Concerts.—The principal Concert Rooms in London are, Exeter Hall, St. James’s Hall, Hanover Square Rooms, the Music Hall, in Store Street, the Floral Hall, Willis’ Rooms, and the Queen’s Concert Room, attached to Her Majesty’s Theatre. All these places are engaged for single concerts; but there are also musical societies and choral bodies which give series of concerts every year. Among these are the Sacred Harmonic Society, (Exeter Hall,) the National Choral Society, (same place,) the Philharmonic Society, (Hanover Square Rooms,) Mr. Henry Leslie’s Choir, the New Philharmonic, (St. James’s Hall,) the Musical Society, the Musical Union, the Glee and Madrigal Society, the Beethoven Society, the Monday Popular Concerts, &c. The Oratorio performances at Exeter Hall, by the Sacred Harmonic and National Choral Societies, are considered to be the finest of the kind in Europe. There are occasional Handel Choral Meetings at the same place, under Sir Michael Costa, supported by 1,600 singers.
Tavern Music Halls.—Numerous Rooms connected with taverns have been opened in London, within the last few years, for musical performances. The music is a singular compound of Italian, English, and German operatic compositions, fairly executed, with comic songs of the most extravagant kind; to these are added what the performers please to term ‘nigger’ dances, and athletic and rope-dancing feats—the whole accompanied by drinking and smoking on the part of the audience. The chief among these places are, Canterbury Hall, near the Westminster Road; the Oxford, in Oxford Street; the Royal Music Hall, late Weston’s, in Holborn; the Alhambra, in Leicester Square; the Philharmonic, Islington, near the Angel. Evans’, in Covent Garden, does not as a rule admit females, though ladies, friends of the proprietor, &c., are occasionally allowed to look down on the proceedings from wired-in private boxes above the line of the stage. Evans’ has long been honourably known for its old English glees, catches, madrigals, &c., good supper, and gentlemanly arrangements and audiences. The Raglan, the Winchester, the South London, and others, are of plainer character. Charge, usually 6d. to 1s. Mr. Morton, the former proprietor of Canterbury Hall, provided a capital gallery of pictures, (Punch’s ‘Royal Academy over the Water,’) placed freely open to the visitors to the Music Hall.
Entertainments.—There is a class of London amusements, called Entertainments, which has come much into fashion within a few years. They generally last about two hours, from eight till ten in the evening. The late Mr. Albert Smith was one of the first to commence these entertainments, with his ‘Overland Route,’ ‘Mont Blanc,’ and ‘China;’ and the names of other well known entertainers are, Mr. Woodin, Mr. and Mrs. German Reed, Mr. John Parry, Mr. A. Sketchley, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Paul, &c. Delineation of character, painted scenery, descriptive sketches, singing, music, ventriloquism—some or all of these supply the materials from which these entertainments are got up. Sometimes the programme of performances is of a less rational character, depending on the incongruities of so-called negro melodists; while occasionally a higher tone is adopted, as in ‘Readings,’ by various persons. The principal halls or rooms in which these entertainments are held are the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly; the Gallery of Illustration, Regent Street; the minor rooms at St. James’s Hall; and the Music Hall, in Store Street. The prices of admission generally vary from 1s. to 3s. The leading pages of the daily newspapers, and more especially of the Times, will always shew which of these entertainments are open at any particular time.
Miscellaneous Amusements.—The sources of information just mentioned will also notify particulars of numerous other places of amusement, which need not be separately classified. Among these are the Polytechnic Institution, Regent Street, (famous for Mr. Pepper’s ‘Ghosts;’) and Madame Tussaud’s Waxwork, Baker Street, Portman Square, (a favourite exhibition with country visitors.) To all such places the charge of admission is 1s. Among Pleasure Gardens, for music, dancing, tight and slack rope performances, &c., Cremorne Gardens, at Chelsea, St. Helena Gardens, at Rotherhithe, the Riverside Gardens, at North Woolwich, and the Surrey Gardens, near Walworth, are the principal; Vauxhall Gardens have disappeared as places of amusement, and have been supplanted by bricks and mortar. The so-called Tea Gardens are much more numerous, and are supported rather by the profit on the beverages sold, than by the fee charged for admission.
A few additional particulars concerning Free Exhibitions, Shilling Exhibitions, and Exhibitions available only by Introduction, are given in the Appendix.
PARKS AND PUBLIC GROUNDS; ZOOLOGICAL, BOTANICAL, AND HORTICULTURAL GARDENS.
Much has been done within the last few years towards adorning the metropolis with health-giving parks and grounds freely open to the public. The gardens of three scientific societies, gradually brought into a very attractive state, are also accessible, though not without payment.
St. James’s Park.—This is so called from St. James’s Palace, which partly bounds it on the north. Originally these grounds were a marshy waste, which was drained and otherwise improved by Henry VIII.; who also took down an ancient hospital dedicated to St. James, and built on its site the palace now called St. James’s. Charles II. improved the grounds by planting the avenues of lime-trees on the north and south sides of the park; and by forming the Mall, which was a hollowed, smooth, gravelled space, half a mile long, skirted with a wooden border, for playing at ball. The southern avenue was appropriated to aviaries; hence it derived the appellation Birdcage Walk. The centre of the park was occupied by canals and ponds for aquatic birds. William III. threw the park open to the public for their recreation. Within the last thirty years the park has been greatly improved. It is nearly a mile and a-half in circumference, and covers about 90 acres; and the avenues form delightful shady promenades. In the centre is a fine piece of water, interspersed with islands, and dotted with swans and water-fowl; a bridge was built across this water in 1857. On each side are spacious lawns, enriched with lofty trees and flowering shrubs. The lawns are separated from the avenues by iron railings, and at different parts are keepers’ lodges. There are nine or ten entrances to the park, the Queen’s Guard doing duty at each, day and night. At the east side is a large gravelled space, called the Parade, on which, about ten o’clock every morning, the body-guards required for the day are mustered—and here the regimental bands perform for a time in fine weather. Here also guns are fired on state occasions. At the south side of the parade is placed a huge mortar, brought from Spain, where it was used during the Peninsular war; it can propel a bombshell nearly four miles. At the north end of the parade is a piece of Turkish ordnance, of great length, brought from Alexandria, in Egypt. A little farther north from the parade is a broad flight of steps, giving entrance to the park from Waterloo Place, constructed by order of William IV.; these steps are surmounted by a lofty column, commemorative of the late Duke of York, which occupies the spot where formerly stood Carlton House, the favourite residence of George IV. while Prince Regent. (Near here the band of the Commissionaires plays on summer evenings.) Farther along the Mall, or avenue, is Marlborough House; next to which is St. James’s Palace, separated by Stafford House from the Green Park. At the western end is Buckingham Palace; and on the southern side, Birdcage Walk, and the Wellington Barracks. This park, all things considered, is one of the greatest ornaments to the metropolis. The lake or water is a famous skating-place in winter; and having been brought to a maximum and nearly uniform depth of four feet, there is little danger of drowning by the breakage of the ice.
The Green Park.—This park, less attractive than St. James’s, and occupying about 60 acres, rises with a gentle slope to the north of Buckingham Palace, and is bounded on its east side by many fine mansions of the nobility—including those of the Duke of Sutherland, and the Earls Spencer, Ellesmere, and Yarborough. In a north-westerly direction from the palace is a broad road called Constitution Hill, connecting St. James’s Park with Hyde Park Corner. On the north is the line of terrace-like street forming the western portion of Piccadilly. The whole of the Green Park is surrounded by iron railings, and is interesting from its undulating grassy surface, which rises considerably on the north side. From the highest ground there is a pleasing prospect of Buckingham Palace, and of St. James’s Park, with its ornamental grounds and avenues of tall trees; and behind these Westminster Abbey and the new Houses of Parliament majestically rise, accompanied by the turrets of other buildings. At the north-west angle of the park, where Constitution Hill joins Piccadilly, is a triumphal arch of the reign of George IV., elaborately decorated, but possessing little general effect. The largest equestrian statue in England, that of the Duke of Wellington, stands on this arch; where it was placed in defiance of the opinion of persons of taste, who protested against the incongruity of such an arrangement. Across the way is the handsome entrance to Hyde Park, close to Apsley House, the great Duke’s residence; and here, in the after-part of the day, in fine weather, may be seen an extraordinary concourse of foot-passengers, vehicles, and equestrians, going to and returning from Hyde Park; also the general traffic between Piccadilly and Kensington, Brompton, and other places in a westerly direction.
Hyde Park.—This fine open place is part of the ancient manor of Hida, which belonged to the monastery of St. Peter, at Westminster, till Henry VIII. appropriated it differently. Its extent is about 390 acres, part of which is considerably elevated. The whole is intersected with noble roads and paths, and luxuriant trees, planted singly or in groups, presenting very diversified prospects. Near the south-east corner, the entrance from Piccadilly, on an elevated pedestal, stands a colossal bronze statue of Achilles, cast from the cannon taken at the battles of Salamanca and Waterloo, weighing thirty tons, and (as the inscription informs us) ‘erected to the Duke of Wellington and his companions in arms by their countrywomen.’