Written By Carol Small, Middlesex Centre Archives
What you are about to read is a story about a community-inspired project… and forethought and planning, or the lack there of.
Ilderton had a bit of different route in achieving secondary education. It was a road filled with pot holes. On January 7, 1921, a group of interested citizens met at the home of Walter Douglas to consider establishing a continuation school in Ilderton. Schools involved were S. S. 4 (Corner 12 Mile Road and Denfield Road), S. S.7 (Telfer School) and S. S. 8 (Hughes’ School). The Board received permission from the Deputy Minister for a school, but where to put it? They considered the IOOF Hall but they were not interested. The other was the Lorne House, a former hotel (“A Little of The Top” and Floral Temptations). The owner wanted to sell his property. After inspecting the property, the Board purchased it for a $200 down-payment and two equal annual $400 installments at 5½% interest. Then came the news that the Lorne House was sold. The Board had purchased it but not paid for it. They purchased property from Fletcher Charlton (Active Chiropractic) for $1400. They also rented land and stables from J. H. McRae (King Edward) but not before discovering the land was already promised to the Bowling Club. At first McRae was going to give the land stables to the Board free of charge but relented and charged $10 annually. The mode of student transportation was horseback or horse and buggy, sleigh or cutter. Shelter was needed for the students’ transportation. The Trustees were so proud of their accomplishments they erected a sign “Ilderton Continuation School” on the building.
In December 1922, the school had 32 students. It was so crowded, the Board turned away out-of-area students. In 1924, the Inspector condemned the school. The Board had to provide new quarters in a year or lose their grants. In 1925, the Presbyterian Church was for sale and the Board wanted to purchase it, but no deal. The same from a Mrs. Burnette. In 1926, the London Township Agricultural Society sold one quarter acre to the School Board for $400 and leased another 3 acres to the School Board for a playground for a 50-year term for $5 per year. Construction started but the Board discovered the School was land-locked. They purchased another 25-foot stretch of land to give them access to the School.
On January 14th, 1927, the School opened. There were two classrooms upstairs, two downstairs with a furnace room, and upstairs the Principal’s Office occupied by Mr. Morris from 1929 to school closure. Some of the teachers were Elsie Caverhll, Jetta Mark, Myrtle Foster, Ruby Bell and Marjorie Armstrong.
In 1927, the Society agreed to permit the Continuation School Board to erect a stable on the southeast corner of the grounds providing the fair board could use it on fair days for horses. But it still needed some place to put the buggies. The Board agreed to gravel and maintain the Presbyterian laneway and in return the students could park their buggies in the Church sheds. In 1928, the Board made another “deal”. The Board agreed to supply the new arena with hydro and in return, the students could skate for free at recesses and noon hour. The students had no gym but they could skate.
By 1949, with the advent of bus transportation, the biggest barrier to rural higher education, was finally conquered. The East Middlesex Board of Education was formed. Under them, Medway High School, opened in 1949, and the Continuation School closed as a secondary school.
In February 1950, the school gained a new life as an elementary school, S. S. # 29, for the students of the village. The school closed in 1960 when Oxbow School opened. The Board sold the building and its land back to the London Township Agricultural Society that made it their headquarters. In January 1966, a room was rented to the Middlesex County Library and Ilderton had its first library that was not in someone’s home. That closed when the new library was built, and the room became storage for the Fair. After meeting in several locations from members homes to the Masonic Hall, The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 531 rented rooms from the Ilderton Agricultural Society.
For the School that almost wasn’t, this old building can tell many stories. It can teach some lessons too such as planning to avoid pitfalls, and how community-inspired perseverance and determination do get you where you want to go.
