Canada House (Including the Former Royal College of Physicians)
CANADA HOUSE (INCLUDING THE FORMER ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS), TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1217724
- Date first listed:
- 05-Feb-1970
- List Entry Name:
- Canada House (Including the Former Royal College of Physicians)
- Statutory Address:
- CANADA HOUSE (INCLUDING THE FORMER ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS), TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2000-11-21
- Reference:
- IOE01/02577/33
- Rights:
- © Mrs Marion Davies. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1217724
- Date first listed:
- 05-Feb-1970
- List Entry Name:
- Canada House (Including the Former Royal College of Physicians)
- Statutory Address 1:
- CANADA HOUSE (INCLUDING THE FORMER ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS), TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2
- Statutory Address 2:
- CANADA HOUSE, PALL MALL SW1
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CANADA HOUSE (INCLUDING THE FORMER ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS), TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2
- Statutory Address:
- CANADA HOUSE, PALL MALL SW1
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- City of Westminster (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 29928 80438
Details
TQ 2980 SE
82/39
CITY OF WESTMINSTER
TRAFALGAR SQUARE, WC2
Canada House (including the former Royal College of Physicians)
5.2.70
GV
II*
Institutional building.1824-27 by Sir Robert Smirke as premises for the Royal College of Physicians and the Union Club, altered on conversion as Canada House by Septimus Warwick. Bath stone, slate and lead roofs. Unified composition occupying the west side of the square with porticoes to north (Pall Mall East) to the square and to the south (Cockspur Street), in dignified and scholarly Greek Revival characteristic of Smirke.
Two storeys, basement and wings and attic over centre as built with additional (and top heavy) attics provided over centre for Canada House. Fifteen windows wide to Trafalgar Square with former central entrance now window, in tetrastyle portico in antis composed of giant engaged Ionic columns contained by advanced giant pilastered bays. Recessed glazing bar sash windows. The wings either side of centre-piece articulated in shallow projection and recession, the advanced bays with same giant pilaster order as that flanking centrepiece and the central recessed portion of each wing with three close-set windows as tripartite group. Main entablature over first floor and attic storey with cornice and balustraded parapet. Heightened attics, over centre. The return to Pall Mall East retains original hexastyle Ionic portico (the entrance to the former Royal College of Physicians); to Cockspur Street a giant Ionic tetrastyle portico rebuilt by Septimus Warwick as entrance to Canada House.
The interior of the former Royal College of Physicians is least altered with fine entrance hall with Greek Doric column screen to staircase, of Club design (et Athenaeum), main reception room, library and lecture room, all with restrained Grecian decoration, etc. The interior of Canada House more altered, but retaining Smirke's design in the High Commissioner's Room and in modified form the principal staircase etc.
The siting of this institutional building on the west side of Trafalgar Square was programmed in Nash's Metropolitan Improvements of 1824-26.
Listing NGR: TQ2992880438
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 207264
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Survey of London in Charing Cross the Parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields Part 1: Volume 16 , Vol. 16, (1935)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 04-Jun-2026 at 09:21:50.
Download a full scale map (PDF)© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2026. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
End of official list entry