Current News
Welcome to our website!
The Friends of the Schoolhouse web site will keep you informed about The Old Britannia Schoolhouse and the activities and events planned by the Friends' organization. We encourage
you to check this site often. New information will be added monthly.
Good News
The Britannia Schoolhouse will again welcome visitors on the second Sunday of April, May and June from 1 until 4 pm. The main Board of Education parking lot is not available so parking is in front of the school off Hurontario Street.
There is much to see and enjoy when you visit the schoolhouse. You will step into a classroom of the late 1800s. There are both single and double desks typical of the late 1899s and early 1900s. The double desks became less common, but this style of single desks lasted well into the 1950s. A slate, slate pencil and ink well are on the desks reflecting the change over the years as paper, lead pencil, pen and ink replaced the use of slates. At the back of the room are hooks for outdoor coats and at the front of the room is a razed platform for the teacher's desk. Slate blackboards line the front and both sides of the room. Cabinets at the back of the room contain teaching materials and books. Take time to look at the maps, charts and photos of past school classes that hang on the walls. There are numerous other artifacts of interest, some of which you will recognize and a few that you will wonder what they are and how they were used.
Surrounding the schoolhouse is the schoolyard where children played games at lunch. The Friends of the Schoolhouse have developed historic Victorian era gardens around the perimeter of the property. Depending on the month you visit, you will see a variety of plants in bloom.
April is just the start of the garden season so there may be only a few native plants in bloom. By May and June our gardens should be blooming after a long, cold, snowy winter. Come and enjoy an afternoon of history and nature.
Eva Ardiel Remembrance Gathering
The Friends of the Schoolhouse are planning an afternoon reception to honour and remember Eva Ardiel. She contributed so much to the Old Britannia Schoolhouse and was so connected to it that it seemed appropriate to hold this event at the schoolhouse she loved. This will be in June on a Saturday instead of the usual Open Sunday. More information will be distributed when plans are finalized. We hope many of her friends will be able to attend.
Coming Events
Open Sundays are the second Sunday of the month from 1 until 4 pm in December, April, May and June.
Time to Renew Your Membership
Our membership year runs from January to December. Membership forms for renewal or new membership are on this website. Click here to get the form.
Echoes of the Past
This book, written and published by Friends of the Schoolhouse, documents the history of all of the rural one room schools that existed in Peel County. Full colour, 208 pages, $30 It is available at all our events or from any member of the Friends of the Schoolhouse Executive. There is a $10 charge for mailing.
Book Talks
Since the book, Echoes of The Past, was published in May 2016, the writers have been giving illustrated talks to historical societies and other interested groups. We talk about the book and tailor each presentation
to suit the audience and the one room schools that were in their local area.
If your group would be interested in having a presentation, please contact Daryl Cook dlcook@rogers.com for further information.
Come and Join Us
If you have a couple of hours a month or only a few hours once or twice a year you could help us support the schoolhouse and its programs. The executive committee meets on the second
Tuesday of the month from September to June to conduct the business of the Friends of the Schoolhouse and to plan programs and events. Our meetings are from 4 to 6 in the afternoon at the schoolhouse. Volunteers help on an occasional basis
with our events and in the gardens. Not only do we support a worthwhile cause, we have a lot of fun doing it. Email our Executive Director Shirley Hoad at shoad@bell.net, if you have a few hours to spare
and an interest in helping preserve a community treasure for future generations of children.
Mark Your Calendar
To see a list of our year's events go to the Events page.
Researching our Roots
There is still much more to discover about the Old Britannia Schoolhouse and other early one room schools. Read below for a wish list of "Wanted" items that will help us learn more about our historic schoolhouse.
For use in a book on one-room schools in Peel County:
- Minute Books
- Cash Books
- Class Photos
- Report Cards
- Prize Ribbons
- Medals
- Certificates
- Shields
- Contracts
- Trustee Memorabilia
- Teacher Memorabilia
- Newspaper Clippings
- School Registers
Your contribution will be acknowledged. Materials supplied will either be returned to you or donated to the Peel County Archives on your behalf.
SLATE Group
SLATE stands for So Let's All Talk Education (in a one room school), or as one witty person suggested, being truly Canadian, So Let's All Talk Eh! Each year for a day in the spring people involved in working or volunteering in living history one room schoolhouses get together to exchange ideas and learn from each other. We meet at a different schoolhouse location each year which gives everyone the opportunity to experience how living history is presented in a setting different from their own.