Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Barry Greenaway

Bristol, Old England, Renison’s Baths, copper Twopence, 1764, renison’s grand pleasure bath, etc, rev. ladys private baths &c fountains around value in wreath, ep, 23.5mm, 3.73g/11h (D & W 52/65). Good fine and extremely rare (£60-80)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Barry Greenaway.

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Provenance:
Bt J.D. Hooper October 1993.

Old England, Bath Buildings, Montpelier. In 1747 Thomas Rennison, a successful threadmaker in Bridge street and the self-styled ‘governor of the colony of Newfoundland’, first rented Territt’s snuff mill in the fashionable Montpelier area. On the site was a large pond frequented by swimmers and it was this pond which Rennison thought would make his fortune, so he purchased the land and property in 1764. The original pool was over 400 feet wide and he advertised it as ‘Rennison’s Grand Pleasure Bath and Gardens’. Soon afterwards he constructed a special bath for ladies and added a coffee house; later came a bowling green, tea gardens and the Old English Tavern itself, which became a favourite rendezvous for its recreational facilities because, until 1790, the tavern was outside the city boundaries and was not subject to any civic restrictions. Other more cultural activities offered included evening concerts advertised in June 1782, when the entrance fee of a shilling included tea or coffee. The baths were purchased by the corporation of Bristol for £1,600 in 1892 and closed in 1916