The Original School Building
Located on H. T. Ravenhill’s property, this building was originally built in 1913 and run as The Dene School for Girls (Dene means Valley). In March or April of 1916, Christopher Windley Lonsdale, who was the manager of the Strathcona Lodge Hotel and tutoring in the area, took over the failing Dene School and reopened it under the name Shawnigan Lake Preparatory School on April 27, 1916. The building was a three-storey structure about 60 feet square, containing a kitchen, dining room, dormitories, classrooms and an office. There was no indoor plumbing or electricity. The original schoolhouse sat where the Head’s office sits today, at the east end of the Main Building, and the affiliated property comprised 2.5 heavily treed acres.
In that first year, there were eight students. Two of these students were sisters who had attended the Dene School and were allowed to attend Lonsdale’s School until they could be reunited with their family. Initially, there were four staff: C. W. Lonsdale was the Headmaster and a teacher; Miss Mable Lonsdale (Christopher’s older sister) was a teacher; a matron; and a cook. The boy standing in front of the building is V. Jones.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and in consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
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The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and in consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
