Carlo Gatti facts for kids
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Carlo Gatti (1817–1878) was a clever businessman from Switzerland. He lived during the Victorian era, a time when Queen Victoria ruled England. Carlo came to England in 1847. He started many businesses, like restaurants and importing ice. He is famous for being one of the first people to sell ice cream to everyone, not just the rich! Later, he also got into the exciting music hall business. In 1871, he went back to Switzerland. He left his businesses to his family and passed away as a very rich man.
Carlo was born in Canton Ticino, which is the main Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. He was probably born in a village called Marogno, near Dongio. He was the youngest of six children.
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Carlo Gatti's Success in London
Selling Ice Cream to Everyone
Carlo Gatti moved to London by 1847. He lived in the Italian community in Holborn. At first, he sold waffles and chestnuts from a small stall.
In 1849, he opened a café and restaurant with some friends. They focused on selling chocolate and ice cream. To attract customers, they put a chocolate-making machine in the window. They got ice for their ice cream from Regent's Canal. Their shop was the first to sell ice cream to the public. Before this, ice cream was a very expensive treat. Only rich people who had special ice houses could enjoy it.
Gatti showed his chocolate-making machine at the famous Great Exhibition in 1851. Also in 1851, he opened a stand in Hungerford Market, near Charing Cross. Here, he sold sweets, cakes, hot coffee, cold drinks, and ice cream. A small serving of ice cream cost just one penny. It was served in a shell, which might be where the idea of a "penny lick" came from.
The Ice Business
Carlo Gatti built a huge ice warehouse near King's Cross. It could store tons of ice in two big wells. Around 1860, he started bringing ice all the way from Norway. The ice traveled by ship up the River Thames. Then, it was moved to canal boats at the Regent's Canal Dock (now Limehouse Basin). From there, it went along the canal to his warehouse.
He started with one ice well in 1857 and added a second one around 1862. Soon, he became the biggest ice importer in London. Today, his old ice warehouse is the London Canal Museum. Carlo also had many delivery carts. These carts delivered ice to homes for their iceboxes.
Music Halls and Entertainment
In 1854, Hungerford Market was damaged by a fire. Luckily, Gatti had insurance. He used the money to build a music hall, which he called Gatti's. It opened in 1857. Music halls were popular places where people could watch live performances, like singing and comedy.
In 1862, he sold this music hall. The land later became Charing Cross railway station. With the money from the sale, Gatti bought a restaurant in Westminster Bridge Road. In 1865, he turned it into another music hall, known as "Gatti's-in-the-Road." This building later became a cinema. It was badly damaged during the Second World War and was taken down in 1950.
In 1867, he bought a public house (a pub) called "The Arches" in Villiers Street. It was located under the railway arches leading to Charing Cross station. He opened it as another music hall, called "Gatti's-in-The-Arches."
Members of his family helped him run his many businesses. After 1871, Carlo spent most of his time back in Switzerland.
Carlo Gatti's Later Life and Legacy
Carlo Gatti passed away on September 8, 1878. He is buried in Bellinzona, Switzerland.
The ice business he started kept growing for nearly a hundred years. His family also continued to run the music halls. One of his music halls was later known as the Hungerford or Gatti's Hungerford Palace of Varieties. It became a cinema in 1910 and then the Players' Theatre in 1946.
