Description of Historic Place

The Old New Town School is a one-and-a-half storey wooden structure, simple in design and rectangular in form with a protruding enclosed porch. The building is located in the New Town area of Lunenburg, NS, with substantial green space surrounding the building. Designation covers both the building and the surrounding land.

Heritage Value

The Old New Town School is valued as a reminder of the era of one-room school houses in Nova Scotia. These schools were eventually supplanted by the Academy system, a new academic system implemented province-wide, and consequently the Lunenburg Academy replaced this building. The building was built in 1883 and remains in excellent condition. It retains many original features, including the windows and entrance. The school remains in use by the modern Lunenburg High School located across the road as extra classroom space, making it a rare example of continuous use of a one-room school building from the nineteenth century to the present day.

Source: Heritage Designation File 66400-40-53, Town of Lunenburg.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Old New Town School relate to its architecture and use as an educational facility, and include:

- original enclosed porch, with transom and sidelight windows, and original six-over-six windows;
- simple, symmetrical design, augmented by a steeply pitched gable roof, cornerboards, and simply detailed fascia and eaves;
- location at a central junction in New Town with green space surrounding the building on all sides;
- interior layout of the building into two classrooms reflecting its continued use as an education facility.