![]() The original nineteenth century amusements on the park dated back to the 1870s and consisted of a small range of attractions that would have been found at many such pleasure gardens at the time. It was both a link to the earlier pleasure gardens of the eighteenth century, the forerunner of the seaside amusement business and in many ways both an amusement park and proto theme park before the concept was introduced. Belle Vue was linked to the growth of Manchester as an industrial giant, the technological advances and industrialisation of the entertainment business itself and the growth of recreation as both a business and a mode of leisure. An audience could enjoy anything from brass band competitions to the latest classical compositions. Firework displays and zoological wonders could be found alongside orchestral recitals from both the Gorton and Halle Orchestras. ![]() The park included the third oldest zoo in the United Kingdom, dancing and catering facilities, a racecourse, a boating lake complete with paddle steamers, amusement concessions and the famous King's Hall with a capacity of five thousand. In the twentieth century it embraced circus, speedway and greyhound racing alongside classical and popular music. All aspects of entertainment history can be found in the evolution of this hybrid complex of zoological and pleasure gardens, amusement park and exhibitions grounds. Founded in 1836 by John Jennison, at its peak it occupied over 165 acres and attracted two million people a year. For nearly 150 years, Belle Vue was one of the most continually successful entertainment concessions in the United Kingdom. Without doubt the most important in terms of longevity and transitional use of space and trends was Belle Vue Zoological Gardens in Manchester. However, new-style gardens at the edges of large industrial centres, combining the old-style pleasure gardens with other newer attractions were opening, including Belle Vue in Manchester in 1836 and Crystal Palace in London, which opened in 1871. Vauxhall, unlike its European counterparts, fell into decay and by 1859 it had closed, with historians blaming the growth of the railway and holiday excursions as a reason for its declining visitor numbers. Such was the success of both Vauxhall and Tivoli Gardens that both names became generic terms for other pleasure gardens in Europe and the United States. ![]() Argued by some historians to be a forerunner of modern amusement parks, the entertainments on offer in Vauxhall included theatre shows, firework displays, dancing and drinking booths and theatrical entertainment. Vauxhall Gardens became a model for the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen (1843) and numerous other pleasure gardens around Europe. Other well-known European gardens included Bakken in Denmark, which opened in 1583 and is the oldest operating amusement park and pleasure garden in the world and the Prater in Vienna which opened in 1766. The most famous of these pleasure gardens was Vauxhall Gardens, founded in 1661 and peaking in popularity in the early nineteenth century. Pleasure gardens flourished in Britain in the eighteenth century, due in part to a relatively stable and democratic government and thriving international trade, much of which passed through London.
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