Banquet

Be a banquet guest at the Officers' Mess in Fort Henry, from the time of Queen Victoria!

Join us at Fort Henry for the Barracks Banquet. You will be welcomed by bagpipers, then served by soldier servants as guests of the officers' mess from the 1800s. At the appropriate time the bugle will sound announcing dinner is served. Once seated in the dining room, your Mess Captain will introduce your menu and offer your group some instructions in mess etiquette and Victorian decorum.

Note that we ask guests not to say please or thank you to the soldier servants, but to treat them as they would have been treated. If there is anything you need, simply snap your fingers.

Often, a member of your table is selected to preside as President of the mess. The President will ensure that all mess regulations are followed and offer your group's Loyal Toast - the toast to Queen Victoria. In Victorian times, discussions generally would not surround the topics of religion, politics or love, and gaming, wagering or reading at the table would not be permitted. Should the President feel it appropriate, he or she, with the assistance of the soldier servants, may call on guests for punishment if there are certain infractions of decorum. These interjections add to the fun of your trip into the past.

Click here for British military mess traditions and rules.

A shuttle bus from the Holiday Inn hotel to Fort Henry will be provided on the evening of June 16th. Please see the following times. No reservations are necessary.

Leaving to Fort Henry: 6:30pm, 6:45pm, 7:00pm
Returning to Holiday Inn: 9:30pm, 9:45pm