Kensington, Prince Edward Island

History

The area was first known as Five Lanes End, as roads from five different communities converged at the point. It was renamed Barrett's Cross in 1824 after an early settler who established an inn in the area. In 1862, the town was renamed after Kensington Palace in London and it became a town after the Prince Edward Island Railway's mainline from Charlottetown to Summerside curved through the community. The town's former railyards are now rehabilitated as a tourist venue, with the former Kensington Railway Station designed by architect Charles Benjamin Chappell designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1976.

Events

Aside from being a service centre for the surrounding farming areas, Kensington hosts many notable events throughout the year. These include the Kensington Harvest Festival, Miss Community Gardens pageant, and many more.

Education

Kensington has schools from Preschool to Secondary. It is part of the English Language School Board (formerly part of the Western School Board) District of schools. At the Preschool level there are numerous organizations such as Fun Times Kindergarten, Play School, Happy Days Playschool, and Kiddietown Day Care.

Kensington has one elementary school, Queen Elizabeth Elementary. Opened on December 3, 1976, Queen Elizabeth teaches grades 1 through 6. The school has two playgrounds, the front playground being used for grades 1 through 3 and the back playground for grades 4 through 6. The school contains a music room, gymnasium, French room, and library. Many extracurricular activities are offered to students, such as intramurals, choir, chess club, photography club and more.

It is home to Kensington Intermediate Senior High School.