Site7 Physical Architectural Description - South Park School/Victoria British Columbia

South Park School - ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION

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South Park School was the first building completed in a series of "ward" schools that were constructed in response to the Free School Act of 1872. This two-storey red brick building with blue slate roofing shared the appearance of English schools of the same period (Restoration Services Division. Restoration Programme Feasibility Study South Park School and Annex. Historical Data). This is so because the architect William Ridgeway Wilson worked for many years in England and often referred to the styles and designs of the English.

#I_26573 British Columbia Archives

Although Gothic Revival was the more favoured architectural style for educational institutions, the red-brick Queen Anne style was thought to be more suitable for the new mission of non-sectarian learning (Martin Segger and Douglas Franklin. Exploring Victoria's Architecture. p. 156).

Characteristics of the Queen Anne style are evident in the construction of South Park with the use of warm red brick, tall and detailed chimneys, bargebroad trim, terra cotta panels, and decorative panels (G.E. Mills. Architectural Trends in Victoria, British Columbia, 1850-1914.). The most prominent feature of this style in South Park is the long banks of windows that allowed natural lighting in the classrooms.

When completed, a wooden fence lined the south and east perimeters of the property of the site. The fence consisted of square posts that turned at the top in the shape of an urn (Restoration Services Division. Restoration Programme Feasibility Study South Park School and Annex. Historical Data). The same style was used on the gate posts, but had a heavier section (Restoration Services Division. Restoration Programme Feasibility Study South Park School and Annex. Historical Data). Connecting the posts were three horizontal rails.

On the second floor, there were balconies on the north and south elevations that formed a cover porch for the entrances on the first floor. The exterior staircases of the three entrances were all constructed from wood.

The original floor plans of the school indicate that ground floor had five separate rooms. The playrooms, boys on the left and girls on the right, flank the centre area which consisted of the furnace room and two washrooms. The four classrooms were located on the first floor. In addition, there is an assembly hall; however, it is not known when the stage was built into the room (Restoration Services Division. Restoration Programme Feasibility Study South Park School and Annex. Historical Data).

Last updated 31 August 1998.
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