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The Vauxhall Gardens were laid out on the Surrey side of the Thames River in the year 1661. The Gardens were originally called the New Spring Gardens in order to differentiate them from the Old Spring Gardens at Charing Cross. Upon opening, the Gardens were free to the public, demanding only the sixpence it cost to take a short boat ride across the Thames. Until Westminster Bridge was built in 1750, this boat ride was the only access to the Gardens. 7 In its early stages, Vauxhall offered its patrons little more than a few unpretentious promenades and shady arbors under which a light picnic lunch could be enjoyed. 8 These first Vauxhall patrons were attracted to the Gardens for their natural setting or perhaps for the cloak they provided for romantic trysts with forbidden lovers or maybe even with one of the "ladies of ill-repute" who often frequented the Gardens after sundown. 9 It was not until 1732, after extensive remodeling and new ownership, that the Vauxhall Gardens became the fashionable social commons that earned them their immortality in various novels, ballads, and poems. After the remodeling, a small admission was charged on entrance. During the grand re-opening of the Gardens on June 7th, 1732, people of all classes from all parts of England flocked to the Garden hoping to catch a glance of Frederick, Prince of Wales, who traveled to Vauxhall to witness the remodeling. 10 When the Westminster Bridge was erected, traffic to the Gardens increased ten-fold and its popularity lasted nearly till the end of the 19th century. The keystone of the Garden's immense draw was its main promenades: the Grand Walk, a majestic avenue of elms nearly one thousand feet long, and the South Walk, which was crowned by three Romanesque arches. The arches were part of a realistic painting of the Ruins of Palmyra, painted to magically transport patrons back in time. When viewed from a distance, the painting and ruins looked authentic enough to fool many patrons. The groves were also popular visiting spots because of their open-air "temples" (pavilions created to imitate ancient buildings), which provided shade and protection from rain. These temples housed tables that could be used for picnic lunches or for dinning on the light refreshments served at the Gardens. 11 Sadly, Vauxhall was eventually taken over by "seedy" characters like the "ladies of ill-repute" who visited the Gardens in their early stages. As the crowd became rougher, the admission price lowered, attracting even more of these ruffians. Eventually the grand promenades became over-grown and weedy and even the most majestic of the elm trees grew scraggly with both neglect and strangling smoggy air of an industrialized London. The Gardens finally shut their doors on July 25th, 1859. 12
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