Wender·Vista
Canadian National Vimy Memorial
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileFrance
on the ridge above Arras, in northern France

Canadian National Vimy Memorial

— — two white pylons holding the wind.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Walter Allward's twin limestone pylons rise from the highest point of Vimy Ridge, above the chalk fields of the Pas-de-Calais. The memorial carries 11,285 names of Canadian soldiers killed in France during the First World War with no known grave. Around it the ground is still scarred from April 1917 — the craters left as they fell, the grass kept short by a flock of grazing sheep. The figure of Canada Bereft looks east toward the Douai plain. From the studio.

from the studio
Canadian National Vimy Memorial
— bring it home

Canadian National Vimy Memorial, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Canadian National Vimy Memorial

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial stands on Hill 145, the highest point of Vimy Ridge, about 8 kilometres north of Arras in the Pas-de-Calais department of Hauts-de-France. The surrounding 100-hectare site was granted by France to Canada in perpetuity in 1922 and is administered by Veterans Affairs Canada. The memorial commemorates the Battle of Vimy Ridge, fought from 9 to 12 April 1917, in which all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time and took the ridge. It was unveiled by King Edward VIII on 26 July 1936.

— the stone

Walter Allward chose a cream-coloured limestone from a Roman-era quarry near Seget on the Dalmatian coast, the same stone used at Diocletian's palace in Split. Twin pylons rise about 27 metres from the base, one bearing the maple leaf of Canada, the other the fleur-de-lis of France. Twenty allegorical figures share the monument, including Canada Bereft, hooded and looking east across the Douai plain. The names of 11,285 Canadians killed in France with no known grave are carved around the surrounding walls.

— informed by Veterans Affairs Canada
— the visit

The site is open year-round and admission is free. The visitor education centre and the preserved tunnel and trench sections at the Grange Subway are open seasonally, typically April to November, with guided tours led by Canadian student interpreters. Much of the 100-hectare ground remains fenced because of unexploded ordnance from the 1917 battle, and a small flock of sheep keeps the grass between the craters short. The memorial sits about a 12-minute drive north of Arras off the D55, with a free car park at the base of the ridge.

— where
France · Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
— within
Canadian National Vimy Memorial Site
— elevation
145 m · 476 ft
— position
50.3793° N · 2.7736° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
8 km S
Arras
Flemish-baroque cathedral city
10 km N
Lens
former coal town and Louvre-Lens museum
9 km NW
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette
French national WWI cemetery
N
Canadian National Vimy Memorial
Arras
Lens
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Canadian National Vimy Memorial — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On Hill 145 of Vimy Ridge, about 8 kilometres north of Arras in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France. The surrounding 100-hectare site was granted by France to Canada in perpetuity in 1922.

Toronto sculptor Walter Allward, chosen in a 1921 competition. He spent the next fifteen years on the project, sourcing limestone from a quarry near Seget on the Dalmatian coast, and the memorial was unveiled in July 1936.

11,285. They are the names of Canadian soldiers killed in France during the First World War who have no known grave. The names are carved around the walls at the base of the twin pylons.

A First World War battle fought from 9 to 12 April 1917 in which all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time and took the ridge from German forces. It is widely treated as a defining national moment for Canada.

Yes. A preserved section of the Grange Subway and reconstructed front-line trenches are open to guided tours, typically April through November, led by Canadian student interpreters from the visitor education centre.

Much of the 100-hectare site remains closed because of unexploded ordnance from 1917. A small flock of sheep grazes between the craters to keep the grass short without the risk of mechanical mowing.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried weight for many of our Canadian customers and for families with names on the wall. Vimy is treated in Canada as a founding moment. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio reads as remembrance, not decoration.

The cream limestone palette pairs naturally with Old World Library, Heritage Modern, and quiet study interiors of wool, oak, and bound books. It holds well in a study, a hallway, or beside a regimental photograph.

Yes. Quiet heritage rooms with brass, leather, and cream stone are a steady category for us; a Vimy tile reads as serious commemoration rather than militaria, which is why it places well in studies and Legion halls.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly, a 4-tile Mural fills the wall, and a 9-tile Mural carries a long console. Above a console, the Large is usually right.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for vertical installations in showers, splashbacks, and powder rooms. The Glossy finish is for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water. No solvents, no abrasive sponges. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface and the finish protects it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no third-party imagery. Reid Wender curates the atlas and chooses what enters it.

— if this one stayed with you

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