Pleasure Gardens in 18c Bath [8min @14:40]

"Making History" listener Audrey Wood is a guide in Bath, England. She knows a lot about the history of the city, but there is something that has puzzled her for years. In 1795 a Pleasure Garden was opened at what is now Sydney Gardens. One of the attractions was a maze and, according to maps of the gardens, in the middle of the maze was a swing designed by John Joseph Merlin. Audrey wanted to know more about Merlin and this particular swing. "Making History" reveals the story of John Joseph Merlin, who was born in Belgium in 1735 and moved to London where he became a clockmaker. It is said that he was the first person to invent the roller-skate (in the 1760s), a pianoforte-harpsichord and a machine which allowed blind people to play cards! Many of his inventions were aimed at helping people with mobility or wider health problems. He invented a wheelchair which can be seen today at Kenwood House in London, and he built several swings. At the time it was thought that swinging was helpful to people suffering from TB. However, because no pictures of Merlin's swing in Bath exist, it is difficult to confirm whether this was purely a tourist attraction or a device aimed at the well-being of the visitor. "Making History" would be pleased to hear from anyone with pictorial or written evidence of the swing. "Making History" consulted Viscount Alan Middleton at the British Horological Institute; Alexander Sturgess, Director of the Holburne Museum of Art, Bath; Laura Houliston, Curator, Kenwood House; and Michael Wright, author of the catalogue for the Merlin exhibition at Kenwood House in 1985 and formerly of the Science Museum in London.