The long, straggling village of Mitcham was the end of the crowded inhabited part of the road to Epsom; past the old Brewery and one or two old houses you came to the old mill and bridge crossing the river Wandle, with a ford by the side where nearly every vehicle drove through water, and as soon as you crossed, the avenue of fine old elms commenced, and meeting overhead formed quite a delightful shade. Meadows and park-like grounds on
each side, were well wooded, with only two residences and one farmhouse, an old house apparently half farmhouse and half residence, with very pretty gardens in front with a number of shrubs cut and trained into all manner of grotesque and fantastic shapes. The land on each side all the way to Sutton was purely agricultural and grazing land.
The first buildings you came to on entering the village were some old wooden cottages and the smithy, adjoining which was the cage or lock-up, outside of which was the village constable and his assistants, two or three labourers sworn in for the occasion. The village consisted of one long, straggling street of small low cottages and a few mean shops, hardly a good house, saving the Inns, consisting of the “Angel,” the “Greyhound,” and the “Cock.” The two latter were large coaching stations, the “Cock,” with a big open space in front. The villagers were making their harvest by having tables outside and selling milk in small yellow mugs about the size of a jam pot at a penny each, and small loaves with currants and home-made cakes. Outside the “Cock” was a Punch and Judy performing to an admiring crowd, and by the toll-gate at the corner of the Cheam Road was the first breakdown. An old landau with eight occupants, drawn by a big cart horse, had parted
right in half and shot all its contents into the road, and a general squabble commenced, especially among the ladies who, according to their account, had prophecied the disaster at starting. But the matter was soon settled as with willing hands the broken carriage was moved into a field by the roadside and they made themselves comfortable by falling to on the provisions, and I left them having a picnic in the broken vehicle.
Then along the road till you come to a long open common or waste land covered with rushes, grass and coarse scrubby growth to another toll-gate, of which I think I counted seven.
CHAPTER 11.—On the Downs.
At eleven I turned down a lane about a mile before you get to the town, and over a stile and through corn-fields by a path that brought you to the Downs. At the bottom of the hill there was a large and busy crowd at that time in the morning although but a few visitors had arrived. The Grand Stand was there and the Enclosure, although very much smaller than at present. Tents and booths covered the ground extending at least one-third of the extent of the course, with the signs of well-known London taverns, long booths, fitted as stables with livery stable-keepers with familiar names attached. Boxing booths, single-stick and quarter-staff and wrestling booths.
One large refreshment booth had up for a sign in large letters—“Dan Regan, the Cambridge Gyp. Refreshments and good accommodation for man and beast. Palliasse prostration with matin peck, two-and-sixpence,” and appeared to be doing a good trade. The accommodation a shakedown on some planks, and breakfast in the morning.
There did not appear to be any professional bookmakers, but the betting was carried on quite happily in the tavern booths and shops everywhere by everybody. Towards twelve o’clock the company began to arrive and get into place alongside the course, the four-in-hands drawn up, and carriages of every description, mostly taking out the horses to the stables in the tents, and formed a row two deep. The vans and other vehicles forming lower down in the same way, but further from the Grand Stand, and taking out the horses and tying them to the wheels, hundreds of loafers thus being busy selling pails of water and forcing their services to rub down and generally to extort a fee.
There was almost everything to be had on the course in the way of eatables and drinkables; occupants of carriages and drags began to have their lunches spread on the top of those vehicles; corks began to pop and a general onslaught was made on the provisions by everybody. The entertainments commenced their business. Sharpers in plenty, roulette tables, dice, three-card trick, pea and thimble, and the pricking in a curled up strap, and every phase of gambling without let or hindrance.