CIRCUSES, DISAPPEARED

Astley's Amphitheatre

Philip Astley's skills with horses were such that the 5ft. 6in. height bar¹ of the 15^th Light Dragoons was waived for him to be admitted to the regiment. Within four years he was a sergeant-major. In 1766 he was discharged from the Army. He went to work for a riding school that was located in Islington. Two years later he opened his own facility at Halfpenny Hatch, Lambeth Marsh. There, he and his wife attracted large paying crowds through their feats of horsemanship. The revenue generated enabled them to give their show some variety by hiring musicians and then other acts, such as acrobats and clowns.

Astley purchased some timber yards that were sited to the south of the eastern end of Westminster Bridge. There, in 1769, he opened Astley's Amphitheatre. During the subsequent decade he had a running legal dispute with the Surrey magistrates, who chose to regard his shows as being an infringement of the rights of the patent theatres that were located on the north side of the Thames. Astley put on performances at the Amphitheatre for only a few months of each year. During the rest of it, he mounted tours of Britain and continental Europe. The Astleys son John developed into the most talented horseman in the family. In 1783 Astley p re opened the Amphith tre Astley in Paris. Six years later the Bastille was stormed. Six days after which Astley mounted a show about the event. Britain and France went to war. In 1802 the two countries agreed a temporary peace. Astley stated that Napoleon should pay him fourteen years back rent on the Amphith tre Astley and return 10,000 worth of property. These demands were met with.

Location: Westminster Bridge, SE1 7EH

Hercules Road, SE1 7DZ. The site of Hercules Hall, which was Philip Astley's home.

See Also: WORKING HORSES

¹. Astley exceeded it by six inches.

Hengler's Circus

The circus proprietor (Frederick) Charles Hengler (1820-1887) established a number of permanent circuses in large British cities. His London one was housed in The Palais Royal (The Palladium) in Argyll Street.

John Henderson (1822-1867) and his wife Agnes Hengler featured in the John Lennon s (1940-1980) song Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite! (1967). This was because he sourced the lyrics in large part from an 1843 circus poster that he had bought in a junk shop.

Location: 7 Argyll Street, W1F 7TF (blue, red)

Bertram Mills

Bertram Mills (1873-1938) was born into a family of London coachbuilders. After the First World War he attended a circus at Olympia and was unimpressed by what he saw. He decided that he could put on a better show and approached the hall's owners with a proposal that he should do so. His offer was accepted. For the 1920-1 winter season he found himself unable to import a circus from America. Therefore, he chose to mount his own. This proved to be a great success. As his own trade was in decline, Mills opted - at the age of nearly 50 - to enter the circus.

Mills put on annual winter show until his death. In the late 1920s a number of other circuses emerged in London. These acted as a drain upon his box office receipts. This he countered by establishing a tenting circus in he summer. The first tour was mounted in 1930.

Location: Olympia, Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX (orange, purple)

The Sangers

The Sanger brothers - Lord George and John - were born the sons of a showman. They played a central role in the trend that turned small fairgrounds into much larger events. In part, this was done in response to information about how circuses had been developing in the United States. During the winter of 1866-7 the sibs staged a show that was called Congress of Monarchs at the Agricultural Hall in Islington. There, on a single day, it was seen by 37,000 people.

In 1871 the Sangers purchased Astley's Amphitheatre. It provided them with a permanent base in London. During the winter they would stage shows there, while during the rest of the year they would tour the country. In 1893 the London County Council bought the Amphitheatre from Lord George and then demolished it. He retired from his circus in 1905. Ever the showman, he died in a sensational manner. He was murdered by a former employee, who then committed suicide.

Location: Park Farm, Denman Drive North, NW11 6RB

David Backhouse 2024