Description of Historic Place

The Strawberry Vale Schoolhouse is a one-storey wood-frame building, at the corner of Hastings Street and Rosedale Avenue, in the Carey area of Saanich.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Strawberry Vale Schoolhouse is associated with the long-term development of its neighbourhood. Carey lies in the southwest portion of Saanich, and was first settled in the early 1850s by Hudson's Bay Company officials and farm settlers from Britain. The coming of the B.C. Electric Interurban Railway through the area in 1912 spawned wild land speculation and the development of the Marigold subdivision. Other subdivisions of farmland occurred as early as the 1890s, in the boom years of the late 1940s and the 1950s, and have continued up to the present day. Carey is now predominantly suburban, and this school is a reminder of its pioneer origins.

Built in 1893, Strawberry Vale Schoolhouse is valued as one of the oldest extant schoolhouses in Canada and the oldest functioning schoolhouse in the Greater Victoria school district. This typical and classic example of a nineteenth century western Canadian schoolhouse serves as an outstanding physical reminder of the importance of education to the pioneers who built the community. It is also an excellent example of the typical one-room schoolhouse design provided by the provincial Department of Lands and Works, that facilitated the growth of the educational system in rural communities. Typical of the mandated school design, the windows are banked to allow natural light; originally only the top sashes were hung, as per provincial specifications.

Strawberry Vale Schoolhouse is valued as a representation of early education in Saanich and plays a significant role in the community. Members of the community donated time, labour and funds to bring the school into good repair. The importance of this building in this neighbourhood is reflected in its excellent state of repair, intact nineteenth century vernacular architectural elements, and its prominent position on its lot. It is significant that the school still serves its original educational function, over a century after its construction.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, District of Saanich

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Strawberry Vale School include its:
- regular form, modest scale, and rectangular massing
- hipped roof
- symmetrical facade, drop siding with corner boards, bracketed gable and drop finial above the entrance
- tall, narrow Late Victorian wooden-sash single-hung windows with horns on the bottom of the top sashes