Video: Restoration of the Queen’s Gates on Parliament Hill

Start of video

[Music plays]

(Text on screen: Public Services and Procurement Canada)

[Side shot of the Parliamentary Queen’s Gates.]

[Front shot of the Parliamentary Queen’s Gates.]

The Queen's Gates serve as the main ceremonial entrance to Parliament Hill.

[Shot of an old archived photo of the Queen’s Gates.]

(Text on screen: Photo Credit: Library and Archives Canada / PA-046468)

[Shot of an old archived photo of the West Block and the Queen’s Gates.]

(Text on screen: Photo Credit: William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada)

[Shot of an old archived photo of men in front of the Queen’s Gates.]

(Text on screen: Photo Credit: Library and Archives Canada / C-000589)

[Shot of a woman talking in front of the Queen’s Gates.]

(Text on screen: Rebecca Casagrande, Conservation Technologist, Heritage Conservation Technical Services, Public Services and Procurement Canada)

They were installed in 1876, named after Queen Victoria. Designed by Canadian architect Frederick J. Alexander. At that time, they were considered the best example of wrought iron working in North America.

[Front shot of the Parliamentary Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of rusted wheels on the Queen’s Gates.]

The gates are being restored because they were in a highly deteriorated condition.

[Close-up shot of rusted details on the Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of the Queen’s Gates.]

There were missing pieces and the gates were distorted so they had to be realigned.

[Shot of a man talking in front of the Queen’s Gates.]

(Text on screen: Mark Jones, President, Dominion Restoration)

[Shot of men working on dismantling the Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of a man working on dismantling the Queen’s Gates.]

[Shot of men moving one of the Gates to a flat bed truck.]

So, to restore gates like these, first we have to remove them. So we did. We removed them. We transported them to our shop in Montreal. They were completely disassembled. They were micro abraded. All cracked parts were fixed. All missing parts were replaced.

[Shot of two men working on one of the doors of the Queen’s Gates in a shop.]

[Close-up shot of a man working on one of the doors of the Queen’s Gates in a shop.]

[Shot of a blacksmith working in his shop.]

[Close-up shot of a blacksmith bending a heated steel pole.]

[Close-up shot of a blacksmith twisting a heated steel pole.]

The restoration and the repairs of the gates were done using a mix of old techniques and modern techniques. So, we employed modern electric welding, but there was also some traditional forge work done as well.

[Shot of a blacksmith twisting a heated steel pole in his shop.]

[Close-up shot of a blacksmith working on a heated steel pole on top of an anvil.]

We were able to source real wrought iron. So existing material for mostly every part on the gate.

[Close-up shot of a detail portion of the Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of the Queen’s Gates on the floor of a shop.]

[Shot of men removing one of the door sections of the Queen’s Gates from a flat bed truck.]

After that, the gates were reassembled wet. And then they got a three-coat paint system. Then obviously they were transported back and then rehung in place.

[Shot of men reinstalling one of the door sections of the Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of men reinstalling one of the door sections of the Queen’s Gates.]

[Shot of Mark Jones speaking in front of the Queen’s Gates.]

So, the gates are here, they're here for all Canadians to enjoy and to be chosen as the firm to execute this project. It was simply an honour.

[Side shot of the reinstalled Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of Queen’s Gates with the Parliamentary building in the background.]

[Front shot of the reinstalled Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of details of the Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of a flower detail of the Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of details of the Queen’s Gates.]

[Close-up shot of one of the open doors of the Queen’s Gates with the Parliamentary building in the background.]

[Shot of Rebecca Casagrande talking in front of the Queen’s Gates.]

[Shot of the Queen’s Gates with the Parliament building in the background.]

The Queen's gates have very significant cultural, architectural, and historic values. The artistry, the craftsmanship and the fact that they used almost exclusively wrought iron make these gates very unique. The conservation of these gates will ensure that they are preserved and protected for generations to come.

(Text on screen: Check us out, Facebook: /PSPC.SPAC, YouTube: PSPC_SPAC, X: @pspc_spac, Instagram: @pspc_spac)

(Text on screen: ISBN: 978-0-660-78522-6, Catalogue: P4-173/2025E-MP4)

[Music stops]

(Public Services and Procurement Canada signature)

(Canada Wordmark)

End of video