Construction, 1859-1916

The Cornerstone

On September 1, 1860, everything was ready for the great event.

The streets were decked with triumphal arches made of lilies, logs, and bunting. A pavilion had been prepared on Parliament Hill. The framework that held the cornerstone was decorated with Gothic arches, draperies and a crown of fleurs-de-lys and British flags. At the very top was the Prince's own emblem, three ostrich plumes. The structure was decorated with garlands and flags and hanging behind the Prince was a portrait of his mother, Queen Victoria. The Prince arrived with all of the pomp and ceremony the young capital city could muster along an avenue of trees decked with 64 flags.

The cornerstone was white marble inscribed with a record of the ceremony. On the top of the stone, where it would be forever locked within the wall, was another inscription and the names of the designers and dignitaries present.

The prince was provided with very beautiful but not very practical tools to carry out his task: a silver trowel engraved with an image of the Parliament Buildings, a plumb shaped like a harp and a level ornamented with the royal lion and unicorn. Workmen spread the mortar and lowered the stone into place under the Prince's watchful eye. He then tapped it three times and pronounced it "well and truly laid".