What was the tradition of London season ? Explain different forms of entertainment that came up in nineteenth century England to provide leisure activities for the people.
(1) For wealthy Britishers, in annual ‘London Season’, several cultural events, such as the opera, the theatre and classical music performances were organised for an elite group of 300-400 families in the late eighteenth century. Meanwhile, working classes met in pubs to have a drink, exchange news and sometimes also to organise for political action. (2) The following forms of entertainment came up in the nineteenth century England to provide leisure activities for the common people : Libraries, art galleries and museums were established to provide people with a sense of history and pride in the achievements of the British. These were possible with money from the state. At first, visitors to the British Museum in London numbered just about 15000 every year but when entry was made free in 1810, the number increased to 825,901 by 1846. Music halls were popular among the lower classes. By the early twentieth century, cinema became the great mass entertainment for mixed audiences. Industrial workers were encouraged to spend their holidays by the sea, so as to derive the benefits of the sun and bracing winds. Over 1 million British people went to the seaside at Blackpool in 1883 and by 1939 their numbers had gone upto 7 million. Pleasure gardens came up in the nineteenth century to provide facilities for sports, entertainment and refreshments for the well-to-do. The working poor created spaces of entertainment wherever they lived such as Sailor’s Home in East London.
