Opened on December 2, 1816, this dining room was filled with children attending the Church of England’s National School. The primary aim of the staff was “the instruction of the poor with particular attention to their religious and moral obligations”. 176 of the 279 boys and girls in attendance did not have to pay tuition. Within their studies of current affairs, Napoleon’s then recent exile to Saint Helene would have been high on the list, following his defeat at Waterloo. On the other side of the world, an English governess by the name of Anna was living an adventure that would fill the pages of a book titled “Anna and the King of Siam”. Later the book inspired the Academy Award-winning musical “The King and I”. That gracious lady, Anna Leonowens, was the patron for the first school of arts in Canada. The Victorian College of Art was housed in this building until January 3, 1884 when the name was changed to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and moved to a new location. For the following eighty years the walls and floors witnessed the noise and shouts of men at work, as the building was used for storing goods. In the winter of 1974 the building was renovated and refurbished and opened as the Five Fishermen Restaurant.

The main dining room is now decorated with a stained glass window that was designed and fabricated in France at the turn of the century. It was housed at the Holy Heart Seminary, which stood on Quinpool Road in Halifax until it fell to the wrecker’s hammer. Relax and enjoy your visit with us, comforted by the history of this very special place.