Description of Historic Place

South Bay School, completed in ca. 1929, is a small wood-frame building on a schoolyard property northwest of Winnipegosis near Lake Winnipegosis. The municipal designation applies to the one-storey building and its grounds.

Heritage Value

The modest, compact South Bay School, with its gable roof and unassuming wood siding, is a well-executed rendering of a popular Manitoba Department of Education one-room-school plan from the 1920s. Such plans specified simple buildings, usually of domestic proportions, styling and materials, containing well-lit classrooms with high ceilings. The intact South Bay School interior also features a corner room designed for science activities, superior ventilation through a variety of windows and ample cloakroom space. Prominent on its grounds near the main local highway, its original purpose unmistakable, this building still sees use for community picnics and special events.

Source: Rural Municipality of Mossey River By-law No. 4/95, August 10, 1995

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the South Bay School site include:
- its rural location on Highway 20 near Winnipegosis hay and pasture land, sheltered by a heavy growth of trees on its east side
- the building situated close to the road, facing south from the spacious schoolyard, with a flagpole to the southeast and outhouses to the northeast

Key exterior elements that define the school's standardized design include:
- the compact rectangular massing, one storey high, of wood-frame construction on a concrete foundation, with a side gable roof that extends into a catslide roof over the entrance porch
- the simple materials and finishes, including the horizontal wood siding in a light colour with white-painted trim, the wood shingles, brick chimney, etc.
- the abundant fenestration featuring a south-facing bank of tall rectangular sash windows, with transoms at each end, wood surrounds and a continuous sill, supplemented by single openings on the east side, etc.

Key elements that define the school's well-appointed and functional interior include:
- the side-entrance plan with a modest porch, cloakroom space and single classroom with a small science room in the northeast corner
- the roomy space enhanced by a high ceiling and ample natural light
- the attractive woodwork in a dark-stained finish, notable on the interior entrance door with its multi-paned glazing, the wainscotting and ample trim
- other materials and finishes such as the fibreboard wall and ceiling panels, the exposed brick chimney and stovepipe, the wood floor, etc.
- fixtures such as the oil lamp suspended from the ceiling, the cloakroom shelving and coat hooks, functioning window hardware, chalkboards, etc.