The Thames and Recreation, 1815-1840
This chapter continues to explore the role of the early steamboat in modern recreation, by studying the development of leisure activity on the river Thames between 1815 and 1840. By examining newspaper advertisements for steamboat services it further cements the marketable benefits of steam over sail, such as non-reliance on wind power. It discovers many examples of working class access to steamboat services, and explores the surge in steamboat companies during the period to find that passenger traffic was the second-most utilised steamboat service. It traces the development of technology and how that reduced travel time and made day trips possible. It examines sporting events, naval displays, and other activities steamboats became involved with, while considering how steamboat travel was marketed to people, including as a ‘healthy mode of recreation’ due to the fresh air on the water. Finally, it determines the risks involved aboard passenger boats, including the potential for violence amongst them. It concludes by asserting that the steamboat had a tremendous impact on Londoners, and as prices lowered and popularity increased, lower classes began to share the same opportunities for leisure enjoyed by the upper classes.