Description of Historic Place

Located near the highway, this former one-room school house is a one storey building with wooden shingles and a gable roof. A series of three rectangular windows are located on the south facade and four on the west facade. A slightly hipped roof porch extends across the east elevation.

Heritage Value

The Brudenell Community Centre is valued as an example of a former one-room rural school house in Prince Edward Island and for its importance to the community of Brudenell.

The Lake Map of PEI indicates that a school was on this site as early as 1869. This was located on property then owned by D. Stewart. Eventually, this building became too small to accommodate all of the students and the current building was constructed. For a period of time, the children used to walk between the two schools for their classes, until the older building was eventually torn down.

School consolidation in 1972 led to this school closing. The Trustees of the Montague Consolidated School District then turned the building over to the Community Improvement Committee who have used it as a community hall ever since. A large sign is displayed on the exterior of the building listing the names of the many teachers who taught at the Brudenell School. The interior still features the blackboard and teacher's desk at the front of the room.

One of the more prominent graduates of the school was Dr. Malcolm B. Dockerty, a medical pathologist who once worked at the Mayo Clinic.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 File #: 4310-20/TR35

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the building is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the one storey massing
- the wood frame and wood shingle cladding
- the gable roof
- the three rectangular windows of the south elevation
- the four rectangular windows of the west elevation
- the hipped roof porch extending across the east elevation
- the small porch on the west elevation
- the exterior sign listing former teachers at the school