The gardens were pretty, after the manner of the times; we should not,
perhaps, particularly admire the formally cut lines and hedges, nor the
fountain in which a Cupid is hugging a swan, nor the rustic statuary
of the haymakers. Still it was a little walk out of London, where
fresh air could be breathed, and a good view obtained of the northern
hills of Hampstead and Highgate, with the interlying pastoral country,
sparsely dotted with farmhouses and cottages. The Fleet, here, had not
been polluted into a sewer as it was further on, and there were all the
elements of spending a pleasant, happy day, in good air, amid rural
scenes.
[Illustration: A VIEW TAKEN FROM THE CENTER BRIDGE IN THE GARDENS OF
BAGNIGGE WELLS.]
[Illustration: WAITER FROM THE BREAD AND BUTTER MANUFACTORY; OR, THE
HUMOURS OF BAGNIGGE WELLS.]
[Illustration: THE BREAD AND BUTTER MANUFACTORY; OR, THE HUMOURS OF
BAGNIGGE WELLS.]
The place, however, rapidly became a disreputable _rendezvous_, and
we get an excellent glimpse of the costumes of _circa_ 1780 in the
two following engravings taken from mezzotints published by Carington
Bowles; although not dated, they are of that period, showing the
Macaronis and Belles of that time. The first is called "The BREAD and
BUTTER MANUFACTORY,[37] or the Humours of BAGNIGGE WELLS," and the
second "A Bagnigge Wells Scene, or no resisting temptation," which gives
a charming representation of the ultra fashion of dress then worn.
[Illustration: A BAGNIGGE WELLS SCENE; OR, NO RESISTING TEMPTATION.
(_Published for Carington Bowles._)]
Yet another glance at the manners of the time is afforded by the boy
waiter, who hurries along with his tray of tea-things and _kettle of
hot water_.[38]
[Illustration: THE BAGNIGGE ORGANIST.]
And there was good music there, too--an organ in the long room, on
which Charles Griffith performed, as may be seen in the accompanying
illustration. The name of Davis on the music books, is that of the then
proprietor, and the lines underneath are parodied from Dryden's "Song
for St. Cecilia's day, 1687."
"What passion cannot music raise and quell!
When Jubal struck the corded shell,
His listening brethren stood around,
And, wondering, on their faces fell."
It went on with varying fortunes, and under various proprietors. First
of all Mr. Hughes, then, in 1792, Davis had it; in 1813 it was in the
hands of one Salter; in 1818, a man named Thorogood took it, but let
it to one Monkhouse, who failed, and it reverted to Thorogood. Then
came as tenant, a Mr. Chapman, who was bankrupt in 1833, and, in 1834,
Richard Chapman was proprietor. I fancy he was the last, as public
house, and gardens, combined.
Mr. William Muggins, before quoted, laments its decadence thus:
"Besides the whitewashed walls, and hoctagon shell grotto, there war
the tea garden, with its honey suckle and sweet briar harbours, where
they used to drink tea hout of werry small cups, and heat the far famed
little hot loaves and butter; then there war the dancing plot, and the
gold and silver fish ponds, and the bowling green, and skittle alley,
and fire work ground hall so romantic and rural, standing in the middle
of a lot of fields, and shaded around with trees. Now it's a werry
different concarn, for it's surrounded with buildings--the gardens is
cut hoff to nuffin, and the ouse looks tumble down and miserable." That
was in 1840.
It was about this time that a song appeared in "The Little Melodist,"
1839--dilating on the delights of the neighbourhood of Islington, and
the first verse ran thus:
"Will you go to Bagnigge Wells,
Bonnet builder, O!
Where the Fleet ditch fragrant smells,
Bonnet builder, O!
Where the fishes used to swim,
So nice and sleek and trim,
But the pond's now covered in,
Bonnet builder, O!
_Punch_, too, when it was young, and had warm blood coursing through
its veins, visited Bagnigge Wells, and recorded the visit in its pages
(Sept. 7, 1843). After a description of the walk thither, it says, "We
last visited Bagnigge Wells about the beginning of the present week,
and, like many travellers, at first passed close to it without seeing
it. Upon returning, however, our eye was first arrested by an ancient
door in the wall over which was inscribed the following:--[39]
"This inscription, of which the above is a _fac simile_ was surmounted
by a noseless head carved in stone; and, underneath, was a cartoon
drawn in chalk upon the door, evidently of a later date, and bearing a
resemblance to some of the same class in Gell's 'Pompeii.' Underneath
was written in letters of an irregular alphabet, 'CHUCKY'--the entire
drawing being, without doubt, some local pasquinade.
"Not being able to obtain admittance at the door, we went on a short
distance, and came to the ruins of the ancient 'Wells,' of which part
of the banqueting room still exists. These are entirely open to the
public as well as the adjoining pleasure grounds, although the thick
layer of brick-bats with which they are covered, renders walking a
task of some difficulty. The adjacent premises of an eminent builder
separate them by some cubits from the road of Gray's Inn, near which,
what we suppose to be the 'Well' is still visible. It is a round hole
in the ground behind the ruins, filled up with rubbish and mosaics of
oyster shells, but, at present, about eighteen inches deep.
"It is very evident that the character of Bagnigge Wells has much
altered within the last century. For, bearing that date, we have before
us the 'Song of the 'Prentice to his Mistress' in which the attractions
of the place are thus set forth:--
"'Come, come, Miss Priscy, make it up,
And we will lovers be:
And we will go to _Bagnigge Wells_,
And there we'll have some tea.
And there you'll see the ladybirds
All on the stinging nettles;
And there you'll see the water-works,
And shining copper kettles.
And there you'll see the fishes, Miss,
More curious than whales;
They're made of gold and silver, Miss,
And wag their little tails.'[40]
"Of the wonders recounted in these stanzas, the stinging nettles alone
remain flourishing, which they do in great quantity. The Waterworks are
now confined to two spouts and a butt against the adjacent building;
and the gold and silver fishes separately, in the form of red herrings
and sprats, have been removed to the stalls in the neighbourhood, with
a great deal more of the wag in the dealer, than in themselves.
"The real Bagnigge Wells, where company assemble to drink, at the
present day, is next door to the ruins. The waters are never drank,
however, now, without being strongly medicated, by a process carried
on at the various brewers and distillers of the Metropolis: without
this, they are supposed, by some classes, to be highly injurious. Their
analysis have produced various results. Soda has been detected in one
species, analogous to the German _Seltzer_, and designated 'Webb's';
others contain iron in appreciable quantities, and institute a galvanic
circle, when quaffed from goblets formed from an alloy of tin and lead:
in some constitutions quickening the circulation, and raising the animal
temperature--in others, producing utter prostration.
"Flannel jackets, and brown paper caps appeared to be the costume
of the valetudinarians who were drinking at the Wells, during our
stay. We patronized the tepid spa by ordering 'Sixpennyworth warm,'
as the potion was termed in the dialect of Bagnigge, for the purpose
of drawing the proprietor into conversation. But he was, evidently,
reluctant to impart much information, and told us nothing beyond what
we already knew--a custom very prevalent at all the springs we have
visited.
"Lodgings, provisions, clothing, &c., are to be had at low rates in the
neighbourhood, and there are several delightful spots in the vicinity
of Bagnigge Wells.
"The Excursion to Battle Bridge will be found highly interesting,
returning by the Brill; and, to the admirers of nature, the panorama
from the summit of King's Cross, embracing the Small Pox Hospital, and
Imperial Gas Works, with the very low countries surrounding them, is
peculiarly worthy of especial notice."
Two years previous to this notice, there was a paragraph in the _Times_
(April 6, 1841) which shows how the Wells had fallen into decadence.
"The Old Grotto, which had all the windows out, and was greatly
dilapidated, and the upper part of the Garden Wall, was knocked down by
some persons going along Bagnigge Road, early this morning."
The old place had fulfilled its mission. It had ministered to the
recreation and amusement, harmless, or otherwise, of generations of
Londoners, and it came to final grief, and disappeared in 1844. Its
name is still preserved in "The Bagnigge Wells" Tavern, 39, King's
Cross Road, and that is all the reminiscence we have of this once
famous place of recreative resort.
[Footnote 37: An allusion to the hot buttered rolls, which
were in vogue there.]
[Footnote 38: See p. 89.]
[Footnote 39: See ante-p. 84.]
[Footnote 40: With all due deference to _Punch_, I think his
version is slightly, only slightly, inaccurate. I have before
me five copies, two MS. and three printed, all of which run--
"Come, prithee make it up, Miss,
And be as lovers be,
We'll go to Bagnigge Wells, Miss,
And there we'll have some tea.
It's there you'll see the Lady-birds
Perch'd on the Stinging Nettles;
The Chrystal water Fountain,
And the Copper, shining Kettles.
It's there you'll see the Fishes,
More curious they than Whales,
And they're made of Gold and Silver, Miss,
And wags their little tails.
Oh! they wags their little Tails
--They wags their little Tails
Oh! they're made of gold and silver, Miss,
and they wags their little Tails.
Oh! dear! Oh! la! Oh! dear! Oh! la!
Oh! dear! Oh! la!
How funny!"]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]