Description du lieu patrimonial

Inverholme School is a one-storey, one room wood-frame schoolhouse. It has been relocated to Deas Island Regional Park, along with the Delta Agricultural Hall and Burrvilla, and is now situated adjacent to large grassed expanses and a mixed canopy of deciduous and coniferous trees, with views towards the Fraser River.

Valeur patrimoniale

This typical example of an early twentieth century western Canadian one room schoolhouse serves as an outstanding physical reminder of the importance of education to the pioneers who built this community. It is an example of the standard one-room design provided by the Provincial Department of Public Works, that facilitated the growth of the educational system in rural communities. This practical and functional design was easy and inexpensive to execute and was notable for its separate boys' and girls' entrances and boxy form. Typical of mandated school policy, the windows are banked along one side to allow natural light but left sufficient wall space on the other side for educational purposes. It was built in 1909 for the Delta Municipal School Board by contractor Hector Campbell at a cost of $1,290.

Furthermore, the relocation history of the Inverholme School reflects the development of Delta. It was originally located on 72 Street about a mile south of Ladner Trunk Road. It remained in operation there only until 1926, by which time it had been outgrown. When Alex D. Paterson sold a large portion of his land to the federal government for the development of the Boundary Bay Airport, the old schoolhouse was moved north, adjacent to the Paterson farm, 'Inverholme', from which its current name is derived. In 1982, it was moved to Deas Island Regional Park and restored to its original character.

Additionally, the heritage value of the Inverholme School lies in its interior and exterior preservation as an illustration of early education in Delta. It stands as a reflection of the community's commitment to the preservation of its heritage, and is an important facility for the interpretation of local history. It was designated as a municipal heritage site in 1983.

Source: Delta Heritage Planning Files

Éléments caractéristiques

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Inverholme School include its:
- institutional form, scale and massing as expressed in its rectangular one-room schoolhouse plan
- pyramidal roof with lower front-gabled roof over entry
- wood-frame construction clad with wooden drop siding and cornerboards
- additional exterior elements such as: separate boys and girls' entrances; original panelled exterior doors with hardware; internal red brick chimney and central roof ventilator
- fenestration: banked row of double-hung 6-over-6 wooden-sash windows; double-hung 2-over-2 wooden-sash windows at entry; and 4-paned awning-swing wooden-sash windows at rear
- interior features: original spatial configuration with high ceilings, multi-panelled doors and fir floors; cloak room at entry with floor to ceiling tongue-and-groove panelling and brick hearth with a hanging red brick chimney; and single large open class room with vertical tongue-and-groove wainscoting