London (England) -- History; London (England) -- Social life and customs
"A thousand feet rustled on mats--
A carpet that once had been green;
Men bowed with their outlandish hats,
With women so fearfully keen.
Fair maids, who, at home in their haste,
Had left all their clothes but a train,
Swept the floor clean as they passed,
Then walked round and swept it again."
At these gardens this Sunday afternoon there were several hundreds of
people, not of the more distinguished kind. They found a very pretty
girl here who was so condescending as to take tea with them.
Leaving the Conduit House, they paid another visit to Bagnigge Wells in
order to drink a bowl of negus. By this time the place was a scene of
open profligacy. They next called a coach, and drove to Kensington
Gardens, where they walked about for an hour seeing the great people.
Among others, they had the happiness of beholding the D-- of Gr-ft-n,
accompanied by Miss P--, and L--d H--y with the famous Mrs. W--. Feeling
the want of a little refreshment, they sought a tea-garden in Brompton
known as Cromwell's Gardens or Florida Gardens, where they drank coffee,
and contemplated the beauty of many lovely creatures.
It was now nine o'clock in the evening. In the neighborhood of the Mall
they saw a great block of carriages on their way to Lady H--'s Sunday
routs. The explorers then visited certain houses frequented by the baser
sort, and were rewarded in the manner that might have been
expected--namely, with ribaldry and blasphemy. As the clock struck ten
they arrived at the Dog and Duck, St. George's Fields. From the Dog and
Duck they repaired to The Temple of Flora, a place of the same
description as Bagnigge Wells. Here, as the magistrates had refused a
wine license, they kept a citizen and vintner on the premises. He, by
virtue of his livery, had the right to sell wine without a license. Our
friends took a bottle here. The Apollo Gardens, the Thatched House, the
Flora Tea-garden, were also places of resort of the same kind, all with
a garden, tea and music rooms, and a company of doubtful morals. They
drove next to the Bermondsey Spa Gardens, described as an elegant place
of entertainment, two miles from London Bridge, with a walk hung with
colored lamps not inferior to that of Vauxhall. There was also a lovely
pasteboard castle and a museum of curiosities. They had another bottle
here, and a comfortable glass of cherry-brandy before getting into the
carriage. Finally they reached the place whence they started at
midnight, and after a final bumper of red port retired to rest. A noble
Sunday, lasting from four o'clock in the morning till midnight. They
walked twenty miles at least; they drank all day long--port, Lisbon,
chocolate, negus, tea, coffee, and cherry-brandy, besides their beer at
dinner. On nine different occasions they called for a pint or a bottle.
A truly wonderful and improving Sunday!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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