50-Day Family History Blogging Challenge - Day 2
Fragments of Family History
Jennifer Jones fromTRACKING DOWN THE FAMILY has initiated a 50-Day Family History Blogging Challenge. This is a big writing commitment but I have decided to participate. My topic will be “Fragments of Family History”. I will write short posts of newspaper items or single stories connected to my family history. This may expand over the 50 days.
River View Tea Gardens
My Great-grandfather, Horace Herbert Flicker, was known by his step-father’s surname of Walshaw. This article describes one of his many business ventures. The Tea Gardens only lasted a short time. The Walshaws, Waltons and McMonigals are all related.
River View Tea Gardens
These charming and aforetime popular tea gardens have lately passed into new hands, Mr. H. Walshaw having taken possession about a fortnight ago. On Thursday night a grand social was tendered to the new proprietor and his esteemed helpmate by a number of their lady and gentlemen friends. About thirty couples indulged in the light fantastic in Mr. Walshaw's excellent dancing saloon, a building which is admirably adapted to its purpose, especially during the present season, when coolness is so great a desideratum. The floor, which might well vie with that of the famed ' Masonic,' was in splendid order, and the hall was tastefully decorated, and hung, as were the grounds surrounding, with many-coloured Chinese lanterns. The feeling was expressed on all sides that the dance should be the initiative of a long series of social reunions, in a place where every adjunct was so eminently suited for Terpsichorean festivities. The dancing-room itself would be hard to beat, the situation by the riverside is romantic and picturesque, and the grounds, studded with cozy little arbours and tea-rooms, are fitted in every respect for those quiet meditative promenades and edifying conversations which dancers enjoy so much in couples, during the intervals of the exercise. On Thursday night the music was supplied by Mr. Muir's violin, Mr. Emmerson's concertina, Mr. Walshaw and Miss Walton on the piano, and other kindly assistants, and Mr. F. Muir was a most capable M.C. Songs were contributed during the evening by Mr. McMonigal, Messrs. C. and G. Smith and others. Light refreshments catered for by Mr. Gillespie, were abundantly forthcoming at mid-night; and dancing was kept up with great spirit until an early hour on Friday morning. Amongst the company were Mesdames Walshaw, McDonald and Emmerson ; Misses Walton (4), Muir, Walshaw, Smith (2), Lothian (Burwood), Picken, Lakeman (2), V. Stubbs. Nolan. Tye, Stavert (Burwood); Messrs. Walshaw, Muir (2), C. Walton, Coates, Emmerson, Lothian (Burwood), Massey, McMonigal, Flateau, Burke, Lackey, Pettigrew (Leichhardt), Purnell, Lindell, Young, Smith 2, (Balmain), and others.1
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
‘River View Tea Gardens’, The Cumberland Free Press (Parramatta, NSW: 1895-1897), 27 February 1897, p. 12.
I just love the way they described events in those days. And that they danced until the early hours of the morning.