Holloway School
"St. John's sloped towards the harbour like a great bowl with uneven sides.
By Ev's school there was a sharp drop, almost a cliff beside the road. The
school was built against this, and Ev could enter the third floor here, but
the playground and the first floor were far below. "
Catch Me Once, Catch
Me Twice
Although it is never named, the school that Peter and Evelyn attend
in Catch Me Once, Catch Me Twice is Holloway School. This photo shows
the school as it looked around the time of the First World War. The school
is the building on the far left-hand side of the photo. Behind Holloway
School, you can see the spire of the Presbyterian church, the Kirk. The street
in the centre of the photo is Long's Hill. The church that appears to be
at the bottom of Long's Hill is the Anglican cathedral. In the distance,
you can see St. John's harbour and the Narrows, leading out to the open sea.
Holloway School was built against a high rock
face. It could be entered on the bottom floor from the playground on
the Long's Hill side at the front of the building, or from Military Road
on the top floor at the back. In the 1940s, Holloway School was one of
the few co-educational elementary schools in St. John's. Most schools
were for boys or girls only. Like all schools in Newfoundland until the
1990s, it was run by churches. Holloway School was run by the United and
Presbyterian churches.
The school was built in the 1860s, but completely
renovated after a fire gutted the interior in 1925. In 1926, the school
reopened, with a new assembly hall, Pitts Memorial Hall, beside it. You
can see Pitts Memorial Hall near the front left-hand side of this photo.
It's the building with the ladder on the roof. Holloway School was
closed in 1979, and torn down in the early 1980s. Today, there is only a
vacant lot where Holloway School and Pitts Memorial Hall once stood. The
Kirk still stands beside the site.
To Find Out More
If you live in St. John's, you should be able
to find someone who went to Holloway School in your neighbourhood or family.
The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador
has an article on Holloway School.
This is the site of Holloway School as it looks today.
