Purcell's Cove, Herring Cove
Purcell's Cove is a community within the Halifax Regional Municipality, on the west side
of Halifax Harbour from the Northwest Arm to Ferguson's Cove along Route 253. Purcell's Cove is named after Bill Purcell who ferried people to and from Halifax in the 1940s.
Off Purcell’s Cove Rd, on the Northwest Arm, a 95-acre park with four natural habitats (woodlands, heath barren, salt water and pond), walking trails, the Dingle Tower with bronze lions at the foot, a sandy beach (unsupervised swimming), a wharf and a boat launch. Sir Sandford Fleming, creator of Standard Time Zones, donated the park to Halifax in 1908. The Dingle Tower was dedicated in 1912 to commemorate 150 years of representative government.
Along the harbourside of Purcells Cove Road is some of the most expensive waterfront real estate in the Halifax.
Purcells Cove Road is also home of the St. Georges Greek Orthodox Church and Community Centre. Each year a growing Greek festival is hosted in June drawing in thousands of visitors to the neighbourhood.
Herring Cove is a suburban fishing community in Halifax Regional Municipality. It is situated on the eastern shore of the Chebucto Peninsula, 15 kilometres south of Downtown Halifax. It is near the western approaches to Halifax Harbour, and can be reached both via Purcell's
Cove along the coastal road and from inland via the Herring Cove Road through Spryfield.
The present name may have been incorrectly attributed to either the surname of early settlers, or the abundance of herring in the cove. Today, Herring Cove's economy is dictated not so much by the fishery (although this is still active: a narrow but relatively deep natural harbour makes a fine place to shelter fishing boats, and there is a government and many private wharves), but by its proximity to the HRM's urban core. Several subdivisions have been built in recent decades (since about 1980), leading to the decision by the Halifax Regional Water Commission in February 2007 to extend municipal water and sanitary sewage service to the area.
ELEMENTARY
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John W. MacLeod - Fleming Tower Elem.: Grades PP – 6, including French Immersion
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William King Elementary: Grades PP – 6
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Elizabeth Sutherland School: Grades PP – 9, including French Immersion
JUNIOR HIGH
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Herring Cove Junior High: Grades 7 – 9, including French Immersion
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Cunard Junior High: Grades 7 – 9
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Elizabeth Sutherland School: Grades PP – 9, including French Immersion
HIGH SCHOOL
- J.L. Ilsley High: Grades 10 – 12, including French Immersion
In nearby Spryfield, The Captain William Spry Community Centre, contains a swimming pool, library, community meeting rooms, basketball and soccer field, basketball and tennis courts, skate park, and skating rink.
Long Lake Provincial Park is much loved by residents for its natural beauty, including stunning waterfalls, and walking/hiking trails. The heavily forested area also makes it an excellent location for berry picking and bird watching. The areas many lakes are used for both swimming and non-motorized boating in the summer months.
Situated high on a bluff, York Redoubt National Historic Site is a 1793 defensive fortress which offers educational displays & water views.
Purcells Cove is home to the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. RYNSYS offers instructional programs and on water activities for all ages. The clubhouse is well known for the social activities hosted for both members and non-members.
There are several hiking trails in the community; one begins at 'Hayes's garden's' (accessible from the coast road leading to Purcell's Cove) to "The Monument" and has become a popular place to picnic, and features a splendid view of the Atlantic. This area is N.S. Provincial Park land. At the highest point on the cliffs (30 metres above sea level), there are two stone monuments constructed of granite boulders in memory of George Brown, a Canadian and Olympic rowing athlete. The look-off also affords a panoramic view of the entrance to Halifax Harbour north to Halifax and east to Eastern Passage.
