Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

panelled, watched piece after piece arriving—beautiful bits, from years long gone—an old chest, a gate-leg table, great comfortable chesterfields and arm-chairs. We had looked upon the Old Girls unpacking books and books, watched the books being catalogued and numbered, and put onto the shelves … but I think that it was only on the night of the opening, when we saw the room with the firelight gleaming on the dark henna-coloured curtains, bringing out the colour of the Persian rugs, and the deep dark gold, the blue and green of the cushions, playing on the backs of the books and lighting up the portrait of Miss Knox opposite the fireplace, that we realized the full beauty, dignity, and spaciousness of the room. It is the fulfilment of a dream, that room … Havergal: Celebrating a Century notes that the library “was said to have the best collection of books for young people in Toronto. It also had a closed cupboard at the end of the room containing books that were given only to senior students.”

The Ellen Knox Library

Three months after the opening of the school in 1926, there was another landmark event: the official opening of the Ellen Knox Library, a gift from the Old Girls’ Association, which was founded by Havergal’s first principal. As Havergal: Celebrating a Century 14 tells us, the idea for this Old Girls’ project was formed when the school received a rich legacy of books from the estate of Miss Knox. The fundraising goal was $10,000, and the Juniors added $300 from mite boxes (containers designed to hold donated coins). Staff and students also made donations, and Old Girls financed the furnishing of the library. Marian Wood, the school’s second principal, detailed the challenges 15 : Day by day we had watched the library grow, seen the special blocks picked for its floor, seen its walls being

Ellen Knox Library.

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