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White Conduit Gardens

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Venue Type & Location

Pleasure Gardens

Overview

  • Address: 1 Queen's Terrace, Islington. For a current map, Click Here. For an historical map showing the venue (in addition to the one excerpted at right), Click Here.

  • Alternate Names: White Conduit House, White Conduit Tea Gardens.

  • Performance Space Description: Information about this venue has not yet been compiled; however, some sense of the performance space may be gleaned by following the links at right. In particular:

  • See the 'Bibliographic Sources' link for a provisional list of venue-relevant resources (both primary and secondary). Wherever possible (i.e. when the pertinent text is relatively short and/or easily condensed) this material has been transcribed, and appears beneath the appropriate bibliographic citation.

  • See the 'Events at venue' link for a listing of blackface/minstrelsy-related events that took place in this performance space (with attached bibliographic references).

    Beth Marquis

    • Troupes at White Conduit Gardens

    Film Affiliated people Film Type # of event(s)
    Ethiopian Harmonists (White Conduit, 47) Minstrel Definite Ethiopian Harmonists (White Conduit, 47)
    Ethiopians (White Conduit Gardens, June 48) Minstrel Definite Ethiopians (White Conduit Gardens, June 48)
    Jones, a Negro Melodist Jones (minstrel), Minstrel Definite Jones, a Negro Melodist

    Events at White Conduit Gardens

    Event Date Venue Location Film
    Variety - London, London (city-county) Ethiopians (White Conduit Gardens, June 48)
    Variety - London, London (city-county) Jones, a Negro Melodist
    Variety - London, London (city-county) Jones, a Negro Melodist
    Variety - London, London (city-county) Ethiopian Harmonists (White Conduit, 47)

    Bibliographic Sources

    View a list of abbreviations.

    • Lloyd's Weekly London Newspaper June 18, 1848: 10: 3.
    • London: The Library Association, 1970
      p.256.
    • (Under Entertainment - Gardens & Spas - White Conduit House)
    • London: Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., 1881


      “On the east side of Penton Street formerly stood that celebrated Cockney place of amusement, ‘White Conduit House.’ The original tavern was erected in the reign of Charles I., and the curious tradition was that the workmen were said to have been regaling themselves after the completion of the building the very hour that King Charles's head fell at the Whitehall scaffold. In 1754, ‘White Conduit House’ was advertised as having for its fresh attractions a long walk, a circular fish-pond, a number of pleasant shady arbours, enclosed with a fence seven feet high, hot loaves and butter, milk direct from the cow, coffee, tea, and other liquors, a cricket field, unadulterated cream, and a handsome long room, with ‘copious prospects and airy situation.’ […]

      An old drawing of 1731 represents White Conduit House as a mere tall building, with four front windows, a gable roof, a side shed, and on the other side the conduit itself. On either hand stretched bare sloping fields and hedge-rows.

      The anonymous writer of the ‘Sunday Ramble,’ 1774’ describes the place as having boxes for tea, cut into the hedges and adorned with pictures; pleasant garden walks, a round fish-pond, and two handsome tea-rooms. Later the fish-pond was filled up, and an Apollo dancing-room erected. In 1826, a ‘Minor Vauxhall’ was established here, and the place became somewhat disreputable. […]. About 1827 archery was much practised; and in 1828 the house was rebuilt with a great ball-room and many architectural vagaries. […] (279-81).
    • (Under Victorian London - Entertainment and Recreation - Gardens and Spas - White Conduit House)