The history of Upper Canada College (UCC), located in Toronto, Ontario, began with its founding in 1829.
Founding
Upper Canada College was founded in 1829 by the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada at that time, Major-General Sir John Colborne (later Lord Seaton), to serve as a feeder school to the newly established King's College (later the University of Toronto). It was modelled on the great public schools of Britain, most notably Eton.Upper Canada College, 1829-1979: Colborne's Legacy; Howard, Richard; Macmillan Company of Canada, 1979Upper Canada College: History Though now a private school, the college was created with public funds including an initial land grant of 6,000 acres of crown lands, later supplemented with an additional 60,000 acres. An announcement of the college's January opening appeared in the December 17, 1829, edition of the Canada Gazette, and teaching at the college began on January 4, 1830, with 57 students; the first boy enrolled being Henry Scadding. By the end of the school's first semester, the enrolment had increased to 89. By the end of the first year of operation, UCC had admitted 140 pupils and employed a principal and eight masters.
Prior to 1829, the college was called the Royal Grammar School; its first permanent buildings stood on Russell Square, on land that is now bounded by King, Simcoe, Adelaide and John Streets in downtown Toronto. Almost immediately after the college opened, plans were implemented for newer and more permanent buildings, and the 1831 school year began in new structures at the north-west corner of King and Simcoe Streets (now 212 King Street West).
The new school was praised by some; the Reverend Thomas Radcliffe stated in an 1833 letter: "Future generations will bless the memory of Sir John Colborne, who, to the many advantages derived from the equity and wisdom of his government, has added that of a magnificent foundation [in Upper Canada College] for the purposes of literary instruction. The lowest salary of any of the professors of this institution is £30 per annum, with the accommodation of a noble brick house and the privilege of taking boarders at £50 per annum."Education In Upper Canada From 1783 To 1844; 1912 However, the costs of the new buildings, combined with the large staff and their high salaries, led to criticism of the college and its expenses. In his publication Colonial Advocate, William Lyon Mackenzie stated: "The College here at York in Upper Canada is most extravagantly endowed... thousands of pounds are realised at will by its self-constituted managers from the sale of school lots and school lands [in fact, not true]... splendid incomes given to masters... and dwellings furnished to the professors... by the sweat of the brow of the Canadian labourer."Mackenzie, William Lyon; Colonial Advocate, May 19, 1831 In 1837, UCC's student militia offered help to Sir Francis Bond Head's Family Compact government in suppressing Mackenzie's pro-responsible government Upper Canada Rebellion. In 1852, Mackenzie's sons, William and George, were enrolled at UCC.
University control On March 4, 1837, the King's College charter was amended to take UCC in under the control of the university, with the principal to be appointed by the King, and the vice-principal and masters nominated by the Chancellor of King's College (the Lieutenant-Governor) at the approval of the King's College Council.
In 1838, UCC was searching for a new principal and asked the Archbishop of Canterbury William Howley for a suggestion. John McCaul was put forward. He accepted and took the post on 29 January 1839.
In 1842, Charles Dickens visited the college and said of it: "a sound education in every department of polite learning can be had, at a very moderate expense... It has pretty good endowments in the way of land, and is a valuable and useful institution."Dickens, Charles; American Notes. Cited in The College Times, Summer 1910, pg. 30.
By 1887, despite an enrolment of 300 that was quickly outgrowing the 1831 buildings, UCC came close to closing its doors when a Liberal provincial government, which supported university federation and saw the college's endowment and downtown campus as sources of funds for such an expensive venture, came to power. That year a Notice of Motion was introduced to the Legislature by a Liberal Member named Waters: "in the opinion of this House the time has come when Upper Canada College should be abolished... as the instruction given in the College can be obtained in any well conducted high school in the province,"John D. Robart's Research Library, University of Toronto, Newspaper Hansard, March 12, 1887. adding that the college's real estate should go to the province. In reaction to this, a group of Old Boys met, along with letters of support from various alumni, including Lieutenant Governor John Beverley Robinson, in an effort to stop the closing of the college. The meeting ended with a unanimous motion that the group's views be laid before the government. The story was covered widely in the papers of the time, with the Evening Telegram being most supportive, the Globe taking a more moderate stance, and the News criticizing the existence of the school. In the end, after much negotiation, a decision was reached to detach the school from King's College after fifty years of affiliation, and to operate it under the guidance of five trustees appointed by the Minister of Education. The college was also to be relocated to an area outside of the city, though this provision was not included in the statute.
Move
On July 3, 1891, the bell at the Russell Square campus rang for the last time, and on August 29, a farewell cricket game was played. The Upper Canada College Old Boys' Association was created on the same day.Upper Canada College association UCC then moved to its current site, the Deer Park campus (), 200 Lonsdale Road at Avenue Road in Forest Hill, with the doors being officially opened on October 14, 1891.
U.C.C. march for piano composed by J. Bedford Campbell is the Upper Canada College march and two-step. The music was published in Toronto; New York; Chicago by W.F. Shaw Pub. Co., circa 1896.Upper Canada College march and two-step http://amicus.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ourl/c.php?id=5364138&l=eng&s=amicus
In 1902, a separate Preparatory School was built at the south edge of the campus, creating two physically separate schools.
World Wars More than 400 graduates perished during both the First and Second World Wars, the first being Lt. C. Gordon Mackenzie of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, on October 24, 1914. By the end of WWI, 176 Old Boys were dead.Howard, Richard; Upper Canada College, 1829-1979: Colborne's Legacy; Macmillan Company of Canada, 1979; Pg. 173
One year later the Upper Canada College ambulance was presented to the forces, and was delivered to France at the beginning of 1916. By May the next year the vehicle had travelled almost three thousand miles, and carried five thousand wounded men.
The outbreak of the Second World War saw the college lose a number of its best masters, although the majority were too old to join and remained behind at the school. UCC welcomed a large number of war refugees; by May 1941 there were ninety seven. The increasing number led to some concern amongst the board of governors, as these students were not paying tuition. A war chest was also started for the purpose of sending packages to Old Boys, and help support the children of Old Boys killed or wounded in battle.Howard, Richard; Upper Canada College, 1829-1979: Colborne's Legacy; Macmillan Company of Canada, 1979
Historian Jack Granatstein, in his book The Generals, demonstrated that UCC graduates accounted for more than 30% of Canadian generals during the Second World War, including General Harry Crerar, general officer commanding-in-chief of the First Canadian Army, and Major-General Bruce Matthews, general officer commanding the 2nd Canadian Division and later chairman of the college's board of governors. In total, 26 Old Boys achieved brigadier rank or higher in WWII.Killbourn, William; Toronto Remembered; Soddart Publishing, Toronto; 1984; Pg. 168
Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor), was in 1920 appointed as UCC's official visitor, at the Prince's request. The College Times wrote at the time:
It will be a great pleasure to all to hear that the HRH the Prince of Wales has expressed a wish to be given the fine old English title of visitor of this school. HRH met so many 'Old Boys' while [fighting in the First World War] that, when he made his visit to Canada last year, he instituted special inquiries about the previous history of the College. Finding that the title existed, he has thus honored us by becoming 'Visitor of Upper Canada College' [...] The gracious offer of the Prince places the position on a still higher plane and it makes us all feel a lot prouder of the grand old College to which we belong.
Edward was removed from the post when he abdicated the Canadian throne in 1936.
In 1923 The War Book of Upper Canada College was published, commemorating each Old Boy who served in the "Great War" of 1914–1918. Those who gave their lives are contained in a separate section.The War Book of Upper Canada College; Toronto (1914-1919); Published 1923 There are also two gilt boards in the college's main foyer that commemorate the names of the dead, one for each World War.
Vincent Massey's influence During the time Sowby was principal, Vincent Massey rekindled his interest in the college and, during his time as governor general, often discussed the college's circumstances with Sowby. They worked together to bring in distinguished guests to address the students and/or inspect the college. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent laid a cornerstone for the college's Memorial WingUpper Canada College: Then & Now and Field Marshal the Viscount Montgomery inspected the cadets, declaring them "the best cadet corps he had encountered in his career." It was also during this time that the office of visitor was revived when Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was appointed to it.Killbourn, William; Toronto Remembered; Soddart Publishing, Toronto; 1984
UCC's chapel was built in the early 1950s, funded by Massey and dedicated to his wife, Alice Parkin, who was the daughter of UCC principal George Parkin. Sowby had a piece of the altar cloth used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II donated for use in the chapel, and the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral gave marble from the ruins of the parts of the structure destroyed by bombing during WWII.
During one of Massey's visits to UCC, as Sowby was guiding the party through the main quadrangle, two ladies spotted the letters "F-U-C-K" chalked upside down on the bricks below one of the main tower windows. Massey stated "it looks like Russian to me," but after donning his glasses, realised what it said, and assured the principal that these things happened in the best of schools. The offending students, both 14-year-olds, owned up to the crime, and were ordered to write an apology to the Governor General. Massey immediately responded to them.Killbourn, William; Toronto Remembered; Soddart Publishing, Toronto; 1984; Pg. 186-187
Building crisis The college faced a crisis at the end of the 1950s when it was discovered that the 1891 main building was decaying rapidly due to poor construction; cracks were appearing throughout, pipes split, and doors frames warped to the point where doors could no longer be opened or closed. Due to fear that the tower would collapse the building was condemned and evacuated by March 12, 1958;Principal Jim Power, Founder's Day Assembly, Feb. 2, 2006 faculty offices were moved to the Prep building, the infirmary, and any other spare spaces, including the principal's residence, Grant House. Classes were conducted in portables.