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Everyone to Parliament!

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The Present-Day Place D'Youville

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Place Royale

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Place d’Armes

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Notre-Dame Street

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Champ-de-Mars

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Britannia, an Imperial Symbol

Modern photograph of a wooden statue of Britannia. The statue depicts a woman dressed in a toga, seated on a shield bearing the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. She wears a Roman helmet and holds a trident in her hand.

Éric Major, Pointe-à-Callière.

Always shown with a Corinthian helmet, a trident, and a shield, Britannia embodies both British history and power. The helmet recalls her Roman origins, the trident symbolizes maritime supremacy, and the shield—bearing the British flag—asserts the nation’s identity.

A Restored Symbol…

Modern photograph of a wooden statue of Britannia. The statue depicts a woman dressed in a toga, seated on a shield bearing the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. She wears a Roman helmet and holds a trident in her hand.

Éric Major, Pointe-à-Callière.

This wooden bas-relief once adorned the pediment of the Custom House facing Saint-Paul Street. It depicts Britannia, an allegory of Great Britain. Weathered by time, it was restored to ensure its preservation.

Mounted on the Custom House pediment, Britannia asserted Montréal’s colonial identity and its place in the British Empire in the 19th century. After many years exposed to the elements, the wooden bas-relief was removed in 1991 during the building’s restoration, to be preserved and displayed in the permanent exhibition at Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal’s archaeology and history complex.

A copy has now replaced it… and so Britannia continues to watch over the Old Custom House today.

… and Showcased at Pointe-à-Callière

Colour photograph showing the installation of the Britannia statue on Montréal’s Old Custom House. A man in a crane is working on installing the statue.

M. Marcil, Pointe-à-Callière.

See how the copy of Britannia was installed on the pediment of the Old Custom House. Today, it is no longer an identity marker for Montréal. Yet this bas-relief remains a symbol, reminding us of the city’s colonial past.