Nepean Coat of Arms

The Nepean Coat of Arms is installed on a wall in the foyer of Ben Franklin Place on Centrepointe Drive.

Nepean Coat of Arms

The Nepean Coat of Arms was carved by
several thousand residents of Nepean under
the supervision of stone carver Robert
Brown. The sandstone was supplied from
the Corkstown Road quarry, courtesy of
Public Works Canada. The Nepean coat
of Arms was adopted in 1983 by the City of
Nepean with permission from the family of
Sir Evan Nepean. Sir Evan (1751-1822),
was an English nobleman who served as
secretary of the Admiralty, Chief Secretary
for Ireland, and Governor of Bombay.

April 1988

Nepean Cenotaph

The Nepean Cenotaph stands at the northwest corner of the grounds of Ben Franklin Place near Centerpointe Drive. The granite obelisk was dedicated on September 20, 1992 by the Royal Canadian Legion, Bells Corners Branch and the City of Nepean.

LEST
WE
FORGET

LEST
WE
FORGET

DEDICATED TO THOSE
WHO MADE THE
SUPREME SACRIFICE
FOR DEMOCRACY
AND PEACE

NE LES
OUBLIONS
PAS

DEDIE A CEUX
QUI ONT CONSENTI
L'ULTIME SACRIFICE
POUR LA DEMOCRATIE
ET LA PAIX

Ottawa Bell

The Ottawa Bell can be found in the foyer of the City of Ottawa Archives building on Tallwood Drive west of Woodroffe Avenue. In my opinion the bell is not well displayed. It looks like it has been moved to its current location from a place where it was treated better. A City of Ottawa coat or arms and a descriptive panel accompany the bell.

Up in Smoke: The 1931 City Hall Fire

In the mid 1870s, the City of Ottawa
embarked on a plan to build a new
City Hall. Located on the east side of
Elgin Street between Albert and
Queen, the original building was
inadequate for the needs of a growing
city. Donated by Nicholas Sparks to
the City in 1849, the market building
was Ottawa's first City Hall and also
housed the police and fire
departments.

Local architects Horsey & Shard were
hired in 1874 to design Ottawa's second
City Hall next to the existing one. The
ornate building was designed in the Second
Empire French and Italian Style and had
one tall taower and three small ones. The
building was constructed using local
Gloucester Blue Limestone and Ohio
Sandstone.

Opened in 1877, the new building
held the offices of the Mayor, City
Clerk, City Engineer, City
Chamberlain, City Treasurer,
Waterworks Commission, Board of
Public School Trustees, Board of
Separate School Trustees as well
as the council chambers. A room 13' x 8'
housed the archives and other records
of the Board of Works.

On March 31, 1931 City Hall was destroyed by fire.
In total, 125 firefighters responded to the alarm.
Seven firemen were injured falling through four
floors and ending up in the smouldering debris of the
basement. Much of the archives were lost but many
paintings, furniture and documents were saved
including a pastel portrait of Queen Victoria.

The land would remain vacant until the development
of the National Arts Centre, a federal centenary project.

City Hall scrambled for new space, leasing three
floors in the Transportaion Building at Rideau
and Sussex, eventually taking over the entire
building. The journey for a new permanent City
Hall would continue for 27 years.
Relics salvaged from the debris including the
cornerstone, time capsule, bell, flag and carved
Device of Arms have found a new home at the
City of Ottawa Archives.

Nepean Bell

The Nepean Bell stands outside the main entrance of the Ben Franklin Place at 101 Centrepointe Drive. The story of the bell's history can be found on the Nepean Museum's web site.

The Nepean Bell was installed in the town hall in Westboro at 345 Richmond Road in 1896, where it was used to sound curfew and later to call out volunteer firefighters. When municipal offices were opened on Richmond Road in 1966 the bell was moved there and placed on a tripod. "The longest leg of the tripod represented a father, the next a mother, the shortest a child and all three symbolized the family-like unity which council planned to maintain in Nepean."

In 1978 Nepean officially adopted the Bell as the corporate symbol of the City of Nepean. In 1988 the bell was relocated to the Nepean City Hall, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive where it now resides.

Vimy Memorial Bridge

The Vimy Memorial Bridge crosses the Rideau River and connects Earl Armstrong Road on the East side with Strandherd Road on the west. Originally named the Strandherd Armstrong Bridge, when it opened on July 12, 2014, it was renamed and dedicated as the Vimy Memorial Bridge on November 8, 2014. The Barrhaven and Manotick Branches of the Royal Canadian Legion had jointly submitted an application to rename the bridge.

The bridge commemorates the battle of Vimy Ridge, "a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army. The battle, which took place from 9 to 12 April 1917, was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary attack for the French Nivelle Offensive."

Wikipedia