Interpretive
Centre: East Block,
1886
The
Pupils' Parlour, or Green Parlour
he
Pupils' Parlour was to the right of the main entrance, on the second
floor of the building. It was a formal parlour where new students
and the guests of the girls were escorted, after they entered the
Academy.
For many girls, the Pupils' Parlour was a daunting place full of
stiff chairs and heavy wallpaper. It was a formal parlour in the
style of the Victorian era, its original decoration dating from
the 1880s. Particularly in the 1940s, when meetings were called
about student issues, the girls would file into the parlour to discuss
and resolve any problems, in the official environment of the room.
The Sisters were attentive to the care and cleanliness of the building
and the parlour retained much of its furniture until the closure
of the school.
![](images/images_places_interp_pupis_parlour2_small.jpg) |
Pupil's
Parlour
c. 1955
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At certain
periods, a grand piano was placed in the room, and can be seen in
old photographs, sitting underneath a large hanging light fixture.
Plants and standing lamps were placed between the windows and the
many paintings which hung on the walls. Many of these were the work
of Sister Osithe and the
other Sisters of the Convent, and focused on both religious and
secular themes.
A beautiful
leaded glass door led into the parlour from the hallway.Most
of the glass had to be replaced or repaired when the Interpretative
Centre was restored in the 1990s, involving glass workers who carefully
re-cut the pieces, using techniques very similar to the ones employed
in the 1800s. This art glass and the wood trim around the door and
windows was often found in the parlours of private homes in Victoria,
a city that could import art glass from California, Europe and Eastern
Canada by ship. The casement-type windows in this room were typical
of those commonly used in Quebec at the time, with a casement, the
hinged part of the window attached to the upright side of the window-frame
and opening inward.
Many girls
simply remember the Pupils' Parlour as the first room they entered
in St. Ann's Academy, as they waited to be registered, or the place
where, as Novices, they received their friends and family, who were
concerned about their well-being. One Sister has a very special
memory of that room. She recalls, "When my brother returned
from the war, he knew I was praying for him, and he came in and
picked me up in full habit and swung me around the parlour, so I
remember the parlour very well. He said, "Thank you for praying
me home."
Another interesting
feature of the room was the style of radiators. These extended along
the wall underneath the windows in horizontal patterns. These pipe-radiators
were actually formed from pipe sections, through which the hot water
flowed to warm the room. The fittings that were used are no longer
manufactured today. This posed a problem during the restoration,
for, instead of ordering replacement parts, the plumbers from C&R
Plumbing were forced to repair and re-use stretched and pitted pieces
made in the 19th century.
Click here for more on
the restoration of St. Anns Academy.
This room was chosen to be restored as part of the Interpretive
Centre, so that people coming to St. Ann's today can get a sense
of the school in earlier times. The period of the "1920s"
was selected for the Pupils' Parlour restoration.
More
on the Interpretive Centre
![](images/images_places_interp_vr_sample_1.jpg) |
Click
here to view a 360 degree panorama view of the Pupils'
Parlour as it is today.
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