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Ranelagh Gardens

G T J

Price
£3,500
Signed
Signed with initials, inscribed with title and dated 1751
Medium
Ink
Dimensions
7 x 10 inches
Literature
A similar engraving was etched by Thomas Bowles (1712-1767) in 1754

London’s Pleasure gardens in the 18th century were places to escape the heat of a London summer, to mix with crowds in a safer airy setting, (the plague an ever present shadow similar to our recent experience with Covid) and to enjoy clandestine meetings away from the strictures of society. Vauxhall Gardens and Ranelagh Gardens were the most famous of these, although London boasted of many, of different sizes and facilites, some no more than a bowling green beside a pub or inn.

Ranelagh Gardens were set up in 1741 in direct competition to Vauxhall Gardens and opened in April 1742. Sited in Chelsea with direct river access, the central feature, was a large impressive Rotunda, modelled on the Pantheon in Rome. Designed by William Jones, a surveyor for the East India Company, it measured 185 feet in diameter and at night its lights shone across the surrounding gardens and walks like a vast lantern. Unfortunately, although designed for orchestras and musicians, its acoustics proved poor it was used for food and perambulation, especially when it rained.

Despite an initial success, which concerned Jonathan Tyler, the owner of Vauxhall Gardens, enough for him to buy the land beside Ranelagh to prevent them expanding, Ranelagh gardens gradually ceased to be a threat. It aimed to be more select than Vauxhall and by having a higher entrance fee it prevented the hoi poloi and attracted a more wealthy and fashionable crowd. However, because its gardens were less secluded and better lit (not ideal for clandestine meetings), it had no strong drink or gambling, the people it attracted were older, smarter and more staid. The appeal of Ranelagh gardens was not risqué enough in comparison with the excitement and variety of Vauxhall.

Ranelagh gardens continued to operate for a further 61 years but finally closed in 1803, latterly affected by the 1780 Gordon riots and then the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars. The Rotunda was demolished in 1805.

This drawing was executed only 10 years after the Ranelagh Garden’s opening and clearly showing the impressive Rotunda, the interior of which was celebrated in a painting by Canaletto in the same year, and the 'Chinese House' in the foreground. A similar engraving was etched by Thomas Bowles (1712-1767) in 1754.

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