Ah, the long-forgotten tea gardens of the Georgian era.

Tea gardens, as closely related as they sound, were not like our modern tearooms. We don’t see tearooms in England until after 1860. Places like Sally Lunn’s in Bath are now considered tearooms, but not during the Georgian era. Sally Lunn’s, in particular, was a bakery best known for its buns (so much so that it supplied the baked goods for the local pleasure garden!), and offered an indoor eating house for those taking the waters in Bath to pop in and enjoy a roll with butter or cake.

Tea gardens, on the other hand, were small, outdoor spaces, featuring flowered walks, shaded arbors, a bowling green, and possibly a pond, or whatever the proprietor decided. The attraction was both the picturesque setting and the tea, but these gardens also typically offered hot bread and butter, fresh milk, cheeses, syllabubs, and cakes. Tea al fresco was the main attraction.

The Georgian era was the great tea gardens era, although these were found mostly in larger towns and cities, especially in London. To many scholars, tea gardens are synonymous with pleasure gardens, but I argue the distinction is too great to lump them together, despite similarities. Could tea gardens be considered the precursor to and inspiration for pleasure gardens? Certainly! Both were exceedingly popular during the Georgian era, the tea gardens being introduced first. You might recognize Cuper’s Garden as a tea garden and Vauxhall as a well-known pleasure garden.

There were several differences between tea gardens and pleasure gardens:

• Pleasure gardens charged an admission fee, while tea gardens were free to all who purchased a drink or food.

• Pleasure gardens were popular with the gentry and aristocracy, while tea gardens were favoured by the commoners.

• Pleasure gardens focused on dancing, music, and walks with follies, statues, and other attractions, while tea gardens were focused on tea, games, and flowered walks.

• Pleasure gardens stretched across several acres, while a tea garden may be little more than the paddock behind the inn.

I think tea gardens arrived before their time. Pleasure gardens overshadowed them into oblivion since the sort of organized entertainment the pleasure gardens offered far outweighed the smaller games and walks of the tea gardens, not to mention the great love of tea had not been popularised yet, although thanks to the tea gardens, it was beginning.

Sitting or walking in a garden to enjoy tea was not terribly interesting to the Georgians, who associated tea as a morning beverage to break their fast rather than a social custom or afternoon treat. The Georgians far preferred the pleasure garden entertainment and hearty meals, thus the death of the tea gardens that inspired the pleasure gardens and eventually our beloved tearooms. Those who enjoyed the tea gardens most were the commoners, especially the labourer who could grab a quick pick-me-up mid-morning before returning to work.

Despite being lost to time, tea gardens have the last laugh, really, for rather than pleasure gardens, we now have tearooms that offer both indoor and outdoor spaces to enjoy tea, and some offer that picturesque, flowered walk and even games we would have found in the Georgian tea gardens.

For a little further reading, check out these:

https://www.paullettgolden.com/post/teatime-etiquette

https://janeaustensworld.com/2009/03/01/18th-amp-19th-century-pleasure-and-tea-gardens-in-london/