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 20th 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 1908.


At Central School there were separate entrances and playgrounds for BOYS and GIRLS.  Inside, transoms over the doorways let the daylight shine through.  Each classroom also had separate doors for boys and girls, with corresponding cloak rooms.  The cloak rooms were like a hallway that ran along the side of the classroom between the two doors, walled off in the middle to separate the boys’ section from the girls’ section.  Each was lined with hooks that students would tag with their name for the school year.
The school is now home to The Victoria Park Apartments.
South Central School (1874 – 1920) was replaced by Prince of Wales School.  In 1964 it became the first building of Trent University.  Since the 1990s it has been a retirement residence.

West Ward School, 1877 - 1912.  This small Park Street school was made obsolete with the construction of Queen Mary School.  Like Central School, it is now an apartment building.

The North Ward School (1889) was expanded and renamed Queen Alexandra School (for the wife of King Edward VII) in 1908.  Replaced by Queen Elizabeth Public School, it is now Activity Haven Seniors Centre.

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