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Article	Author
California Gardens	Ray Smith
The recent TV programme "History Hunters" featuring the origins of Blackpool highlighted the now defunct Raikes pleasure gardens as the main attraction until other activities more close to the beach took over. Blackburn also had its own pleasure gardens situated at Foxhouse as described by George C Miller in a Blackburn Times article. It was opened on the 30th May 1857 by John Slater, otherwise known as "California Jack" causing his enterprise to be christened "California Gardens. The land, taking up rather more than an acre, was purchased from Lady Whitehead and although Slater died after only two seasons on the site, he succeeded in making it a popular resort for what may be described as the towns rowdier element. It's location was along Devonport Road between Whitehead and Bromley Streets. He proceeded to build a dance hall of 3,000 sq. ft. and a monkey house. The music being provided by George Ellis, who was one of the finest band leaders ever produced by Blackburn. This was followed by a racecourse which was on land now the site of houses on the south of Belle Vue Street between Cheetham Street and Addison Street. After Slater's death the gardens were purchased by the Blackburn Public Entertainment Co. Ltd. (registered capital £10,000) in October 1866. The dance hall was turned into a music hall and an ayhletics track and racecourse were built in order to organise pigeon races, rabbit coursing and track and dog races. A brewery was erected capable of supplying 200 barrels of beer per week. Because the old dance hall was now too small they proceeded to build another one on Johnson Street and used the old one as a grandstand for the racecourse. The roof of the brewery was converted into a dressing room and bar. Foxhall Gardens, its correct name, lasted for ten years by which time it had achieved so much unpleasant notoriety that the authorities closed the music hall down altogether. It was taken over by a revivalist campaigner and when this died down it was auctioned off in January 1868 and knocked down to Rev. H.W. Marychurch, vicar of St. Pauls, who, with adjacent land, set about forming a mission which became St. Barnabas' Church and Sunday Schools. The music hall was opened for worship in Septtember 1876 and a new church consecrated on the site in 1886. This being demolished in 1976. Of course there was another pleasure gardens at the turn of the century - that of Feniscowles Hall on Preston Old Road. After the Feilden family moved to Scarborough, the Hall - which had been built in 1808 along with the deer park - was opened to the public and many a sunday school picnic was held there until the first world war. Refreshments were available and people enjoyed the extensive walks through the gardens and along the river as well as the garden swings.
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