Parliament Hill Tour - Peace Tower

Top off your visit with a view from the Peace Tower observation deck. Colourful panels identify major landmarks in each view. You may also visit the Memorial Chamber which houses a special collection of books commemorating Canada’s war dead.  Visits to the Peace Tower and the Memorial Chamber are on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that the Tower closes half an hour before the last tour (subject to change without notice). The Peace Tower, so named to honour the thousands of Canadian men and women who sacrificed their lives for their country in World War I, stands at the front of the Centre Block.

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Like the present Centre Block, the Peace Tower differs markedly from the structure it replaced. While the old Victoria Tower was an integral part of the first Centre Block, the Peace Tower is a campanile, or free-standing bell tower. Its walls are made of Nepean sandstone. They rise 92.2 m (302 ft. 6 in.) from the base to the bronze flagpole. The roof is reinforced concrete covered with copper. The Tower contains an observation deck, a clock with four faces 4.8 m (16 ft.) in diameter, a carillon and the Memorial Chamber, honouring Canada’s war dead.

Photo: National Archives of Canada, PA-042598

The Carillon

Concerts are heard regularly on Parliament Hill from the Peace Tower carillon.  The 54-t (60-ton) instrument, developed from the 17 century chiming clocks in Dutch and Flemish cities, contains 53 bells, ranging in size from the 4.5 kg (10 lb.) A-bell 16.6 cm (7 in.) in diameter to the 10,160 kg (22,400 lb.) bourdon tuned to E. It is the bourdon that strikes the hour.

The carillon is played from a large keyboard similar to that of an organ. To play, the keys are usually struck with the closed fist, but in the case of the heavier bells, which are fixed, the carilloneur must use his feet. Connected wires swing the clappers against the bells.

Musicians come from all over the world to study this superbly tuned carillon. The Peace Tower contains one of the earliest and finest carillons in North America. 

The Memorial Chamber

A central component of the Peace Tower is the Memorial Chamber, dedicated to the Canadian men and women who have given their lives in the service of their country.

The design of the Chamber is Gothic Revival, like the main building. However, its high, stained-glass windows, cusped arches and fan-vaulted ceiling create an atmosphere more in keeping with the memorial chapel of a cathedral.

The Memorial Chamber is rich with symbolism. The floor is made of stones taken from the World War I battlegrounds where Canadians fought. The walls and columns are faced with stone from France and Belgium, the two countries where Canadians saw the most combat. At the centre of the Chamber stands the central Altar carved from a block of Hopton Wood, the same British stone used for the tombstones in military cemeteries.

The central Altar, and similar altars in the Chamber, contain the Books of Remembrance, inscribed with the names of Canadians who have died in battle. You can also visit the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier.