The Canada Pavilion was the

Dominion of Canada While a variety of theories have been postulated for the name of Canada, its origin is now accepted as coming from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word , meaning 'village' or 'settlement'. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec C ...

's display area at the 1924–25 British Empire Exhibition at

Wembley Park Wembley Park is a district of the London Borough of Brent, England. It is roughly centred on Bridge Road, a mile northeast of Wembley town centre and northwest from Charing Cross. The name Wembley Park refers to the area that, at its broadest ...

, north-west

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 ...

. Like most of the Exhibition's structures it was built of ferro-concrete and designed by

John William Simpson Sir John William Simpson KBE FRIBA (9 August 1858 – 30 March 1933) was a British architect and President of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1919 to 1921. Background and early life Simpson was the eldest son of the Bri ...

and Maxwell Ayrton, assisted by Owen Williams. According to the Metropolitan Railway's British Empire Exhibition number of its ''Metro-Land'' guidebook, the Pavilion was "an imposing building in neo-Grec style." Postcard British Empire Exhibition 1924 07

Postcard British Empire Exhibition 1924 07

The Pavilion was large, with a ground area of some six acres. It was painted white to make it stand out. Inside were displays on mineral mining, including of precious metals; sections on farming, the dairy industry and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

; exhibits on Canadian industry; a section on hydro-electric power and displays advertising Canada as a holiday destination, including a working model of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

. On 9 May 1924

Evelyn Wrench Sir John Evelyn Leslie Wrench (29 October 1882 – 11 November 1966) was a British author and journalist who was editor of ''The Spectator''. He was the founder of the Royal Over-Seas League and the English-Speaking Union, both to foster intern ...

wrote in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' of the Canadian Pavilion's "wonderful panoramic views." However, probably the best remembered display in the Pavilion was the dairy produce section's

butter sculpture Butter sculptures are three-dimensional works of art created with butter, a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. The works often depict animals, people, buildings and other objects. They are best known as attra ...

of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

standing beside his horse outside his ranch at Pekisko,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, preserved in a refrigerated case. In 1925 this was replaced by the Prince seated in the dress of a First Nations chief. The figures of First Nations women in the 1925 butter sculpture case were the only reference to Canada's First Nations in the Canada Pavilion. There was also a lack of representation of

French Canada French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

. The Canada Pavilion was flanked by two smaller pavilions for the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railway companies. The CNR Pavilion was designed by Mr. Eustace G. Bird of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, while there were bronze statues of a

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

and a buffalo by the entrance of the CPR Pavilion. The two railway pavilions told the story of Canadian railways (and the CPR's liners and hotels) and further advertised holidays in Canada. Both railway pavilions contained a cinema. The CPR Pavilion contained an entire section devoted to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, one of the destinations served by its Pacific liners.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures completed in 1924 Canada–United Kingdom relations British Empire Exhibition