Clayburn Village

Several weeks ago, Martin & I met up with my mom and explored Clayburn Village, BC's first working town. In a word? Love, so much love! It's such an adorable and charming spot + I'm excited to visit again this summer. My parents bought a home not far from there and I'm thrilled it's just a hop, skip, jump for us! Also you may have read in my last post that life is a little nuts right now, but later this summer, Martin & I are taking two months off and I can't wait to go on countless trips and share them with you!

First up, is the The Village Store which was built in 1912 and sold everything from groceries to life insurance. It also served an important function as a neighbourly gathering spot! Today, it's been lovingly restored and continues to serve the community as a store, tea room, confectionery and deli. Then it was off to Clayburn School which was built in 1907-1908. The school features banked windows for abundant natural light and the surroundings couldn't be more idyllic. Originally it was built as a one-room schoolhouse, however soon after it was enlarged and in 1925 a basement was added, along with plumbed washrooms. The last year of classes was 1983. Then in 1991 it was purchased by the Clayburn Village Society and now features artifacts & photos, and acts as an informal museum.

I also fell head-over-heels for Clayburn church. Interestingly, the church differs from other brick structures in the Village both in its traditional style of architecture and construction. The walls of the building are formed by two independently stretcher laid walls with a four-inch space between, typically this type of construction was most common in Britain. In 1978, Clayburn Church was restored by the MSA Heritage Society and is now a protected provincial heritage site. Thanks for reading! xo