Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Tour of Osgoode Hall

Yesterday I went to Osgoode Hall (the building not the school) to do some research in the Great Library. While I was there I took a tour of the building. It's amazing! The building is one of the oldest in Toronto, dating back to the 1830s. Our guide informed us that it was the first law school in Ontario (although I remember reading somewhere that it's actually the site of the first law school in all of Canada). (Thanks for the feedback!) It now houses the largest private law library in the Commonwealth, the Appeals Court of Ontario and the Law Society of Upper Canada. If you're in Toronto and interested in law, I'd highly recommend it.

In case you're wondering, Osgoode Hall (the law school) is named after the building. Geographically, however, they are far apart. The building is located in downtown Toronto while the school is in the northern part of the city. From the students I met at the castle, most Osgoode students drive to class and there's not much student life on campus. Totally different from Queen's. Almost all my classmates walk to school and there are things constantly going on at Queen's.

8 Comments:

At 7:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ha, all this time I thought Osgoode Hall building = Osgoode Hall law school.

Thanks for informing the ignorant.

 
At 9:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think McGill is the oldest law school in Canada. And I'm not sure about your claim about the library, though it is said that Osgoode (the school) is the largest law library in the Commonwealth.


But you're definitely accurate the bit about campus life at Osgoode.

 
At 8:12 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dalhousie is actually the oldest common-law university in the Commonwealth. It was founded in 1883.

 
At 7:44 PM, Blogger a blawger said...

Thanks for all your feedback. Blogging has a long way to go before it can be called "interactive". Comments are about the only way for you to be involved (emails are another way). Keep 'em coming!

 
At 12:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

McGill is the oldest law school in Canada, dating from 1848.

 
At 9:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The history of Osgoode Hall Law School is inseparable from the Osgoode Hall you visited. That was the original location of the Law School before it was decided that every law school in Ontario must be affiliated to a University. It was after this decision that Osgoode Hall (for training lawyers) was moved to York University. Indeed, all Osgoode alumni who finished their law program in Osgoode (where u visited) still, rightly, address themselves as Osgoode Hall Law School alumni and not Queen's. For your info, it takes about 10 minutes drive to get to Osgoode Hall Law School from Downtown Toronto. Also, the TTC (buses for public transport) and train services are there all day. There are brand new houses located all over York University. Unlike other places, accomodation is never a problem.Again, Dalhousie Law School is the oldest Common-Law School not just in Canada but in the Common wealth. Osgoode Hall Law School houses the greatest collections of law materials in the whole of British Commonwealth.

 
At 7:51 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just to set the record straight, I live downtown and have commuted to Osgoode/York for 3 years. THERE IS NO WAY THIS DRIVE TAKES 10 MINUTES. Not by car, TTC or magic carpet. You might be able to drive it in 30 minutes if there was no traffic but it takes me at least an hour on the TTC.

 
At 10:07 PM, Blogger a blawger said...

To the last comment: yes, you're absolutely correct. I'm not sure whether the writer meant, perhaps, that it's 10 mins from downtown to Osgoode Hall (not the law school). That would be correct.

Commuting by public transport to Osgoode/York from downtown takes from 40 mins to an hour each way and it involves subway + bus. By car, I can't imagine doing it in under 20 mins. Google Maps pegs it at 27 mins.

 

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