Victoria Day fun
May. 30th, 2018 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mala_14So last week I went out in costume with my local ladies (of the group Victorian at Heart) twice. We headed to the nearby fort to celebrate the Queen's birthday (that's Queen Victoria, and yeah, in Canada we get a long weekend for her birthday). The fort was built in the 1830s and reenactors working at the fort represent the year 1852 (because it's an uncontroversial year in Canadian history, how Canadian is that?! lol). We went last year and it made me want a suitable dress. Obviously the 1845 one would have been perfect, but it wasn't nearly done yet, so I wore my old favourite 1867 print. The fort has been getting restored with better fire safety things and new paint.
There are a lot of buildings and a tipi outside the fort walls. They actually grow crops out here and have a working smithy.
Inside the walls (We were actually just pretending to talk for this picture. I think Shirley just said "Boobies!" to me. *snort* So mature!):
There are a bunch of buildings within the fort walls, like the Governor's house, the store, and a place called the men's house (to house the fur trade workers).
Inside the Governor's house learning about the artifacts from the "maids":
I saw these gorgeous engageantes with broderie anglaise. We had fun talking about all the things in the buildings that we wanted, including the different coloured china and a cool tinder box with a magnifying glass in its top to start fires.
The basement had all the things that keep a big house like the Governor's running: fireplaces, maids' quarters, storage, and this awesome big spinning wheel:
Also, notice how thick the walls are at the window. This kept things cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Most of the buildings were remarkably cool, especially for such a warm, sunny day.
Because it was the Queen's birthday the people of the fort were throwing a party. There was fiddling, dancing, and an extra rum ration from the Governor! (The rum was actually iced tea. lol Oh, and I should be specific that it was Canadian iced tea, which is very different from American iced tea and American sweet tea.)
There was a nice breeze which made for some interesting pictures of skirts and curls blown about by the wind. You can see the river behind me. I assume the fort was built by the river on purpose for convenience of having water and water transport.
I had a wonderful time. I love going to the fort for several reasons: it's one of the oldest historic sites around here, there's so much to see and explore, and the reenactors who work there are lovely people who are friendly and welcoming. :)
There are a lot of buildings and a tipi outside the fort walls. They actually grow crops out here and have a working smithy.
Inside the walls (We were actually just pretending to talk for this picture. I think Shirley just said "Boobies!" to me. *snort* So mature!):
There are a bunch of buildings within the fort walls, like the Governor's house, the store, and a place called the men's house (to house the fur trade workers).
Inside the Governor's house learning about the artifacts from the "maids":
I saw these gorgeous engageantes with broderie anglaise. We had fun talking about all the things in the buildings that we wanted, including the different coloured china and a cool tinder box with a magnifying glass in its top to start fires.
The basement had all the things that keep a big house like the Governor's running: fireplaces, maids' quarters, storage, and this awesome big spinning wheel:
Also, notice how thick the walls are at the window. This kept things cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Most of the buildings were remarkably cool, especially for such a warm, sunny day.
Because it was the Queen's birthday the people of the fort were throwing a party. There was fiddling, dancing, and an extra rum ration from the Governor! (The rum was actually iced tea. lol Oh, and I should be specific that it was Canadian iced tea, which is very different from American iced tea and American sweet tea.)
There was a nice breeze which made for some interesting pictures of skirts and curls blown about by the wind. You can see the river behind me. I assume the fort was built by the river on purpose for convenience of having water and water transport.
I had a wonderful time. I love going to the fort for several reasons: it's one of the oldest historic sites around here, there's so much to see and explore, and the reenactors who work there are lovely people who are friendly and welcoming. :)
