the site of a British Army garrison before its purchase by the Canadian government in 1859. In the period 1859–65, the East and West blocks (housing offices) and the Centre Block (home of the Canadian parliament) were constructed. The Centre Block was rebuilt after a fire in 1916. It contains the Red Chamber, where the Senate or upper house, sits, and the Green Chamber, home to the House of Commons. The Peace Tower was added in 1927; this contains a Memorial Chamber dedicated to Canadians who served in World War I, and a 53-bell carillon. Numerous other government buildings are also sited on the hill. Immediately to the southeast is Confederation Square, site of the National War Memorial, while to the east, across the Rideau Canal, stands the huge Château Laurier, a hotel built by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1908–12.