The Fleet. Its Rivers, Prison, and Marriages 13

The Fleet. Its Rivers, Prison, and Marriages 13

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!"]