The Village House

The History

Dora Drinkwater was a much loved Denman Islander, who lived in the corner house next to the General Store for 50 years. Widowed in 1949, she worked hard to support her family, clerking in the stores, delivering the mail, taking in boarders and raising tomatoes for the commercial market.

She loved books and started a lending library, which has continued through the years and is known today as the Dora Drinkwater Library. In 2001, she left the Island for health reasons and passed away in May of 2004.

Her house, in its central location in Downtown Denman Island, has been a landmark in the community for many years. It has now been restored and today is the home of the Denman Island Arts Centre.

The Village House Project

Early in 2004, when Dora's house went on the market, a group of Denman Island residents purchased the old farmhouse (circa 1908) to save it from impending demolition. The house had been neglected for many years and was in poor repair.

The group incorporated as the Village House Project, and over the next two years, the members devoted much of their time and resources to bringing the heritage building back to life.

The house was raised to allow construction of a new foundation, a new roof was put on and windows were replaced. The old porch, visible in archival photos, but long since removed, was reconstructed, restoring much of the original charm and adding to the usable space. The interior of the house was reconfigured to make it more usable for community use.

The Denman Island Arts Centre

As the renovation neared completion, Arts Denman moved to rent the space to accommodate an arts facility, and the plan to create the Denman Island Arts Centre was born.

After many meetings and many hours of volunteer effort, the Arts Centre opened its doors to the public in May of 2006.

With the assistance of generous sponsors, Arts Denman launched its first season's programming - a series of weekend arts workshops, featuring well-known local and visiting instructors.

The long-awaited facility is filling up quickly - studio groups in watercolour, life drawing and dance, drop in summer yoga classes, and plans for fall art courses in a variety of disciplines.

Who knows what the future will hold!