The first public garden that I recollect, long before Cremorne, was the
Manor House in the King's Road, between Little's Nursery and Shawfield
Street, where Radnor Street and the Commercial Tavern now stand. It was
a detached house with carriage drive in front, and grounds reaching to
where the bottom of Radnor Street is. It used to be occupied by one,
Colonel Middleton, and in about 1836 it was taken by a man of the name of
Smith, and turned into a tea and recreation garden, a sort of little
Vauxhall with coloured lamps, statuary, shrubbery, winding path and
fountain, with music and dancing. Flexmar the clown, when a youth, was
one of the regular visitors and would amuse the company with a break-down
dance, and the great Mackney, the negro delineator and stump orator (I
believe still on the music hall stage), as a youth was a very clever
violinist, and would entertain the company by playing in almost any
position and imitating almost any sound. It was carried on only a few
years, after which the owners built the Commercial Tavern, with a large
room behind, now Radnor Chapel. The grounds were laid out for builders,
and Radnor Street was built, leaving the old Manor House standing at the
corner in the King's Road. It was then turned into the Chelsea Literary
and Scientific Institution, and so continued until removed to the Chelsea
Town Hall. It struggled on for a few years and then came to grief.
CREMORNE.--The first I recollect of Cremorne was a man known as Baron de
Barranger, who used to ride about in grey military uniform with his two
sons, tall, military-looking men. They carried on a sort of livery
stable and tavern at Cremorne House, by the river, and called it the
Stadium Canteen. It was on a road by the river, leading from the bottom
of Cremorne Lane past Cremorne and Ashburton House and the cottage to the
Lammas Lands, known as the Lots meadows, some eight or ten acres in
extent, which was sold by the parish for about three or four hundred
pounds. There was, even in De Barranger's time, some entertainment at
Cremorne, for in the meadow known as Cremorne Meadow on the opposite side
of the King's Road, a fair was held, and at Cremorne ground some pony
races and a horse and sporting-dog show, but the commencement of Cremorne
as a place of public entertainment was in about 1839, under Baron
Nicholson, of the Garrick Head, in Bow Street. This was where the "Judge
and Jury" was held, with Baron Nicholson as the presiding judge, when
counsel used to appear in wig and gown, and very remarkable mock trials
were held, the evidence being of a broad and indecent character. The
partner of the Baron in organising the fete at Cremorne was a man of the
name of Littlejohn. It was extensively advertised by bands of music
drawn about in stage coaches, and was called a "Thousand Guinea Fete."
The entertainment lasted three days, and dancing, singing, music and
drinking went on till the small hours of the morning. This, I believe,
was not a commercial success.
Two years after the place was opened by a Mr. Ellis, I think, a musical
man connected with Drury Lane Theatre; regular entertainments were
provided, and a band stand erected with a circular dancing platform round
it, and a lot of alcoves and nooks for refreshments under the band stand
and round the platform and in various parts of the gardens. A pavilion
for concerts was afterwards added. Before these arrangements were made
the dancing was in the long room of Cremorne House, which was turned into
the supper room. The House was kept open during the summer in a
languishing sort of way till about 1848, when it came to grief and was
closed. About 1849 it was purchased by a Mr. Simpson, I believe, a hotel
keeper from near Covent Garden Theatre, and the whole thing was greatly
improved and decorated and opened with some first-class music and popular
artistes. Two of the leading cornet players were engaged, Coney and
Arbin, and a great amount of vigour and energy were thrown into its
management, and from that time it became the most popular place of
amusement and appeared to be vieing with Vauxhall Gardens, which were
then on the wane of their popularity. The land on the river front was
taken in and converted into a pleasure garden, and a rustic bridge thrown
across the road, connecting it with Cremorne proper, and river fetes were
given, with fireworks and the assistance of steamboats. An hotel was
built on the river front, and a grand panorama of the Siege of
Sebastopol, was shown with the assistance of some of the Foot Guards. An
accident happened by the falling of a platform and several were injured.
The balloon ascents were a great feature by Lieutenant Gale, Adam, and
Coxwell taking up acrobats who performed on the trapeze in mid air. A
Madam Potoven ascended sitting on the back of a white heifer fixed on a
platform suspended from the car, and a Frenchman came down in a
parachute, falling opposite Chelsea Church in Robert (now Sydney) Street,
and was killed.
The gardens went on successfully for many years under the able management
of Bishop, Partridge, and Adams, until the alteration in the licensing
laws, when the time of closing was fixed at twelve, the beginning of the
most profitable time. The concern then fell into the hands of E. T.
Smith, and was carried on by him for a few years without any very marked
results--it appeared to have passed its pristine glory. It then passed
into the hands of the proprietor of the Glove and Scents Emporium in the
Gardens, who was the last proprietor, for it was soon after closed for
good, and the land, together with the Ashburton estate and the Lots or
Lammas Lands were laid out and let for building purposes. The only part
left uncovered by buildings is the Ashburton Nursery on the King's Road
front. Vauxhall Gardens had been closed some years so Cremorne was the
only public gardens near London of any account.
A great impetus to all places of amusement was caused by the '51
Exhibition in the Park. It was a grand year for all people in business
in London for the visitors were immense from all quarters of the world,
and you would meet in the streets the costumes of all the nationalities
of the globe. There was an average of one hundred thousand visitors
passing the turnstiles every day, and on the last Thursday there were one
hundred and thirty seven thousand.