Early Clientele
In 18th century London much centred around the taverns and local public houses & inns, these were places not only of eating & drinking & great socialising for most men, but also where many business deals took place, sealed with no more than a spit in the palm and a handshake! By the 1830's the performers who used to do turns at such venues were so popular that rooms were set aside for several performances a week and for the more 'well to do' clientèle, such as your middle classes, 'song and supper rooms' sprung up around this time to cater for their needs. The 'song and supper' rooms stayed open until very late and served hot food, but some of these establishments soon gained quite a questionable reputation! Payment for such performers was usually around £1 per week and free drink....one can only imagine the quality of 'entertainment' as the night progressed!
Indeed, performers of varied degrees of talent tried their hand at entertainment, the noisy patrons of such places rewarded those less than beguiling acts with an assortment of jeers and inanimate objects that would come flying out of audience, no doubt many a dream was dashed by a well aimed empty beer bottle!
Female Clientele
Although middle class 'ladies' didnt frequent such establishments, nor were they permitted too, their lower class female counterparts were rather partial to an odd 'drop' in their local taverns and quite often went with their husbands, children and even babies! Those who are familiar with the nursery rhyme 'Pop! goes the weasel' will perhaps have heard of the popular 'Eagle' tavern in east London,
'Up and down the London road,
In and out of the Eagle,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.'
It is a cautionary tale thought to be about a tailor spending his weekly wage in the music hall after which he'd have to ‘pop’ or pawn his ‘weasel’ (tailoring devise) to raise additional money to take home to his family!....it is not hard to imagine many a fellow finding himself is such a position & with much explaining to be done, after a late night of such entertainment.
The Eagle circa 1830
ead The Empires
