Victorian Era Public Schools
Victorian Public Schools Four Victorian era public schools are still standing in Peterborough. Central School started as a log cabin that doubled as a church on Sundays. The first brick building, Peterborough Union School (1860), included both elementary and high school, and was an Italianate building with a four-storey central tower. The tower was unfortunately deemed unsafe and cut in half in the late 1960s. In 1871, a second building for elementary students was added to the west, and the first building was used for the high school. The new building was expanded in 1891. By 1895, it was necessary to also rent a manor house on George Street (Menzies House, demolished in the mid 20 th century) to accommodate the student overflow. Plans were made to erect a new high school. Peterborough was a relatively wealthy town, but the project still took over a decade to complete. The new high school (Peterborough Collegiate) was finally opened on McDonnel Street in