Book Reviews

Fun and Frivolity – Nineteenth Century Amusements in Gravesend

By Lynda Smith

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A fine account of a small Thames-side town and the multitude of entertainments that emerged as it grew into a popular Victorian resort.

Lynda Smith’s book chronicles the rise of Gravesend as a holiday destination with all the Victorian recreations which that entailed, followed by the sudden “decline into a workaday town with all the amusements for its size and type”. Lynda Smith identifies the rise as a holiday resort was dependent on three factors: the fashion for salt-water bathing; the position of the town by the Thames and the advantages arising from its accessibility to London via the introduction of the steamboat. These factors are discussed in detail, as is the inevitable decline. What emerges are curious insights into the mindset of Victorian values and entertainment ideology, alongside a town’s development, the legacy of which is still visible in parts today. As a resident of Gravesend, I found Fun and Frivolity familiar, engaging, and highly informative; its insight to a curiously unfamiliar world challenges the previously held perceptions of a workaday town. The surviving buildings and their rekindled past now taken on a new aspect, and that is a good thing.

A must-have for all residents of Gravesend, and colourful, enjoyable addition to the social history of Kent.

Fun and Frivolity costs £11.00 and may be bought at the Tourist Information Centre in Gravesend Market or else by post from Mrs Sandra Soder, Secretary of the Gravesend Historical Society, 58 Vicarage Lane, Gravesend, DA12 4TE for £14.00 including postage and packing. Please make cheques payable to the Gravesend Historical Society.

Knole Revealed

By Nathalie Cohen and Frances Parton

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Accessible, informative and entertaining – a first-rate account of the conservation, archaeology and history of Knole.

Knole Revealed outlines the discoveries made during recent conservation works to the interior and exterior of this famous English house. What emerges is how much has been learned about the property since works began in 2007, courtesy of the National Trust and a generous grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Nathalie Cohen and Frances Parton provided a multi-faceted account that is not only rich in facts but leavened with images detailing various insights into Knole’s past. To demonstrate how this Jacobean gem has been perceived by many over time, the book draws upon a multitude of material, from building phases to hidden treasures found under floorboards, and the graffiti and inscriptions found throughout the property. As the title suggests, the authors present a book that creates a blend of conservation and interpretation of both the property and the internationally significant collections housed within, without neglecting the less grand and often unseen components.

A book of discovery and technical study featuring some fascinating revelations of a well-known historic property.

Knole Revealed costs £10.00 and may be purchased at https://www.mola.org.uk/knole-revealedarchaeology-and-discovery-great-country-house

For more information about Knole visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knole