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.