Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2022)
|
copyright © J.Middleton
Hove Beach huts are a familiar
sight but the Big Top in the background provides an unusual background.
This
photograph was taken when Zippo’s Circus visited Hove in August 2002. |
Background and Various Sites
|
copyright © D.Sharp
A circus elephant sculpture in the
children's play area of Wish Park |
Travelling circuses used to visit Hove frequently and they
set up their big top in a variety of locations. For instance, when Sanger’s
Circus visited Hove in 1867 the County Cricket Ground was used; that is not the
present ground but the old Brunswick Cricket Ground on the seafront and they
were there in 1871 too. When the County Cricket Ground moved to its present
site the circus camped there too in 1874.
In 1889 the circus was ensconced
in a field between Portland Road and New Church Road while in the 1890s and
later the circus stayed at Hove Meadow, which was situated west of Hove Street
and south of New Church Road, where Aymer Road is today.
Other popular sites were Wish
Meadow or a field between King’s Esplanade and Kingsway. According to Winnie
Mainstone, her father, who was bailiff to the Duke of Portland, owned some
fields and a pig farm in the Wish neighbourhood and he used to let the fields
to the circus.
An interesting letter was
published in the
Argus (12 February 1998) in which it was stated that an
elderly gentleman remembered going to the circus at Wish Park when he was a
child. Unfortunately, a circus elephant dropped down dead ‘so they dug a hole and
rolled it in’. see
Aldrington Recreation Ground (Wish Park)
After the Second World War the
circus visited
Hove Park, and returned there for many years. The circus has
also been located in St Helen’s Park, Hangleton. But in recent times number 1
Western Lawns has become the designated site.
|
copyright © D.Sharp
The 'elephant's rib' sculpture in Wish Park was design by Brighton architects Chalk Architecture. The City's Mayor, Pete West, officially opened the sculpture on
Saturday 29 October 2016 which is now known as 'Dino the
Elephant' following a naming competition. |
The arrival of the circus in town
was duly noted in school Log Books because it meant that school attendances
would be low as a consequence. Sometimes it seemed more pragmatic to allow the
children a half-day’s holiday so that they could satisfy their curiosity. For
example, the following comes from the
Farman Street (Boys) Log Book 5 September
1867 –‘a good many boys went to the circus this afternoon, which thinned the
school considerably.’ On 28 August 1871 William Hamilton, the headmaster,
grumbled that a fresh circus had come to Hove every Monday for the last four
weeks and during the two days when each circus paraded through the town, school
attendance dropped to 60 pupils.
The Circus Arrives
The following snippets have been
gathered from the pages of local newspapers.
1867
In September Sanger’s circus was
camped at
Brunswick Cricket Ground. There was a memorable incident at Brighton
concerning an elephant and Thomas Reed, keeper of the
Red House beer
shop in Cavendish Street. Reed was near the
Horse and Hounds in London
Road when he heard that a little girl had fainted with the shock of seeing the
circus animals. Reed entered the adjacent yard to enquire about the welfare of
the youngster and found instead an elephant walking with his keeper. The
elephant had been trained to beg for half-pence and went up to Reed expecting
to receive a coin and so Reed obliged. Shortly afterwards, there was a second
encounter between Reed and the elephant and a repeat performance ensued. But
when Reed felt in his pocket (eagerly watched by the elephant) the only coin he
could find was a silver two-shilling piece, which he quickly replaced in his
pocket. The elephant was infuriated by his action and rushed at Reed, spearing
his shoulder with a tusk that penetrated for five or six inches.
1871
This was the year when at least four circuses visited
Hove. On Monday 28 August Sanger’s Circus arrived and set up on Brunswick
Cricket Ground; their previous appearance had been at the Royal Agricultural
Hall, London. Apparently, ‘the parade was very magnificent’ and there was a
large attendance at the ground to see the circus.
1887
Sanger’s Circus came to Hove for two days in September. On
the bill were Roman sports, horses, elephants, racing camels, a great
Australian ostrich chase plus a version of Buffalo Bill’s famous Wild West
show. The tickets cost from six pence to three shillings.
1890
|
copyright © Brighton & Hove City Libraries
Major John Olliver Vallance (1847-1893)
was photographed wearing his uniform of
the Sussex Artillery Militia c. 1870. |
It was announced that ‘by kind permission of Major
Vallance, Messrs John Sanger & Sons’ largest and grandest show in the world
will take up a position in Hove Street Meadow.’ The circus was there on the 12
and 13 of August. Among the novelties to be seen was the amazing horse Blondin
who could walk along a tightrope some 30 feet above the ring; there was also a
wonderful riding lion straight from Paris, a marvellous tightrope-walking bear
and a sensational performance by the Stellios on the flying trapeze.
1891
Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show
Buffalo Bill and his celebrated Wild West Show came to
Hove Street Meadow in October. Previous to their arrival carpenters had been busy for
nearly a fortnight erecting covered stands around the arena capable of seating
some 15,000 spectators. One hundred workmen were recruited locally to help set
up the grandstands.
The enormous company arrived at West Brighton Station (now
Hove Station) early on 11 October. They had travelled from Portsmouth in three
special trains consisting of 76 cars. The weight of the plant came to something
over 100 tons and besides the horses, wild cattle and buffaloes, there were 250
employees including Indians (Native Americans) and Mexicans. The original show
had caused a sensation in 1887 at the London Exhibition. The show at Hove was
exactly the same as had been seen in Earl’s Court, Naples, Paris, Marseilles
and Vienna. Cheap train trips were arranged from Horsham, Bognor, Tunbridge
Wells, Hastings, Eastbourne, Seaford and East Grinstead to bring people to Hove
to see the show.
The Grand Procession included a ‘mounted detachment of
Wild West Indian chiefs, cowboys, scouts, Mexicans, frontier girls and
marksmen’. The procession went along Church Road, Western Road and North Road
to the Old Steine, then turned south and came back along the coast road.
|
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove Brighton Argus 10 October 1891 |
The Indians had their own camp on
Hove Street Meadow consisting
of wigwams (tepees) covered with rough canvas decorated with paintings of men,
buffaloes and horses and they were expected to arouse much curiosity.
Unfortunately for the Indians their visit to Hove proved to be a somewhat
melodramatic experience because a tremendous gale arrived to batter the coast
and the show had to be postponed for two days – the first cancellation due to
bad weather since the troupe arrived in England. Beside the gales, there was
thunder, lightning, hail, large flakes of snow and rain. Buffalo Bill thought
it was just too risky to try placing the canvas roof on top of the portable
grandstand. He was heard to say that he was prepared to put on his show come
rain or shine but he drew the line at typhoons. The Indians became so alarmed
at the ferocity of the storm that they spent the night of 13/14 October singing
to the Great Spirit for deliverance. Their prayers were answered and on 15
October the bad weather abated sufficiently to allow the show to go on although
the site was somewhat waterlogged.
|
copyright © Robert Jeeves of 'Step Back in Time'
This photograph was taken on
13 June 1909 and so it was some years after Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
But
it seems an appropriate place to display a souvenir of some Native Americans
seeing the local sights. |
Although Indians on Reservations were not treated
particularly well, Buffalo Bill’s troupe of Indians received the best of care.
In fact it could be said to be a case of positive discrimination. The Indians
were paid from $3.50 to $10 per month but they did not have to pay out for any
expenses. There were even portable bathing vans for the Indians whereas white
members of the troupe were obliged to travel into town and pay for a bath. If
the Indian had a headache or toothache medical attention was sought and they
were excused from performing. When an Indian terminated his contract, he was
given a civilian suit and sent back to his own country.
With regard to the performance
itself; Buffalo Bill was there in person and naturally he was received with
great acclaim. His single-handed combat with Yellow Hand, Sioux Chief, proved
to be a memorable episode. .
Also present was the far-famed
Annie Oakley ‘who scarcely looks a day older that when she appeared in London
four years ago, and seems to have, if possible, acquired even further dexterity
in the use of her weapon. Among her most astonishing feats are firing with
almost unerring certainty at balls thrown at some distance with the rifle
upside down, firing over her shoulder, sighting by a looking-glass etc feats
very surprising in themselves but rendered more surprising on their success
yesterday afternoon when every now and then a strong squall of wind would break
across the arena, evidently diverting the course of the balls thrown in the air
to be broken with such dexterity by the famous Little Sure Shot.’
Other exciting items on the
programme were as follows:
An Indian attack on an emigrant
train
An attack on a settler’s cabin
with Buffalo Bill and his cowboys coming to the rescue
The Pony Express
The capture of the Deadwood Stage
by Indians
A buffalo hunt in which Buffalo
Bill played a prominent part, displaying his feats of sharp shooting from
horseback
A charming Virginia Reel on
horseback
Cowboy Fun in which cowboys tried
to stay put on the backs of bucking horses
Cowboy Fun caused a great deal of
amusement but being a British audience there was some concern on behalf of the
horses although nobody seemed to give a hoot about the cowboys who kept landing
on their backsides. However, Buffalo Bill was able to convince the audience
that there was no cruelty to horses involved in the act.
But the demonstration of Indian
life and customs went down like a lead balloon. The reporter from the Sussex
Daily News was singularly unimpressed. Although he admitted it was
interesting he said it had ‘a very ludicrous side to English eyes’.
The show ended with a parade of
all the participants. Seats for the show cost 1/- 2/- 3/- and 4/-.
1898
The Sussex Daily News (20
May 1898) printed a story about a travelling circus with a most enterprising
showman in charge. He distributed a number of advertisements proclaiming that
at the next performance the magnificent elephant Timbuctoo would play the
piano. When the crowded tent was full of anticipation a grand piano was duly
wheeled in and after a fanfare of trumpets Timbuctoo plodded into the arena.
The elephant was led towards the piano but he refused to perform his party
trick. The showman pretended to have a little, private conversation with the
elephant, then turning to the audience he announced in a sombre voice, breaking
with emotion, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen I regret to tell you that Timbuctoo finds
it impossible to go through with his performance this evening. The poor animal
tells me that in the keys of the piano he recognises the tusks of his unhappy
mother.’
Ginnett’s Circus
Ginnett’s Circus performed at
Hove in the early part of July. On 9 July 1898 Eastbourne magistrates ‘earned
the thanks of all animal lovers’ by sending Claude Ginnett, proprietor of the
well-known circus, to prison for a month without the option of a fine ‘for
permitting most brutal cruelty to one of his circus horses’. A vet said the
horse must have been unfit to travel for weeks but only a couple of days before
the charge, the horse was made to walk from Brighton to Eastbourne. An RSPCA
inspector found the horse’s foot to be in a dreadful state; there was a mass of
maggots and part of the hoof had been eaten away with blood vessels exposed.
Ginnett had four previous convictions of a similar kind and he was ordered to
pay £4-7-1d (the cost of the legal
action) or take an additional fourteen days in prison. Julian Bloch, his stud
groom, was fined 40/- with 8/- costs. Ginnett’s solicitor gave notice of appeal.
|
copyright © D.Sharp
The Ginnett Family Tomb in the Woodvale
Cemetery, Brighton. |
It is ironic that the most
beautiful tomb in the Woodvale Cemetery, Lewes Road, Brighton, belonging to the Ginnett
family, features an almost life-size statue of a fawning pony in white marble
on top of a large oval drum.
Barnum & Bailey’s Circus
Barnum & Bailey’s Circus
advertised itself as the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ and it was camped on Hove
Meadow on 26 and 27 August 1898. The circus was doing a grand tour of the
provinces and the enterprise cost £1,500 a day. The figure was not surprising
because the circus employed 1,200 people in addition to the expense of
travelling from town to town. But Barnum & Bailey had invested in 70 of its
own specially constructed railway cars, each one measuring 60 feet in length,
which made four lengthy trains of seventeen cars each.
When the circus was set up in
Hove Meadow there were twelve mammoth canvas pavilions. There was a Grand
Parade through the streets on 26 August between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. marshalled
as follows:
A platoon of mounted police
A grand military band
Forty fine bay horses controlled
by one man
A den of tigers
A den of lions
A den of panthers
A den of hyenas
A den of wolves
A chariot carrying novel
melechior chimes drawn by six horses
Lady performers and side-saddle
experts
Mounted ladies and gentlemen of
the Hippodrome
Two 2-horse Roman chariots with
lady drivers
Two 4-horse Roman chariots
The band chariot Euterpe drawn
by ten horses
Eight golden chariots with rare
beasts
A ‘triumphal chariot with queer
musicians and comic heads’
A caravan of camels with Asiatic
drivers
Twenty performing elephants
Two elephants with howdahs and
Asiatic beauties
Blue Beard’s chariot drawn by six
zebras
Japanese dragon chariot with
performers
Cinderella’s fairy coach
Little Red Riding Hood’s chariot
Mother Goose’s chariot
The Blue Band chariot America drawn
by ten horses
Seven golden cages with rare
animals
A mammoth organ chariot
A grand triumphal float
A Christopher Columbus section
with trumpeters, grandees, nobles, cavaliers, knights and other prominent
personages.
A steam calliope
The ticket prices caused some
confusion to the Hove public and so the Hove Gazette patiently explained
that graded prices were an American custom although they were complete
innovation over here. One ticket admitted you to the circus performance with
prices ranging from 1/- to 7/6d and of course the more you paid the better the
view. But if you wanted to visit the minstrel and vaudeville exhibition after
the performance it would cost you an extra sixpence. Likewise, if you wanted to
see the freak show that too would cost you sixpence. At the freak show you
could see a ‘moss-haired girl, the amiable bearded lady, Johanna the gorilla,
Jo-Jo, the Russian dog-faced man, and many others of similar uncanny
attractions’.
The circus performance took place
in three rings and two platforms all at the same time. The effect caused the
reporter to remark ‘the fact that the ordinary individual is only gifted with
one pair of eyes is a drawback to grasping the whole show in detail.’ For
example, in one act the three rings were full of elephants with the baby
animals in the middle. Another act was intended to show ‘how entirely men may
be banished’. There was a lady ring-mistress together with bareback riders,
clowns and ring attendants – all female. In short the reporter thought it was
the most wonderful entertainment ever to come out of the States.
Naturally enough, the circus
attracted some rogues as well as ordinary folk. For example, Alice Buckman was
watching the show when she felt a hand sliding into her pocket. Detective
Parsons arrested John Mack, a London carpenter, for attempted theft.
There was an unfortunate accident
at
Hove Station. ‘Through some at present unexplained cause the drivers of two
of Barnum & Bailey’s trains, which had been loaded up at Hove on Saturday
night, received orders to start. Both were going in opposite directions, one
forward and the other backing into a siding. They met in the middle with a
terrific crash and the engine of one train forced its way on to the rear of the
other train. Three of Barnum & Bailey’s railway cars were partially
telescoped and had to be left behind, together with seven of their show cars,
the lamp van and the band wagon.’ Fortunately, no lives were lost because they
were not sleeping cars. Men toiled all through Saturday night, Sunday and Monday
repairing the wrecked cars.
1899
Barnum & Bailey’s Circus
Barnum & Bailey’s circus visited Hove again but they
only performed for one day and they camped in a field south of Portland Road.
The pupils at Aldrington Infants’ School were given a half-day holiday because
according to the Log Book ‘parents were afraid to send their little ones to
school’. The circus was even larger than the previous year. The Grand Parade
started off at Brighton and went along Western Road, down Montpelier Road, along
the coast road, turned north up Fourth Avenue and along Church Road and New
Church Road until they reached the field.
After the marshal and his
assistants came a magnificent 40-horse chariot (four horses abreast in ten
rows) driven and controlled by one man who managed some ugly corners with great
skill. This chariot contained the show band and was followed by cages
containing tigers, lions, leopards, hyenas, wolves, pumas and bears. A handsome
bell organ came next, then a body of thoroughbred horses with their riders in
costume; a number of gorgeous tableaux cars each drawn by six horses; an
eight-horse chariot containing the Hippodrome band; followed by camels,
dromendaries, llamas and a troupe of elephants including one very fine animal
that towered over the rest. Each elephant had on its back a richly decorated
howdah containing his or her trainers. There were more caravans and tableaux
cars, dens of rare animals and birds, a team of zebras, a Japanese troupe, the
famous stud of Lilliputian ponies and bringing up the rear trundled the steam
calliope.
The only things missing were
‘Nature’s most Marvellous Freaks’ left behind at the showground. There were two
circus performances, both very well attended. ‘The entertainment comprised 100
acts in three rings, on two stages, a race track and great aerial enclave’.
Immediately after the last
performance an army of employees was employed in striking the tents and packing
everything up; the next stop was Tunbridge Wells. The circus used four or five
special trains, each containing seventeen large cars, to travel between
towns.
Eye-witness account of the
circus at Hove in the 1890s
The Collins family moved from
London in the 1890s and lived in Portland Road. Young Arthur Collins found a
job with Lewonski’s in
George Street, followed by a stint at a grocer’s
establishment a few doors down in the same street. In 1899 he went to work as a
printer and reporter on the
Hove Echo located in premises on the west
corner of Vallance Road and Church Road. The family moved back to London in
1900. The following is taken from a typewritten account of his memories.
‘It was at Hove that I came to
love the circus. In the summer we would have visits from seven or eight of them
– Lord George Sanger, Lord John Sanger (two rival brothers), Ginnett’s,
Alexander, How & Cushion, Fosset’s and others. As often as I could, I would
be on the field to watch the erection of tents and sometimes carry the planks,
which were to provide the seating. The lower seats were formed by poles rising
from the ground at about twenty degrees, the boards being held by ropes at
intervals whilst the back seats were like a series of shelves one behind the
other. The best seats were wooden chairs in a separate enclosure.
The speed with which the erection
of the tent was accomplished was the outcome of perfect co-ordination. Everyone
had a job to do in the right manner at the right time, and it was seldom that
anything went wrong.
Imagine a day’s work for the crew
of a circus. You must remember that the motor was yet to be invented so all the
transport was horse-drawn. The vans would start to arrive early in the morning
and continue for some hours. The first thing was to mark out the pitch for the
Big Top. The king poles would be erected and the canvas top laid out on the
ground and laced together. No sooner was this off the ground than the seating
would be erected; the ‘walls’ came last. While this was being completed the
artistes would be fixing their high wire, trapeze, or other paraphernalia.
By 12 o’clock the whole of the
personnel, crew and artistes alike would be dressed in costume, the horses,
animal cages and giant vans ready, and the whole cavalcade would move off for
the Grand Parade round the town. And what a Parade! In the front would ride the
Master of the Parade, followed by the band on a gorgeous van. Mounted ladies,
on wonderful horses, would dazzle the eyes, dozens of clowns, more riders would
follow. There were many floats, one usually depicting Britannia mounted high,
surrounded by subjects of her Empire, at various levels. Elephants, camels,
wild animals in cages and often a real lion on a pyramid of stages. These
beautifully gilded vans, with painted scenes on the sides, were telescopic and
the stages rose as a crank was turned to bring the top landing 15 or 20 feet
above ground level.
Back on the field, a clean-off before a meal, finishing
touches put on the preparations for the afternoon show at 3 o’clock. A break
for tea and a rest, then another show at 7.30. The programme consisted of about
twenty items, including bareback riders, acrobats, wirewalkers, trapeze
artistes, liberty horses, lion-tamer, and plenty of clowns and usually closed
with a wild west spectacle – a real stage coach, which would be attacked by
Indians, the six-horse team pulling it galloping round the ring or arena as the
case might be, guns firing, arrows flying – the din was fearful – ‘dead’ lying
all over the place; it would be a grand finale to a grand day.
Whilst the last ‘turn’ was in progress the crew would start
dismantling the tent by taking down the walls, packing and loading the ‘props’
After The Queen (National Anthem) artistes would go aloft and lower the
aerial outfits to the ground, the seating would disappear and before the
audience had left the tent, it would be unrecognisable as such.
By midnight the whole of the set-up was down, the vans
packed, caravans in line, waiting for the horses to be hitched up, then away
through the country lanes to their next patch. The elephants, camels and
performing horses have gone under their own steam, with the crew acting as
drivers and attendants. Arriving at the next town, the whole business has to be
repeated and so on day after day.
Should it be a rainy day, the dismantling of the show was
not much fun and I have often seen the heavy vans completely ‘bogged’.
The artistes, for the most part, had their own caravans
and got their sleep on the road, but where the crew got a ‘kip’ it is difficult
to work out. Usually, they found their rest at any odd place – the horse or
elephant tent – or in an odd corner of the circus tent.’
1909
Sanger’s Circuses |
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove Brighton Herald 7 August 1909
|
|
copyright © J.Middleton
Lord John Sanger staged the
usual Grand Parade in 1912 through Hove. This postcard was sent to Midhurst and
part of the message on the reverse ran ‘went to see this lot last Friday. They
were here for 2 days, very good’ |
In August 1912 Lord John Sanger’s circus was camped in a meadow
south of New Church Road and a short distance west of
St Philip’s Church. There
were elephants, performing dogs, sea lions and tight-wire walking. Lord John
was the nephew of Lord George Sanger (1825-1911) who came from a family of ten
children and started off his circus profession by being an animal tamer. Later
he teamed up with older brothers William and John to produce a travelling show.
|
copyright © Robert Jeeves of 'Step Back in Time'
This photograph was also taken
in 1912 on the Grand Parade’s return journey along Hove seafront;
a delightful
gaggle of curious boys (all wearing caps) accompany one of the wild animal
cages. |
Another member of the Sanger
family also visited Hove that year but camped in Hove Meadow. He was Lord
George Sanger and he enjoyed promoting his family tradition of a pretence to
nobility. He liked to parade about in his landau emblazoned with three crowns
and a coat of arms that included fleur-de-lys and an Irish harp. Of course Lord
George had no right to title or coat of arms – it was just showmanship. The
story goes that Buffalo Bill Cody sued a previous Sanger in the High Court to
prevent him from putting on a Wild West show that Cody reckoned was his
copyright. Cody won his case and as he was a member of the Nebraska
Legislature, he was referred to throughout as the Honourable William F. Cody.
Sanger’s comment was along the lines of ‘if that so-and-so’s an honourable then
I’m a lord!’
|
copyright © Ken Lane
Lord George Sanger is seated
in his landau and the lady accompanying him is most probably his daughter
Georgina. |
Sanger’s Royal Circus
Lord John Sanger’s circus visited
Hove again this year and camped at Hove Meadow. The difference was that he had
now named his show Lord John Sanger’s Royal Circus. Pimpo was the life and soul
of the fun and the Brighton Gazette described him as ‘a screamingly
funny clown’. The sea lions were a famous act and they could balance, juggle
and spin the ball. There were a number of horses and the most popular were pure
white twin horses called Snow Flake and Snow Drop, bred at Sanger’s stud in
Horley.
Another popular equestrian act
involved Miss Victoria George on Emperor and she would guide him through some
clever moves and dances. The three Della-Casa sisters performed hair-raising
stunts with three horses and three elephants. ‘The Aerial Fishers’ were trapeze
artists while the three Sidneys, who hailed from Australia, performed a
tight-rope act.
|
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Lord John Sanger's August 1915 advert printed in the Brighton & Hove & South Sussex Graphic
|
1915
Sanger’s Circus
Lord John was back at Hove again
and this time camped at Wish Meadow on the 23, 24 and 25 August. His outfit was
now known as Lord John Sanger & Sons Royal Circus. There were two
performances daily at 2.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and ticker prices ranged from 6d to
3/-. It was stated that it would probably be the last visit to Hove for some
time because the circus was embarking on a world tour.
There was a Russian Cossack
display in three parts including trick riding. ‘Part three will terminate with
a realistic exhibition by the daring horseman … while their horses are
galloping at full speed they will leap from one horse to another.’ Other
attractions were Pimpo’s pantomime representation of the Two Willies,
the comedy sea lions and three horse and three elephant tableaux. The elephants
were said to be the largest in England.
|
copyright © Robert Jeeves of 'Step Back in Time'
Elephants were once an
integral part of any self-respecting Grand Parade, as it passes The Seafield Pub in Church Road. |
1930
Bertram Mills Circus
Following their tenth season at Olympia, Bertram Mills
Circus and Menagerie were camped at Hove from 1 to 13 September. The Big Top
was located on a site adjacent to the Coastguard Station on the seafront, now
known as number 1 Western Lawns. The circus performance included the following
acts:
A tiger riding on horseback
Prieto’s comedy mules
The Silaghi troupe (comedy
knockabouts)
The Frank Jackson troupe (cowboys
and cowgirls, rope spinners and knife throwers)
Monsieur Alphonse on one of his
high-school horses
The Balzer sisters (human
butterflies)
Leinert (the human cannon ball)
Cossmy’s nine lions
The Baker boys (England’s
foremost boy riders)
Adolph’s bears
Clowns, including Toto Brasso and
Nino Febri.
The human cannon ball act was
described by a reporter from the Brighton
& Hove Herald as follows: ‘
Leinert, the black-garbed and booted gentleman who’s suddenly shot from the
cannon and hair-raisingly loops the loop while spinning over the arena, is safe
on his back on the stout net just below the bandstand before the audience have
recovered from the BANG of the cannon.’
|
copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Bertram Mills Circus performers on the Level , Brighton in August 1939
|
Chapman’s Circus
|
copyright © Ken Lane
Chapman’s Circus at Hove in
1930. |
Hove was also visited in 1930 by Chapman’s Circus and they used the
same site as Bertram Mills. It was the first year that George Bruce Chapman had
taken his circus on the road and before that he kept a menagerie. Later on in
the 1930s Chapman took to doing Christmas promotions in some large south coast
stores, using his animals to attract crowds.
1952
Hove Council stated that no
circus would be allowed in Hove Park
1980
Chipperfield’s Circus
In early August Chipperfield’s Circus was camped in
Hove Park. One afternoon Nigel Vaughan Thomas, a 13-year old schoolboy, decided to
have a closer look at the elephants. He crawled under the tent wall and in
doing so disturbed a 10-year old bull elephant. No doubt the elephant was
frightened and he picked the boy up and then threw him down. Two women walking
past the elephant tent heard noises and raised the alarm. Ringmaster Michael
Tunicliffe said ‘In 40 years of keeping elephants we have never had anything
like this happen before.’ The boy was taken to hospital for emergency surgery
and made a good recovery.
1987
Since 1984 Hove Council had refused permission for circuses
with performing animals from visiting the town. But in 1987 it gave permission
for Sir Robert Fossett’s Circus to stay at Hove Park from 24 August to 2
September. This was despite the fact the circus used performing horses but
councillors felt a distinction should be made between trained horses and wild
animals performing circus acts. The fee for the use of Hove Park was set at
£3,500.
However, earlier in August there
was a row between Fossett’s Circus and Worthing Council because the circus
flouted the ban on wild animals by including elephants in the show. Hove
Council told Fossett’s that a similar action at Hove would not be tolerated;
the circus bosses then decided that they would not visit Hove after all.
1989
Hungarian State Circus
In July the first circus to visit Hove in nine years was
camped at
Hove Park. It seems odd there were two elephants in the show after
the 1987 rumpus but perhaps it was because it was the Hungarian State Circus.
There were horses and dogs as well. The circus was at Hove from 24 July to 2
August.
1990
Zippo’s Family Circus
This circus was at St Helen’s Park, Hangleton in July.
In August it was stated that the
Circus Europe wanted to stage shows in Hove Park but a rule made in 1957 meant
there had to be a three-year interval between circus visits. However, Hove
Council decided it could visit in 1991. Gerry Cottle owned this circus and
there were horses but no wild animals.
1991
Continental Circus Berlin
This circus was camped at Hove Park in August but Rani the
elephant did not join the show because of the ban on wild animals. Instead, she
took a rest at the circus’s headquarters at Weybridge.
1998
The Moscow State Circus
This circus was at Hove Park from 12 to 21 August. The
Russian circus started their British tour the previous November. But it was
expected to be the last time the circus would tour because the Russian
Government could no longer afford to support it. Under communist rule the
circus was considered one of the leading art forms and was lavishly financed.
At one time the State Circus had over 70 buildings and employed over 15,000
people.
At Hove Park Elena Chtchoukine
was the girl on the flying trapeze while Elena Iniakina could keep five
hula-hoops rotating at the same time. There were also the clowns Liouk and
Valla. But many people thought some of the acts were too sophisticated for
young children.
1999
Zippo’s Circus
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copyright © D. Sharp
Zippo’s Circus on the Western Lawns Hove (August 2016) |
The Cirque du Pink (Britain’s first gay circus) was
supposed to take place on 27 August in Hove Park. In July advertisements stated
the ‘big top extravaganza promises lots of glam and glitz with Russian clowns,
high wire acts and a selection of drag queens’.
Zippo’s Circus was going to lend
them a suitable tent for the performance but the event never came off and
instead Zippo’s circus staged a special charity show with the profits going to
Sussex Beacon.
Zippo’s Circus was at Hove Park
from 19 to 31 August but not everyone welcomed them. Animal rights protesters
from Justice and Freedom for Animals handed out leaflets outside the Big Top
and persuaded more than fifteen people not to go inside. But circus fans were
annoyed at being branded ‘perverts’ and ‘scum’ by protestors who were unhappy
about Palomino horses and a dog being used in the show. David Hibling, the
circus’s artistic director, said the animals were well treated and that the
circus worked with animal welfare organisations. A spokesman for Zippo’s also
said that people could inspect the horses before buying tickets.
One of the clowns working at the
circus was 19-year old Alan Wilson from Omagh, Northern Ireland who was present
the previous year when a bomb went off killing five close friends. The article
in the Evening Argus was headed ‘Tears of a Clown’.
Martin Burton (Zippo the clown)
founded the circus and he has been performing for over 25 years. Zippo’s Circus
is now the most successful touring circus in Britain as well as being the
largest.
Also travelling with the circus
was Zippo’s Academy of Circus Arts – the only touring circus school in the
country.
The show at Hove included the
bouncing clowns from Russia for the first time; the Russian juggler Albert
Arslanov who only uses his mouth; and the Hungarian Karchi, another juggling
act. The South Americans Ramore and Jesus performed an exciting high wire act.
Zippo’s Circus was camped in Hove
Park but because it was occupying sports pitches it was decided that next time
it visits an alternative site must be found.
2000
Zippo’s Circus
The circus was on a new site at number 1 Western Lawns,
Hove, and they were there from 17 to 29 August. In fact it was not a ‘new’ site
for a circus because it was in use for the same purpose in the 1930s.
The Argus printed a story
about Tweedy the clown who was appearing at the circus and had been with
Zippo’s for five years. Tweedy’s 16-inch custom-made black shoes for his size
11 feet badly needed to be repaired and he appealed for help. Dennis Manville
of Hove Shoe Repairers at Montefiore Road agreed to help. Mr Manville had to
strip the shoes down before he could start work on repairing them. Also he
could not use leather because Tweedy is a vegetarian. He said a new pair of
shoes would cost around £150.
2001
Zippo’s Circus
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copyright © Zippos Circus Productions Ltd 2001
Norman Barrett ‘the
World’s greatest ring-master’ with Clive and Danny the Clowns
|
The circus was again pitched at number 1 Western Lawns
where it stayed from 18 to the 28 August. At the first show there were a few
animal rights protesters complaining about the use of horses and budgies; many
of the posters advertising the circus around the city were defaced with bogus
‘Cancelled’ stickers. Their protests struck an ironic note because the six
beautiful Palomino horses could not receive better care and indeed in February
2001 their trainer, Tom Roberts, received a special award for outstanding
animal care and husbandry. The Palomino act also included their diminutive
friend Flick, billed as the smallest horse in Britain. As for the budgies, they
performed an entertaining routine under the guidance of Norman Barrett ‘the
World’s greatest ring-master’. Both Norman Barrett and Tom Roberts came from
circus families.
Zippo’s had a cosmopolitan
flavour with acts from the Ukraine, Italy and Tanzania besides some home-grown
talent such as Robert Foxall whose stint on the aerial straps was akin to a
flying ballet.
The proceedings were also
enlivened by a (very loud) live band, which led a touch of authenticity to the
old concept of a rip-roaring circus show.
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copyright © J.Middleton
Roll up! Roll up! Tickets for Zippo’s Circus on sale
in August 2002. |
2009
Zippo’s Circus
The pre-performance publicity for the circus had a
headline ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’. There was a photograph of Norman Barrett,
ringmaster, Chico Marinhos, high-wire expert, and 43-year old Father Jerome
Lloyd, a Brighton-based missionary priest from the Catholic Apostolic National
Church, all smiling broadly. The two latter had just performed a stunt on a
high wire strung across the top of the Big Top without safety gear on behalf of
Sussex Beacon. Chico led the way along the wire holding his long, flexible pole
for balance and behind him came Father Lloyd with his hand on Chico’s shoulder.
Father Lloyd was attired in full clerical gear including his shallow wide-brimmed
black hat.
2012
Zippo’s Circus
The circus was back on its usual pitch at number 1 Western
Lawns from 16 to 28 August. There was a useful piece of pre-performance
publicity when trapeze artists Blaze Birge and David Jones were photographed going
through their routine in the Oxford Suite at the Hilton Brighton Metropole
Hotel, which conveniently had a ceiling that was 26 feet above the floor.
Nearer to the performance dates
another publicity stunt showed glamorous Jackie Armstrong demonstrating her
high-flying skills by hanging from an ornate balcony at the Grand Hotel,
Brighton, while Norman Barrett clad in customary top hat and tails beams from
the balcony above her.
The circus performance is different every year and this
year it was called ‘Gold’. Animal rights campaigners from ADI Animal Defenders
were on hand for the usual concerns about horses and budgies at Zippo’s. They
claimed that some 200 councils in Britain had exercised their right to ban all
animal performances on council-owned land but Brighton & Hove City Council
was not amongst their number. A
spokeswoman for Brighton & Hove City Council stated ‘We do currently allow
events involving equestrian acts such as Zippo’s in line with our Animal
Welfare Charter. Our animal welfare officers also undertake inspection of
horses at Zippo’s and to date have always reported high standards of care,
including veterinary care.’ Martin Burton, founder of Zippo’s said ‘The animals
in our care are well treated …we are regularly inspected by the RSPCA and have
never been prosecuted or criticised.’
Zippo’s Circus
The circus was back on its usual pitch in August and
stayed until 3 September. The performance was called ‘Carnival’ and publicity
promised a brand new adrenalin-packed show with legendary ring-master Norman
Barrett. The programme included equestrian stunts; the funny clown duo Delbosq;
the Havanna troupe of flying Cuban acrobats; Hercules, the Ukranian strong man,
who allows a car to drive over him; and the Globe of Death, which is a steel
ball packed with roaring motor-cycles.
2014
Zippo’s Circus
On 22 August the animal welfare inspector descended on
Zippo’s Circus camped as usual on number 1 Western Lawns. The report noted that
‘conditions and facilities were of the highest standard and that animals were
in excellent condition.’
2016
Zippo’s Circus
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copyright © Zippos Circus
Zippo posters for their August-September 2016 visit to Hove Lawns |
Zippo’s Circus was to be seen at Hove Lawns from 20 August
to 5 September and they were fortunate during their stay to enjoy some fine
weather. But shortly before they arrived, number one Western Lawns was occupied
by an illegal group of travellers who broke into the site. By contrast, it
should be noted that Zippo’s pay the council to rent this site.
Zippo’s publicity machine was well into action for the
start of their 2016 national tour with a full-page article in the Daily Mail
(2 April 2016). Much was made of a new act from a French troupe of
performing cats, dubbed inevitably as ‘acrocats’. It could be said that the
circus was truly in the blood of Rosline Borissov because for seven generations
her forbears have earned their living by performing in circuses. Rosline, aged
40, her husband Boris aged 48, and their daughter sixteen-year old Nora have
been training their cats for five years and now have 27 trained animals.
It is not easy to train a cat because of their independent
nature and the fact they get bored easily. The cats start their training as
youngsters, being rewarded for their work by treats of duck pate or Strasbourg
sausage; the training lasts for six months and each cat has its own speciality.
But only a few cats will be seen at any one performance to ensure they do not
lose interest or become too tired. These cats were not specially bred for a
circus life but were all rescue cats, found abandoned mostly in the streets of
Angers, although their first cat was found in a park.
While 7-year old Felix is the superstar, others worthy of
note are the following:
Rundi, aged 3, jumps through a hoop
Junior, 9 months, walks along a tightrope
Valentine, aged 1, makes his way sinuously between
glittering pedestals
Pattatina, aged 6, does a balancing act on top of a ball
David Hibling, Zippo’s creative director, had this to say.
‘They are one of very few acts of this sort in the world. It’s all done with
such a spirit of affection.’
It was inevitable that animal rights protesters should be
present at the circus site. But circus performers are forbidden to interact
with them and the protesters stand outside number one Western Lawns. In order
to forestall complaints and for the sake of transparency the horses are stabled
at the front of the circus and everyone can see they are well treated and cared
for; indeed council inspectors always check on the circus before it opens.
There were between ten and 20 protesters on 5 September when a scuffle broke
out and police were called; a woman was arrested on suspicion of assault.
The Argus (5 September 2016) published a fact-file:
Zippo’s circus has
7 horses
27 domestic cats
12 budgerigars
One dog
The horses and ponies have three or four hours of exercise
a day
The cats and birds have their own custom-built quarters
Animals were introduced into the show in 1996 in response
to public demand. Martin Burton, owner of Zippo’s, who 40 years ago started his
circus career as a clown at Brighton, said ‘Zippo’s Circus has done nothing illegal
and has a great record of animal husbandry.’
2018
Zippo’s Circus
Zippo’s Circus was at number one Hove Lawns from 16th to 18th
August. This was something of a change for local residents because it
was a legal encampment authorised by the council, after a succession of
illegal incursions by travellers and their vans, despite deterrent
bollards.
There
was the usual line-up of campaigners from the animal rights movement,
protesting about the involvement of budgies and horses in the circus.
Towards the end of the run, a legally-placed poster was apparently torn
down, which led to two persons being arrested on suspicion of criminal
damage.
However, Zippo’s was in a celebratory mood and called their latest show ‘Legacy’. This was to celebrate the 250th
anniversary of the creation of the circus in England, it being the
brainchild of showman Philip Astley who in 1768 produced the first
circus show in the Waterloo area of London on a piece of wasteland.
As
ever ‘Lord of the Ring’ Norman Barrett, now a sprightly 82 years of
age, acted as ringmaster. He still takes a great deal of enjoyment in
his role, and has been with Zippos’s for eighteen years.
It
was Totti the clown’s first experience of Brighton and Hove and he said
he was loving it – his parents were also performers and so he has been
used to circus life since he was four years old.
Other performers were:
Pablo & Vicky Garcia – space rocket acrobat feats
Paulo Dos Santos – aerial acrobat
Hermansito Troupe
2019
Zippo’s Circus
In
January 2019 Zippo’s announced that there would be no horses or budgies
when the circus returns to Hove Lawns in the summer. It is ironic that
protesters planned to present a petition banning the use of animals in
circuses to Brighton & Hove City Council on 31 January 2019 but
Julia Knight, whose husband Martin Burton owns Zippo’s, said plans for a
new circus called Cirque Berserk were already in place. Indeed, Martin
Burton stated that ‘Cirque Berserk was a sensational success at the
Edinburgh Festival in 2018.’ (
Argus 19 January 2019)
2022
Zippo’s Circus
The covid pandemic has caused major disruption to
many businesses including the travelling circus. Although Zippo’s
was at its customary pitch on Hove sea-front in the summer, it was a
shortened visit, only lasting from 31 August to 5 September, and
patrons were advised to wear face masks. There were only ten
performances.
But it is
pleasant to record that Zippo’s had assembled its usual colourful
and internation cast ranging from the Kenyan sensational tumblers to
fast juggling and whip cracking from the Czech Republic, and from
aerial antics performed by the Irish Garcia Tuo to contortionists
from Mongolia. Perhaps the most dramatic act was the legendary
motorbike Globe of Death. There was comedy too, but of course there
was not an animal in sight. The show was called Bon
Voyage.
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copyright © D. Sharp
Zippo’s Circus on the Western Lawns Hove in August 2016 |
Sources
Argus
Brighton Gazette
Daily Mail
Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade
Gallop, Alan Buffalo Bill’s
British Wild West (2001 reprinted 2009)
Robert Jeeves of Step Back in Time, Brighton
Sussex Daily News
Further Reading
Copyright © J.Middleton 2016
page layout by D.Sharp