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27
and the crowds so disorderly that it was ended by an Order in
Council dated March, 1872.
That Greenwich Fair held on 12th-14th May and 11th-13th
October was one of London's brightest attractions is emphasised
by the numerous clever skits and drawings which emanated from
the various journals and papers of the day. It came into prominence
at the beginning of the 18th century originally as a cattle
fair but gradually became a place noted not only for the sale of
eatables and for its variety of amusement but also for its riotous
and disreputable character. Despite its doubtful reputation
Charles Dickens thoroughly enjoyed the fair and gives an amusing
account of it in his "Sketches by Boz". In addition to theatrical
and waxwork shows, there were menageries, prize fighters,
thimble-riggers, equestrians, rope performers, quack doctors,
dancing booths, and the inevitable quota of pickpockets. Through
telescopes on the Observatory and One Tree Hills, gibbets with
skeletons attached could be viewed on the river banks for a few
pence. The fair drew enormous crowds and thousands of persons,
many of whom came by water in every conceivable craft, congregated
in the park for rough merrymaking. There were swings and
roundabouts, and it is reliably reported that the latter was first
introduced to the British public at Greenwich from France in 1835.
Stalls were arranged by the roadside from St. Mary's Gate to
Blackheath and refreshments included shell fish of all kinds,
effervescing drinks, eels in all its stages of cooking (pickled, stewed
and in pies), plum pudding, gingerbread, cold fried fish all liberally
peppered with dust but being rapidly disposed of by their vendors.
In the evenings, the taverns were filled to overflowing and the
merrymaking continued well into the night. As a direct result of
the increase in the riotous nature of the entertainment, the fair
was relegated to the road from Deptford Creek via St. Alfege's
Church to the Park Gates and, finally, the local inhabitants
succeeded in having it closed down in about 1860. One suspects
that Nathaniel Hawthorne, the celebrated American writer who
resided in Pond Road for a time, although somewhat critical of
the fair, was one of many who regretted its passing. Nevertheless,
the fair, a mere shadow of its former glory, is still held on
Blackheath at time of Public Holidays.
In more recent time, before the quality of the river deteriorated
as a result of the population explosion of London in the latter
half of the nineteenth century, Greenwich was renowned for its
whitebait dinners and suppers. Gladstone, Prime Minister and
member of parliament for this constituency in 1868, with his
ministers, regularly dined here on whitebait caught in the Thames,
off Greenwich, and the "Ship", "Trafalgar" and "Crown and