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Undoubtedly the gardens best remembered at the present day are Vauxhall and Ranelagh, neither of which were early in the field in presenting firework displays to the public.

The first displays took place at Vauxhall about 1798, more than half a century after their appearance at some of the less famous gardens, and did not become a permanent feature of the programme until 1813. They continued regularly until the final closing of the gardens in 1859, the final item of the programme being “Farewell for Ever” in letters of fire. In 1813 an item in the firework programme was the performance of Madame Saqui, which was to slide down an inclined rope 350 feet long from the top of a mast 60 feet high, erected on the firework platform, enveloped in fireworks. So popular did this exhibition become that it was repeated here by other performers, by Longueman in 1822, and later by Blackmore.

The best-known pyrotechnists connected with Vauxhall were Southby, Mortram, and Hengler, the first display being by an Italian named Invetto.