Fort Wellington National Historic Site of Canada

Facilities and Services

Visitor Centre

Fort Wellington’s Visitor Centre will be under construction throughout the 2011 season, with work to be completed for the launch of 1812 Bicentennial commemorations in May 2012. Construction will not interrupt visitor enjoyment. A temporary Visitor Information Trailer is located behind the construction area, accessible using a pathway from the parking lot.

Free parking is available adjacent to the construction area off of VanKoughnet Street. Portable washrooms are located near the pathway leading visitors to the Visitor Information Trailer, where pamphlets are available and admission tickers are sold. A staff member is on duty to assist visitors and provide them with information on Parks Canada and places to visit in the Prescott area.

The completed visitor centre will feature expanded visitor services and new orientation exhibits, focussing on an 1812-era British gunboat wreck.

The Visitor Experience

Fort Wellington itself is a short walk from the Visitor Centre and gives visitors the experience of a 19^th century British military establishment. The fort recreates the lives of members of the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment who were stationed there in the 1840s. Some of the enlisted soldiers were married men who had brought their wives and children with them to Prescott, and this reality is reflected by the costumed staff whom visitors will encounter during their time at the fort.The massive blockhouse is the heart of Fort Wellington, and is thought to be the largest in Canada. Inside, there is a recreation of the various storerooms and the living quarters that it contained in the 1840s. The crowded living conditions of the blockhouse contrast markedly with the comfort of the nearby quarters assigned to the fort's commanding officer. The distinction between the officer and the enlisted men is also clearly apparent in the layout of the latrine which separated the officer from the other occupants of the fort.

Costumed staff are on hand to tell visitors about the history of Fort Wellington, and to answer their questions. Demonstrations of activities that the men, their wives and children would have engaged in occur at regular intervals.

Visitors who want to learn more about Fort Wellington and its place in the defence of Canada have the opportunity to tour an extensive display on the third floor of the blockhouse.

Accessibility Features

• Designated handicapped parking is available on Dibble Street North of the fort, near the gates to the historic site. Portable washrooms are wheelchair accessible
• All pathways on the site are wheelchair accessible
• The ground floor of the Block House is wheelchair accessible. Visitors unable to climb to the second and third storeys can experience them through a video tour on the ground floor.
• TDD - (613) 925-2896