First Open Air Bath Addington Square
First Open Air Bath Addington Square
Date: c.1887
Dimensions:
133.35 x 317.5 mm
Medium: Water-colour
Object number: GA1353
DescriptionConstructed in c. 1822. On the north side of the square, the sails of a Thames Barge can be seen on the canal to the left at Addington Wharf. Charles Dickens Jr.'s Dickens' Dictionary of London (1879) lists the Cygnus Swimming Club at Addington Square as one of the principal London swimming clubs. Membership was 10 shillings (50p) per annum. A gas lamp stand to the right of the picture. Gas was supplied by the South Metropolitan Gas Company on the Old Kent Road. Initially gas was supplied mainly for street lighting and most streets in London had gas illumination by the 1880s.
This painting was in a poor state and has been conserved by a student at Camberwell College of Arts & Crafts.
This painting was in a poor state and has been conserved by a student at Camberwell College of Arts & Crafts.