Tea Room

The Victorian Tea Room, was initially a pilot project begun in December 1990 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Government House. Popular from their inception, the teas were held through the summer of 1991 on almost every second weekend. At that time the project was jointly convened by Marg Ewart, who coordinated the tea room volunteers and Betty Westmoreland, who managed the kitchen area. Items served at the early teas were determined by a planning committee who selected recipes typical of Victorian times. At least three items - scones, Queen Elizabeth Cake and pastry shells filled with lemon curd - have remained on the menu since they were selected by the original planning committee seventeen years ago.

Initially, three to five women did all the food preparation for the teas, while two hostesss, four waitresses and one cashier served an average of fifty guests per day. In total, for each tea, a nucleus of ten or twelve women devoted their entire weekend to the event. Early receipts showed a profit of about $300 per tea weekend.

The original teas were held in the conservatory as well as in the reception area between the ballroom and the museum. The location posed a challenge for both the volunteers who did the set-up as well as for the servers. When someone suggested relocating the tea to the ballroom, Sheila Carson remembers Joyce Weicker turning to her and saying, “Now dear, the tea will never be large enough for all that space in the ballroom”. Eventually though, the teas were moved to the ballroom. And true to the saying “if you build it, they will come”, increased numbers of patrons thronged to Government House to enjoy a Victorian Tea in the historic ambience of the ballroom.

Even after seventeen years of operation, the tea room project continues to retain its appeal. Now, approximately 22 volunteers work together each tea day. During the ten months of the 2007 tea season, an average of 310 guests were served per tea weekend. The tea room, as well as attracting many visitors to the House, realized a profit of about $9,500 for the 2007 year, funds that are available for the work of the Historical Society. Sheila Carson comments, “The Victorian Tea Project is a wonderful testimonial to the determination and energy of our awesome volunteers, as well as the ongoing enthusiastic support of the community”.

 

 

Excerpt from The Portico Victorian Tea Room Edition, published as the Winter 2008 edition, written by  the Editor, Sheila McKague. To read the whole publication, please click here: