"The pleasure of innocent recreation ... " -- Col. John Turner, 8 February 1781
England's eighteenth century saw an exponential rise in disposable income amongst the middle classes in particular, as well as a shift in thinking about the worth of time away from the workplace. Freed from Puritan strictures about "idleness" and ready to enjoy the new leisure opportunities on offer, the middling sort availed themselves of the pleasure gardens of Vauxhall, the Assembly Rooms of county towns, and the rapidly-expanding repertoires of opera and theatre alike. Dressed in the latest fashions, these merchants and lawyers and their wives partook of many new, often daring, pastimes, including gaming (gambling) at cards and horse-races.
England's eighteenth century saw an exponential rise in disposable income amongst the middle classes in particular, as well as a shift in thinking about the worth of time away from the workplace. Freed from Puritan strictures about "idleness" and ready to enjoy the new leisure opportunities on offer, the middling sort availed themselves of the pleasure gardens of Vauxhall, the Assembly Rooms of county towns, and the rapidly-expanding repertoires of opera and theatre alike. Dressed in the latest fashions, these merchants and lawyers and their wives partook of many new, often daring, pastimes, including gaming (gambling) at cards and horse-races.