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Written by Shelly Sanders Greer
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Tuesday, 15 April 2008 15:13 |
Linbrook Public School, built in 1933
1079 Linbrook Road
Oakville, Ontario L6J 2L2
Owned and operated by the Halton Board of Education
On behalf of past, present and future students and residents in southeast Oakville, I would like to nominate Linbrook Public School for a Heritage designation, as it meets both the architectural and historical requirements laid out in the Ontario Heritage Act.
At the opening of Linbrook Public School on January 28, 1933, it was hailed by the Minister of Education as “the finest rural school in the province.” George F. Rogers, chief director of education in Ontario, said, “There is much to be said in favour of the one-roomed rural school. The pupils have an opportunity for independent work that develops an originality that children of a graded school miss.”
What sets Linbrook apart from any other school in the province, and possibly Canada, is the building itself. Designed by George Molesworth, from Molesworth, Secord and Savage in Toronto, who specialized in home architecture, Linbrook has an attractive, welcoming portico, often seen in homes but rarely in schools. The unique triangular roof and two columns on either side, make Linbrook an architectural gem. As well, there are unusually high ceilings and a glass wall, which are not found in modern schools.
The other irreplaceable part of Linbrook is the three and a half acre wooded property on which the school stands. Not only can students learn from the natural habitat that surrounds them, but the community has a park with mature trees that can never be replaced. Carolyn Caughey, who attended the school in 1960 for five years, remembers looking at “the amazing collection of carved initials in the woods behind the school, sometimes with dates in the 1940’s.”
Historically, Linbrook has played an important role as a school and as a centre of community life. In 1934, a dramatics club was formed by the residents of the school district, and it rapidly became a meeting house for residents. Social evenings were held every two weeks with speakers, music, games and dancing.
During World War II, 17 members of Linbrook school volunteered for active service with Canada’s forces. The names of these brave young students need to be recorded:
Sidney Bird Norton Donovan Jane Gairdner Lloyd Green
William Cook William Erwin Peggy Gairdner Frances McCudden
William Dando Joseph Ewing Howard Gill John McCudden
James Donovan John Gairdner Donald Greer Ronald Pickup
Peter Taylor
Many former teachers and students at Linbrook fondly recall their days at this school, which has gone from a one-room school for grades 1 to 8, to two rooms, to five classrooms, to 13 classrooms and an auditorium, which was added on in 1955 in a style that fit the original building. Sandra Post, one of Canada’s most accomplished professional golfers, attended Linbrook from 1953 to 1961. “We were all really good athletes,” says Post. “We had mixed baseball teams and were really competitive. On Saturdays, we had track and field meets. The Victoria Day Fireworks at Linbrook were huge. It was a much safer time. We all knew each other, walked home together, and went to everyone’s birthday parties. And unfortunately we took all the trees and property for granted.”
Lois McDougall, who taught at Linbrook in 1945 for two years, loved teaching mixed grades. “I had gone to a rural school myself, so I liked having three grades. We planted trees in the back and I did the music for the school. For me as a beginning teacher it was the best place I could have been.”
Today Linbrook has more students than ever, and is a successful French Immersion school that continues to excel in music and sports. It is in excellent condition structurally, and a report done a few years ago showed that Linbrook could handle a second storey addition. As its popularity as a school continues to increase, there will be more pressure to either keep adding portables, a second storey, or move the students to a new school in the north end.
It is imperative that Linbrook continue to operate as a school, so that it becomes a working museum. It is also essential that any addition be done with the historical architecture in mind, so that it remains architecturally significant. Two other buildings in Oakville—the RayDor Estate (1937) and 216 Lakeshore Rd. East (1939)—were built after Linbrook and have already been designated as Heritage properties. As Linbrook Public School gets ready to celebrate its 75th birthday on September 28, it must be designated as a Heritage Building. This would be the best birthday present the Town of Oakville could give to the school and the residents of the area.
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