![Australia House Sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Australia_House_Sign.jpg)
The High Commission of Australia in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
is the
diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. It is located in Australia House, a
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
building. It was Australia's first
diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
and is the longest continuously occupied diplomatic mission in the United Kingdom.
History
A major landmark on the
Strand, London
Strand (or the Strand) is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, Central London. It runs just over from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar, where the road becomes Fleet Street in the City of London, and is part of the A4 ...
, construction on the building by the Dove Brothers commenced in 1913, but shipping problems caused by the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
delayed completion. It was officially opened by
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
in a ceremony on 3 August 1918 attended by the Australian Prime Minister
William Morris Hughes
William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia, in office from 1915 to 1923. He is best known for leading the country during World War I, but ...
. The cost of the triangular shaped land was £379,756 (£ in ) when purchased by the
Commonwealth of Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
in 1912 and building and other associated costs brought total expenditure to about £1 million. The building was designed by British architects,
Alexander Marshall Mackenzie
Alexander Marshall MacKenzie (1 January 1848 – 4 May 1933) was a Scottish architect responsible for prestigious projects including the headquarters of the Isle of Man Banking Company in Douglas, and Australia House and the Waldorf Hotel in L ...
and his son,
Alexander George Robertson Mackenzie
Alexander George Robertson Mackenzie (12 March 1879 – 20 March 1963) was a Scottish architect.
Early life
Born in Aberdeen on 12 March 1879, AGR was the second son states "eldest son" while own article states "second son" of Marshall Mackenz ...
following an architectural competition, the judges of which included
Bertram Mackennal
Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 186310 October 1931), usually known as Bertram Mackennal, was an Australian sculptor and medallist, most famous for designing the coinage and stamps bearing the likeness of George V. He signed his work "BM". ...
,
John Longstaff
Sir John Campbell Longstaff (10 March 1861 – 1 October 1941) was an Australian painter, war artist and a five-time winner of the Archibald Prize for portraiture. His cousin Will Longstaff was also a painter and war artist.
Longstaff was known ...
,
George Washington Lambert
George Washington Thomas Lambert (13 September 1873 – 29 May 1930) was an Australian artist, known principally for portrait painting and as a war artist during the First World War.
Early life
Lambert was born in St Petersburg, Russia, th ...
,
Fred Leist
Frederick William Leist (21 August 1873, Sydney – 18 February 1945, Mosman) was an Australian artist. During the First World War, he was an official war artist with Australian forces in Europe.Rutledge, Martha. (1986) "Leist, Frederick Willia ...
and
Arthur Streeton
Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton (8 April 1867 – 1 September 1943) was an Australian landscape painter and a leading member of the Heidelberg School, also known as Australian Impressionism.
Early life
Streeton was born in Mt Moriac, Victoria, sou ...
. The Commonwealth of Australia's chief architect,
John Smith Murdoch
John Smith Murdoch (29 September 186221 May 1945) was a Scottish architect who practised in Australia from the 1880s until 1930. Employed by the newly formed Commonwealth Public Works Department in 1904, he rose to become chief architect, ...
, travelled to London to work with the Mackenzie firm on the building.
Although an Official Secretary had been appointed to London as early as 1906, the High Commission to London was the first Australian diplomatic mission and one of the most prominent in London.
The building itself was built over a 900-year-old sacred well drawing from the
River Fleet
The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds an ...
, a subterranean London river. The water in the well is clear and has been tested as safe to drink.
Construction
Much of the building materials used in its construction were imported from Australia. The building is of
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...
on a base of Australian
trachyte
Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava enriched with silica and al ...
. The marbles used include dove-coloured
Buchan
Buchan is an area of north-east Scotland, historically one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by th ...
marble from
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, the light and dark Caleula from
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, and white
Angaston marble from
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. The joinery and flooring timbers include timber varieties from all Australian States but the most prominent of these is
black bean, a very hard and dense wood similar to
English oak
''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus. It is widely ...
, used principally for panels of the first floor Downer Room where the carvings represent arts and sciences. This work is credited to Messrs Wylie & Lockhead of London and Glasgow.
Modern use
Government agencies within the High Commission include Austrade, Defence, Materiel (CONDMAT), National Library of Australia and Public Affairs/Media/Cultural. The building's grand interior was used as the setting of
Gringotts Wizarding Bank
J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' universe contains numerous settings for the events in her fantasy novels. These locations are categorised as a dwelling, school, shopping district, or government-affiliated locale.
Dwellings
The Burrow
The We ...
in ''
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers hi ...
'', as well as scenes in 2017's ''
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
''.
Elections
![2007 Australian Election - Voters at Australia House, London](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/2007_Australian_Election_-_Voters_at_Australia_House%2C_London.jpg)
Australia House is usually the single largest polling station in Australian federal elections, with more votes being cast at the London polling station than at any polling station in any of the Australian states or territories.
Gallery
File:High_Commission_of_Australia_in_London_1.jpg, The entrance to the High Commission
File:澳洲大使館 (27335900807).jpg, Close-up of the entrance
File:High_Commission_of_Australia_in_London_3.jpg, View from Aldwych
File:High_Commission_of_Australia_in_London_4.jpg, View from Strand
File:Australia House (48391495646).jpg, The High Commission
File:Phoebus Driving the Horses of the Sun, Australia House, London - 2022-09-10.jpg, ''Phoebus Driving the Horses of the Sun'' by Bertram Mackennal
Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 186310 October 1931), usually known as Bertram Mackennal, was an Australian sculptor and medallist, most famous for designing the coinage and stamps bearing the likeness of George V. He signed his work "BM". ...
See also
*
Australia–United Kingdom relations
Relations exist between the Commonwealth realms of Australia and the United Kingdom, marked by historical, cultural, institutional, extensive people-to-people links, aligned security interests, sporting tournaments (notably The Ashes), and signif ...
*
List of Australian High Commissioners to the United Kingdom
*
British High Commission, Canberra
The British High Commission Canberra is the diplomatic mission of the Government of the United Kingdom to Australia, representing the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom's interests. It is located on Commonwealth Avenue along with the High C ...
*
High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to Australia
High may refer to:
Science and technology
* Height
* High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area
* High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory
* High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...
*
List of diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom
This is a list of diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom. At present, the capital city of London hosts 166 embassies and high commissions. Several other countries have ambassadors accredited to the United Kingdom, with most being resident in ...
*
List of diplomatic missions in London
This is a list of the 163 resident Diplomatic mission, embassies in London. For other diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom, see List of diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom.
Embassies and High Commissions in London
British Overseas T ...
*
List of diplomatic missions of Australia
Australian diplomatic missions are posts representing the Commonwealth of Australia in foreign countries. They are mostly maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with some smaller posts being run by Austrade. There are cur ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Australia–United Kingdom relations
1918 establishments in England
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
Government buildings completed in 1918
Australia–United Kingdom relations
Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster
Aldwych
Commonwealth Heritage List
Strand, London