The third of a series of articles tracing the fascinating and varied history
of the building the Museum now occupies
The Tennis Court – 3 Boxing, Hot-Air Balloon, and a Circus
This is the third in a series of articles tracing the history of the building that the Museum now occupies.
In the last piece we looked at Richard Scrace’s short-lived Tennis-court enterprise. By 1780, tennis was still on offer but there was starting to be uncertainty over how the court was being run. The Bath Chronicle is silent on the matter, and the next reference we find to the Tennis-court is something quite different:
This small notice, referring to the building as a known location, was published on 13th November 1788. It gives some very nice details about life in Bath at this date.
The New Rooms, where Mr Parker was lately a Waiter, is what we now know as the Assembly Rooms, a place of dancing, gambling, drinking and eating. This would have given him a sound training in ‘customer service’ and fast turn-round of orders. A Chop House offered cheap eating – the nearest equivalent today would be going for chips after the pub. There was a very limited menu of chops (a cheap cut), soup, probably bread and cheese, and drinks. Mr Parker emphasises that he sells ‘neat’ wines – not adulterated with water.
Sadly there are no entries for Parker or for this establishment in the Bath Directories, so maybe it didn’t last long. But a 1930 newspaper cutting (27th December 1930) mentions in passing ‘Parker’s Famous Chop-house, the name to this day being visible on the exterior of a house beyond a wall’. Unfortunately, wherever this was, it was a casualty when most of Morford Street was demolished in the early 1970s; the Chop-house was probably on the east side of the street, just above the Tennis-court.
The Chronicle announces a Sparing (boxing) match
In 1793 (3rd October) the Chronicle carried an advertisement for a special exhibition boxing match in the Tennis-court:
The building is advertised to be sold at auction in 1800, but it’s not known who bought it, and at around this time Bath Directories list John Maddick of ‘the Tennis Court’, which was a public house in Morford Street.
A Hot-Air Balloon is to be Displayed
On 1st November 1810 there must have been great excitement in Bath when Mr James Sadler proposes to exhibit his Balloon:
By this date, Christ Church had been built (1795) so it is difficult to imagine quite where the balloon was tethered: possibly in the area used by Scrace for exercising horses, where the church hall and other buildings now stand. Sadler had been touring the balloon around England (I have also found references to its appearance at Oxford and Worcester) and it would have been an extraordinary thing to see a man flying in the sky (the ‘car’ referred to in the advertisement is the balloon’s basket).
The Building is For Sale again and a Circus Announced
In 1813 (8th April), the building is once again advertised ‘to be let by tender, or sold’, with immediate possession. But while its fate is waiting to be decided, yet more exciting things happen. A notice in the Chronicle 20 September announces The New Equestrian Circus at the ‘late Tennis-court’, promoted by a Mr Adams and featuring a Troop of Horsemen, an acrobat and tight-rope walker, and a Comic Extravaganza. A week later more details are provided:
I particularly like the sound of ‘Master Ryan, the Child of Promise’. It reminds me of Charles Dickens’ novel Nicholas Nickleby, when Nicholas and Smike somehow end up working in Mr Crummles’ travelling circus. A featured act is ‘The Infant Phenomenon’, a lady who is at least in her twenties but is passed-off as a child of about nine. Mr Adams’ circus in Bath sounds like a good night out! – though regrettably ‘Mr Walker the Indian Youth’ was almost certainly blacked-up.
After this entertaining interlude of boxing, balloon and circus, the building turns to more serious matters, which we will cover in the next article.
Full Series: links added after publishing
Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7
Building complete timeline can be viewed here
Ann Cullis September 2024