For Ebbsfleet Winter Gathering in Feburary 2020, The Art of the Magic Lantern recreated the lost Rosherville Pleasure Gardens. The nearby Industrial Estate on the riverfront was once the most delightful destination in Southern England, now closed for over 100 years.

In the playground of the Cherry Trees School with the help of local children and hand-held magic lantern projectors we recreated a walk through the gardens. We strolled through the charming vista where in the the days of George IV no expense was spared to create the largest and most popular garden in all England. Along the way we illuminated the spectacular zoological specimens that lurk amongst the foliage, from exotic birds to wild bears. Our walk lead us to great the Baronial Hall where we watched performances by long lost stars of the music halls – Little Titch, animal impersonator Herr Von Joel, Signor Gellini’s Pyrotechnic Ballet and Baron Nathan’s famous Egghorn Pipe Dance