Craigflower Manor and Schoolhouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Craigflower Manor and Schoolhouse |
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Craigflower Farm from a distance.
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| Type | Manor; schoolhouse; agricultural community |
| Etymology | The Craigflower Estate in Scotland |
| Location | View Royal (Manor) and Saanich (Schoolhouse), just north of the Craigflower Bridge at Admirals Road and Craigflower Road in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Founder | Puget Sound Agricultural Company |
| Built | 1853–1856 |
| Architectural style(s) | Georgian Revival |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
| Website | Craigflower Manor archived |
| Designated | 1975 |
The Craigflower Manor and Craigflower Schoolhouse are important National Historic Sites of Canada. They are located near Victoria, in View Royal, British Columbia (the Manor) and Saanich (the Schoolhouse). These sites feature buildings from the 1800s.
The Hudson's Bay Company had these buildings constructed. They were meant to provide homes and education for their workers. The buildings were part of a farming community called Craigflower Farm. They became a central part of the community for many years. Today, both buildings are museums. They teach us about the early history of Victoria.
These sites are also special for their archaeological finds. They show evidence of human life over thousands of years. The buildings themselves are very old and rare examples of their kind in Canada. Because of their importance, the Canadian government protects these sites for everyone to learn from.
Contents
A Look at the Site's History
The land where Craigflower Manor and Schoolhouse stand was shaped by the last ice age. About 13,000 years ago, melting glaciers created deep valleys. These valleys filled with water, forming small lakes and streams. Over time, these waters connected to the ocean. This created a saltwater inlet known today as the Gorge waterway.
The local Lekwungen people, part of the Coast Salish tribes, called this waterway "Kosapsom". They are the ancestors of today's Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations. The entire region was known to them as "Camossung". This name comes from a legend about a girl who they believed turned to stone there.
Archaeologists have found signs of three different periods of human activity at Craigflower Farm. These are called "Locarno Beach," "Gulf of Georgia," and "Historic." The "Historic" period refers to when Europeans settled the area. Most of the items found at the site are from this time.
The older periods are mostly known from a large shell midden. This is a pile of shells and other waste left by people. It shows that there was plenty of shellfish and game in the area. The "Locarno Beach" period used many different stone tools. These included small blades and sharpened objects.
The "Gulf of Georgia" period began about 2,500 years ago. People during this time used more bone tools, like wedges made from antlers. This period ended when Europeans arrived and began to settle Vancouver Island. About 1,000 items from Indigenous cultures were found during archaeological digs here.
Craigflower Farm was one of the first farming communities in Western Canada. The Puget Sound Agricultural Company started it in 1853. This company was connected to the Hudson's Bay Company. The farm's main job was to provide fresh food to nearby Fort Victoria. It also helped new settlers come to lower Vancouver Island. The farm was named after the Craigflower Estate in Scotland. This estate belonged to Andrew Colville, who was a governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. The land for the farm was bought from the Esquimalt First Nation in 1850. They then moved to a nearby area.
The Craigflower Schoolhouse
The Craigflower Schoolhouse was first called Maple Point School. Kenneth McKenzie, the farm's first director, ordered its construction. He wanted to provide education for the children of the farm workers. This was the third school built in the colony of Vancouver Island. Governor James Douglas wanted schools to teach children proper morals and religion.
Building the school began in August 1854, using timber from the farm. It was finished in February 1855. The first students started classes there in March of that year. They had to pay a fee of 30 shillings to 1 pound.
The schoolhouse is a two-story building built in the Georgian Revival style. It had one schoolroom on the first floor. The second floor had six rooms for the teacher, their family, and students who lived there. These students were called boarders and came from other parts of Vancouver Island. A large brick fireplace and a stove kept the building warm. A bell from a wrecked steamship called the Major Tompkins was hung outside to call students to class.
At first, people could only reach the school by boat from the main farm. But in 1856, the first Craigflower bridge was built. This bridge connected the two parts of the farm.
The schoolhouse became a center for social and religious events on the farm. It was used continuously until 1872. At that time, the town council stopped funding schools in Victoria. However, new laws soon brought the school back into use. In 1873, education became required for students aged seven to 14. The school continued to operate until 1911. It was then replaced by a new Craigflower school across the road. The current school, Craigflower Elementary School, was built in 1964.
The original schoolhouse became a museum in 1931. A local club ran it until 1975. Then, the provincial Historical Parks board took it over and restored it. It is the oldest surviving schoolhouse in Western Canada. Today, the Hallmark Heritage Society uses the Schoolhouse. They are the oldest heritage preservation group in the Capital Regional District. The schoolhouse is open to the public for special events in the summer.
Because it had only one classroom, it is considered a one-room schoolhouse.
The Craigflower Manor
The manor house was built soon after the schoolhouse. It served as a home and office for the people managing the Craigflower farm and their families. The house was designed as a Georgian Revival version of a Scottish manor house. This was requested by Kenneth McKenzie's wife, Agnes. The foundation was laid in 1853, before the McKenzies arrived. The house was completed in May 1856.
The manor was a large, two-story building. It was over 900 square feet (84 m2) in size. It was considered very elegant, second only to the first Government House. The building had a dining room, sitting room, office, music room, kitchen, and four bedrooms. These rooms were for the large McKenzie family. Several fireplaces, connected to two large brick chimneys, provided heat.
The manor was used as a home until 1922. Then, the Hudson's Bay Company turned it into a community centre. Later, Jean and Jerry Thompson bought it. They restored the building and turned it into a bed & breakfast. In 1965, the Thompson family sold it to the government. This building is one of the earliest and few remaining examples of its kind in Western Canada. The Thompson family restored it before 1967. They are credited with saving the building and making it a historical landmark. Today, the Highland Games Society leases the manor.
See also
- Coast Salish peoples
- Colony of Vancouver Island
- Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871)
Images for kids
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One of the pits left by the 1995 UVic dig on the site, preserved for future excavation.
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Craigflower Schoolhouse, viewed from the front. The original school bell is visible on the right.
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Craigflower manor, as seen from the front. A fallow field is visible in the foreground.
