The English Pleasure Garden 1660–1860

by Downing, Sarah Jane

• ISBN13: 9780747806998
• ISBN10: 0747806993
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-21
• Publisher: Shire Publications

Summary

From the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Pleasure Gardens were central to English social life for 200 years. Vauxhall, Ranelagh and others showcased music by the newest talents including Handel and Mozart, and offered intimate access to art long before public galleries were established. Their elegant, verdant walks were the perfect place to take a stroll, providing a catwalk for the finest fashions and an opportunity to spot the celebrities of the day, from the Prince Regent to Dick Turpin, while the popular masquerade balls allowed an unprecedented social mix and ample opportunity for secret assignations. But by the height of the Victorian era this fairyland of tinkling fountains and glittering coloured light, immortalised by Austen and Thackeray, had gone into decline, becoming little more than a den of vice for thieves and prostitutes. This book will transport you back to the most glorious days of the Pleasure Gardens of Britain. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Sarah-Jane Downing is a freelance writer with a special interest in the eighteenth century

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 5
The First Gardens	p. 11
Stolen Moments and Halcyon Days	p. 19
Ranelagh: The Divinest Place Under Heaven	p. 27
Marylebone and Vauxhall: The Later Years	p. 33
Eighteenth-Century Provincial Gardens	p. 39
Nineteenth-Century Provincial Gardens	p. 46
The Victorian Pleasure Gardens	p. 53
Arcadia Fallen	p. 61
Index	p. 64
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