Balmoral Hall School was established in 1901 as Havergal College. It was formally incorporated via Letters Patent under the Manitoba Joint Stock Companies Act in on 9 April 1902 and held an initial capital stock of $50,000. Its founding partners were Samuel Pritchard Matheson, Edward Lancaster Drewry, William Redford Mulock, John V. Aird, John Thomas Blundell Persse, Frederick William Stobart, Martha Jane Dalton, Henry Samuel Crotty, Andrew Strang, and James Robert Jones. Located in Winnipeg, the doors were opened on 122 Carlton Street under the direction of Mary Jane Dalton. Its name was changed in September 1915 to Rupert’s Land Ladies College Limited (shortened to Rupert’s Land College) to end the confusion with an institution of the same name in Toronto.
Aikins House was gifted to the United Church of Canada by J. A. M. Aikins upon his death in 1929. He stipulated in his will that it be used as a school for girls, and bequeathed a further amount for its upkeep. Aikins’ son, G. H. Aikins, also presented his own home (the Red House) to the school. As a result, Riverbend School for Girls, named after the first building, was opened in September 1929 at the present site of Balmoral Hall School.
By 1950, a decline in students had created deficits at both schools. Rupert’s Land Carlton Street facility did not allow for expansion, so it was agreed that the schools would amalgamate to the Riverbend campus. The new school was named Balmoral Hall after Balmoral Castle in Scotland, one of the homes of Britain’s Royal Family. School began in September 1950, under the direction of Gwendolyn Murrell-Wright.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Balmoral Hall (630 Westminster Avenue, Winnipeg)
Winnipeg Historic Buildings Conservation List (J. A. M. Aikins Residence)
Companies Office corporation documents (CCA 0059), 17H - Havergal Ladies College, GR6427, Archives of Manitoba.
We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 6 September 2020
