Afternoon tea service returns to historic St. Andrews home

The tea room inside of the Kennedy House in the RM of St. Andrews has reopened after more than a decade. CTV’s Daniel Halmarson takes a look inside.

The clatter of dishes and the chatter of friends catching up over a meal have returned to a tea room in St. Andrews, Man., for the first time in more than a decade.

The Heritage Tea Room is opening this weekend inside Captain Kennedy House, one of the municipality’s oldest and most beloved buildings.

“There’s been stories from everybody who’s wandered by, looked in the windows, or even come in,” Musette Fowke, Heritage Tea Room’s owner, told CTV News Wednesday.

The stone mansion was built in 1866 during the days of the Red River Settlement. It was home to Captain William Kennedy, a Métis fur trader and early supporter for Manitoba to join Canadian Confederation.

Kennedy House later became a tea room and museum and earned provincially designated heritage status in 1985.

“People learn from history about how important a man Kennedy was, and this whole area is unique,” Lois Wales, Red River North Tourism’s president, told CTV News. “We still have a lot of the original buildings, and I think those stories need to be told.”

The province closed Kennedy House to the public in 2015 due to structural issues, and it took a decade to shore up the foundation and restore the home’s lower level.

“It’s actually been ten years that we advocated for the restoration of Kennedy House, and today, it’s open again,” Wales said.

The province still owns the building and surrounding property while Fowkes is leasing the tea room and kitchen.

“I’ve always been familiar with [Kennedy House], so the moment I heard the province was finished the work, I jumped on it immediately,” Fowkes said.

She hopes it becomes a gathering space for people in St. Andrews once again.

“Everyone has a very strong personal connection and a very strong ownership of what they believe the Captain Kennedy tea house can and should be,” she explained. “And I really want to honour and respect that.”

Fowke said the Heritage Tea Room will open Wednesday to Sunday year-round for breakfast, lunch, and high tea. She added there could be opportunities for private events like weddings as well.

“There’s an opportunity here to have a sense of familiarity, a sense of hominess, incredible food, and a great stop in the community.”