Regency Hot Spots: London Inn (Plymouth)

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LONDON INN In the month of October a public subscription ball is opened at this place where there is a good set of rooms for the purpose It has been always the custom here for a lady an inhabitant of the town to preside at these balls She is designated the Queen for the night and has the privilege of appointing two gentlemen as her stewards to assist her in receiving the compliments of the com pany and in paying due attention to them espe
cially to strangers for which this assembly has al ways been distinguished The Ball room is sixty feet in length and thirty feet in breadth but badly fitted up and the approach to it dirty and incon venient A room for cards and another where refreshments are introduced are adjoining The terms of admission are as follow S d Subscribers Gentlemen Ladies Non Subscribers Gentlemen Ladies 1 1 0 0 15 0 0 4 0 0 3 6 In the Ball room during the winter public sub scription concerts are sometimes held at other times a private subscription concert has been held here and at different periods in the year public concerts are held for the benefit of individuals The Picture of Plymouth; being a correct guide (etc.) of Plymoutz, Plymouth-Dock, Stonehouse, Stoke, … A list of the principal inhabitants of those towns. (1812). (n.p.): Longman.

The same guidebook completely disparaged the Plymouth Theatre:

THE THEATRE Has nothing to recommend it in its outward ap pearance nor are the accommodations within such as to attract a polished audience We must ob serve too that the pernicious custom so prevalent in all English theatres of a part of it being set aside for women of the town renders it impossible for decent people to resort to it but on nights when the house is so well attended as to prevent the indecorum that shews itself in thin houses is It open in general from Easter Week till October during which time there are performances every night by a company of provincial comedians This theatre is occasionally made more attractive by the appearance of some of the London per formers The common price of admittance is 3s to the boxes 2s to the pit and 1s to the gallery and no half price is taken to the latter

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