Deer hunting in Hyde Park was now confined to its
northwest corner, which was enclosed for the king, who
occasionally hunted here. Elsewhere in the park were laid out
walks and fountains. Gardens were now natural instead of formal.
The streets were usually crowded with people and traffic. Many
people traveled by sedan chair. On the streets were barrows with
goods such as lace, threads, fruits, and chickens; beggars, ballad
singers, musicians, bands, street dancers, apple women, piemen,
muffin men, fruit sellers, nut sellers, pudding sellers, milk
maids selling milk from buckets, milk sold directly from the cow,
vendors of asses' milk, hawkers, newspaper boys, scavengers with
carts, postal collectors, lamplighters on their ladders, wenches,
chimney sweeps, rat catchers, pick pockets, swaggering bravados,
strolling strumpets, brawling watermen, card sharps, overdressed
beaux, dancing dogs, and acrobatic monkeys. Each trade had it own
call. Billingsgate open-air market was now exclusively for the
sale of fish. Small tradesmen such as dairymen, butchers, bakers,
fishmongers, and chandlers delivered to regular customers food
bought from distributing centers. Workers by necessity lived near
their place of work because there was no cheap transport and
walking through the streets after dark was unpleasant and
dangerous. Hours of work for most craftsmen was from 6 a.m. to 8
p.
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