Vauxhall Gardens, Collyhurst - one day in September 1836

Perhaps the most persistent image of travel by hot air balloon that most of us have is that of Frank Morgan - aka the Wizard of Oz - lifting off from the Emerald City, leaving Dorothy and Toto to find their own way back to Kansas and Aunty Em.

In 1900, when L. Frank Baum wrote the book upon which the Wizard of Oz film was based, the Wright brothers were still 3 years away from their first manned flight, so balloons were still not far from the cutting edge of aviation technology, but what about if we go back another 74 years, to 1836, a time when a hot air ascent could still draw huge crowds of spectators?

Between Manchester and Blackley, to the left of Rochdale Road, is a patch of land that was once known as Vauxhall Gardens. The gardens had been opened at the end of the 18th century by Robert Tinker and they were at first known as Tinker's Gardens. In 1812 they were briefly called the Elysian Gardens, in honour of Wellington's Victory at Salamanca, but this did not catch on and in 1813 they became Vauxhall Gardens. (1)

The gardens were originally what was known as a tea and coffee garden, but a public house was soon added in the form of the Grapes Inn on Collyhurst Road. Opened in 1829, the Grapes Inn was lucky enough to have a full licence. Had it been opened 12 months later the Beer House Act would have been law. This would have made it far easier to open an establishment that served beer, but extremely difficult to open one that served wine and spirits. The pub was a huge building that managed to outlast the gardens by 112 years, the last pints being pulled in 1964 (2).

Where did the name of the gardens come from? Even before the restoration in 1680 there had been a pleasure gardens in London called New Springs Gardens. From 1785 to 1850 it was knows as Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. At the same time, across the Atlantic, in New York, the Astor dynasty were busy establishing their wealth through speculation in property, and they too rented out land that became a Vauxhall Gardens. I wonder how many other Vauxhall Gardens there were around the world as the name gained status? It seems obvious that our Vauxhall Gardens was trying to steal some of the limelight from these better placed businesses. 

Vauxhall Gardens, Collyhurst.

Competition pleasure gardens was keen. At various times there were pleasure gardens at Pomona, Old Trafford, Whalley Range (Manley Hall), Belle Vue, Ashton Moss, and a host of other places, so it was important to offer that extra something to pull the crowds in your direction. During the wakes week of 1836, Captain Wild, the then operator of Vauxhall Gardens, arranged to have a balloon ascent as one of the attractions. The services of a Mr. Graham were obtained and he duly arrived with his balloon. The idea was to fill the balloon with gas from the nearby gas works. A pipe, roughly three inches in diameter, was laid to the gardens and the operation commenced at around 11am on September 12th, the intention being to make the ascent at 4pm. However, things did not go to plan. There was a partial blockage of the pipe and, when the appointed time came, the balloon was not ready to make an ascent.

The crowds were immense, both inside and outside the gardens, with one estimate being that there were 26,000 people waiting to see Mr. Graham rise gracefully into the sky. The crowds remained placid until about 7pm, when a group of young men, feeling that they had been cheated, started to protest. Mr Wild attempted to pacify them, but the rumour started to spread that the whole thing was a hoax. The police had to be called and they were forced to save Wild from the mob.

Things started to turn really ugly. Windows were smashed in the house within the gardens (More about this later), and at one point the mob even considered destroying the balloon. Eventually Wild appeared at one of the windows of the house. He apologised for the disappointment, which was due to circumstances beyond his control. Further, he promised that sufficient gas would be obtained to make the ascent the following evening.

Thus pacified, the crowd headed for home, but the fun was not at an end. At the Collyhurst lodge no instructions had been received to issue tickets for the following day. A window was smashed and the Lodge Keeper fled for his life along Rochdale Road. The mob returned to the house and new tickets were issued. That was the end of the action on the Monday night.

4pm on the Tuesday arrived and Captain Wild must have started to feel as if would rather be back on the battlefield. The balloon needed 22,000 cubic feet of gas to lift two people into the air, but nothing like that amount had been obtained. With just 17,000 cubic feet of gas at his disposal, Graham had to refuse numerous applications to ride with him. A considerable amount of ballast was also unloaded. Eventually, at about 4.30 in the afternoon, the balloon rose into the air, and we can only imagine the relief that Captain Wild, Mr. Graham, and the local constabulary, felt at that moment.

The wind carried the balloon in a south easterly direction over Manchester at a hight of between a mile and a mile and a half. Later in the trip, Graham estimated that he reached between two and a half and three miles in height, the upper estimate being nearly 16.000 feet. He returned to the ground at approximately 5.15 pm on the edge of Carrington Moss and, with the help of a carriage precured for the purpose by Robert William, Esq., of Sale Lodge, he arrived back at Vauxhall Gardens at 9.45 the same night. (3)

Unfortunately for Captain Wild, his problems were not over and the gardens brought him no luck. We have one rather fanciful account of his life and sad ending that is worth recounting here in part. He was said to be a shy Lancashire lad who served with distinction during the Peninsula War and was wounded during the Battle of Salamanca, when 13,000 men died within a short space of time. Delirious from his wounds, and singing as he was carried away from the front line by his comrades, the Duke of Wellington is said to have passed close by and was moved to tears by Wild's pitiful state.

Wild was taken prisoner by the Spanish, but he managed to escape and return to the British lines. He was appointed a Captain and subsequently returned to Lancashire as a half pay officer This was a status afforded to officers who were retired or between posts. He then became the licensee of the White Lion Inn on Long Millgate before moving to Vauxhall Garden in 1836. He was said to be married to a very beautiful woman who would not assist him with the business and he fell into debt and was made a bankrupt. He was imprisoned at Lancaster Castle and on his first evening there he heard a bell ring and enquired of another inmate what it meant. He was informed that it meant the time had arrived for the prisoners to be locked in their cells. Such was the shock that Wild fell down dead on the spot. (4)

The real truth about Wild seems to be somewhat different. As well as the White Lion, he also appears to have run the Spread Eagle on Hanging Ditch, located opposite the Corn Exchange. He took the contents on valuation but, while moving some lumber, he happened upon two paintings supposedly by the 16th century Italian Painters Titan and Correggio. I am going to take this story with a massive pinch of salt, but it certainly appeared in the newspapers of the time (5). Whatever the truth, this might be the means by which Wild was able to afford the lease of Vauxhall Gardens.

Subsequent to the balloon debacle, Wild took out an advertisement in a newspaper apologising to the public and laying bare the riotous behaviour that took place. There was a great deal of damage done to the gardens and the mob actually entered his house. His furniture was destroyed, wine, porter and refreshments meant for the crowd were stolen and he even had a sum of money taken. It must have been an appalling experience for him.

There is no mention in the newspapers of a subsequent bankruptcy, so I am assuming that the tale of his incarceration and death in Lancaster is fantasy. Backing for this comes from a notice in a newspaper from November 12, just two months after the disastrous attempt to launch the balloon failed. It simply says, "On the 8th instant, of paralysis, Captain Wild of Vauxhall Gardens." (6)

1) Gardens and Gardening in a Fast Changing Urban Environment, Joy Uings.

2) Pubs of Manchester Past and Present.

3) Manchester Courier, September 17th, 1836.

4) The book of days; a miscellany of popular antiquities in connection with the calendar, including anecdote, biography, & history, curiosities of literature and oddities of human life and character, Robert Chambers.

5) Chester Courant, August 20th, 1833.

(6) Manchester Times, November 12th, 1836.