Sunday 21 April 2013

Regency Snippets - 1814 The Last Frost Fair on The Thames

It was an exceptional winter that caused 'Old Father Thames' to freeze solidly enough for people to walk across - rather than pay a boatman or the toll on the bridge - but the holding of fairs on such occasions had a long history. There were fairs in 1564, 1608, 1634, 1715, 1739 and 1789.

In 1811 the river froze hard leaving only a narrow channel so that people could walk on it from Battersea Bridge to Hungerford Stairs. But only three years later it froze hard again at the beginning of January after a week-long fog. The streets were piled high with snow, the ice on the river dirty and 'lumpy' but firm enough on the 30th for 70 people to walk across from Queenhithe to the opposite bank. More people soon ventured onto the ice and by Monday, February 1st the river was so solid from Blackfriars Bridge to some way below the Crane Stairs that thousands were tempted onto it.

By Tuesday the whole area was a fair. The 'main road' was named City Road and went straight down the middle of the Thames rather than across it. It was lined on both sides with about 30 stalls decorated with streamers, flags and 'signs', set up for the sale of porter, spirits, and other drinks (unlicensed) as well as for skittles, dancing, and a variety of games. The next day, Wednesday, was the same. In addition 8 or 10 printing presses had been erected, the typographers setting up their type for the printing or cards and broadsides to commenmorate the great frost...

On Thursday, to most people the ice seemed to be a solid rock. The fair continued to grow and attract more visitors. There were swimgs, bookstalls, skittles, dancing-booths, merry-go-rounds,sliding barges, just like Greenwich and Bartlemy Fairs. Friday the 4th brought even more, and scores of pedlars...

The Thames watermen far from being ruined made a huge profit by charging a toll of twopence or threepence to enter 'Frost Fair' - and demanding a tip on leaving. Some were rumoured to have made £6 a day...

In 1823 London Bridge was rebuilt upstream and the old one demolished in 1831. The new arches re-directed the flow of the river so that it was too swift to freeze.

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