| It is known that there were hundreds of circuses | | | | Note that the setting for the circus is not a |
| operating in mid Victorian times around 1850-1860. | | | | theatre but an amphitheatre. Look back at |
| Circuses were a part of culture and a unique part | | | | famous amphitheatres in history! Think of |
| of western culture and what is known as | | | | amphitheatres like the open-air amphitheatres of |
| Victorian culture and Victorian culture had | | | | the Roman era,. Maybe the word 'amphitheatre' |
| important influences on Modern Culture. The skills | | | | was used because it denoted excitement, true |
| whether that of the performers or the specific | | | | 'circus' excitement ; This was how a circus was |
| engineering and design work done in preparing the | | | | meant to be. It seems too that Mr Astley's |
| circus were important. It is known that there | | | | theatre was mentioned in the Old Curiosity Shop |
| were aquatic circuses where the circus ring was | | | | by Dickens. If you look online at Victorian prints, |
| flooded with water. It is known too that in Roman | | | | you can find prints of Astley's Circus and perhaps |
| times, amphitheatres were flooded with water so | | | | you can deduce from this that Astley's Circus |
| that mock sea battles could be staged. This article | | | | was an important part of the Victorian World in |
| aims to describe the unique feel and culture of the | | | | England at least. |
| time. It aims to elaborate on what is meant by | | | | It is known that Philip Astley, who is considered |
| the lewd and sometimes grotesque nature of | | | | the founder of modern circuses, opened a riding |
| circuses. Were circuses close to theatre and | | | | school in 1768. His main aim, it seems, was to |
| burlesque in some degree? | | | | develop a school for trick riders or horse riders |
| You can imagine the whole commercialism and | | | | who would perform daring feats on horseback. |
| excitement of Victorian circuses. The skills and | | | | Astley developed an arena for the performing |
| daring involved was exciting and you can feel a | | | | horse-men. He saw that the arena or performing |
| strange freedom and beauty in this world. There | | | | area should be a particular shape with the |
| was a certain American gentleman Richard Sands | | | | audience around. Because of its circular shape, he |
| who ran a circus. He was an acrobat as well as | | | | called the area a circus. Still it is not confirmed |
| what was known as a 'ceiling walker'. It is difficult | | | | that he called the arena a circus. He certainly saw |
| to imagine ceiling walkers now. Firstly, the modern | | | | that the performing area needed to be of a |
| person might question whether such an ability is | | | | certain shape I.e. circular so that horse-riders could |
| possible i.e. to walk on ceilings. Surely this can only | | | | perform in an optimum way and so that the |
| be done through computers and some kind of | | | | audience too could see everything. This is the |
| illusionary effect. But Victorian circuses in this | | | | important thing about a circus! The circus is 'close' |
| respect were not about illusion. They were about | | | | to the audience. The audience are meant to see |
| real skill and they aimed to evoke real | | | | everything. The performers perform for the |
| excitement, a real circus effect. Richard Sands | | | | audience. They perform around the audience.. |
| who it is known visited England from America in | | | | They perform above the audience. The audience |
| 1842 also brought a large stud of horses and | | | | is meant to see. Victorian theatre had this basic |
| equestrians. His circus was certainly well organised | | | | aim, for the audience to be close to the |
| and its performers whether acrobats or | | | | performers. And Victorian architects developed |
| equestrians were highly skilled. This was the | | | | music halls and theatres on this premise. However |
| 1840s, the early Victorian period. It is too difficult | | | | circuses came before the large-scale construction |
| and presumptuous to mention circuses as part of | | | | of Victorian theatres. It is best not to emphasise |
| a whole cultural development. The nineteenth | | | | the circus shape because the shape is really |
| century continued on the great Industrial | | | | perhaps a common-sense shape for a raw |
| Revolution and it is obvious that new inventions | | | | theatrical performance such as the circus. And |
| and developments were used in circuses to | | | | you shouldn't of course over-analyse what is |
| develop new skills as well as new ways of | | | | common-sense! |
| captivating and entertaining an audience yearning | | | | The amphitheatre was situated on Westminster |
| for such enthralling circus acts. | | | | Bridge Road in Lambeth, London. As a piece of |
| Richard Sands was apparently able to walk on | | | | architecture, Astley's Amhitheatre was certainly |
| ceilings because of rubber suction pads attached | | | | stunning and had rich effects . It was built in 1796 |
| to his feat. The Sands Circus returned to England | | | | and thus before the Victorian Age. Still Astley's |
| in the 1850s and he did this act during this time. | | | | Amphitheatre was burned down many times and |
| Unfortunately he was killed when performing this | | | | refurbished too and you can argue that the |
| act in America because of loose plaster in the | | | | theatre opened in 1770 when the first theatre |
| ceiling. Still what I am trying to evoke is a degree | | | | was built. However it was destroyed by fire in the |
| of danger in the circus but it wasn't danger in the | | | | early 1790s. It was known variously as the Royal |
| sense of recklessness. The audience wanted to | | | | Saloon and the Royal Grove and the building only |
| see danger performed in a structured setting and | | | | became known as Astley's Amphitheatre in 1795. |
| this setting was the circus. The colour, the | | | | Astley refurbished the building and made the |
| animals, the acrobats added to a new type of | | | | building a centre for his new circus acts and that |
| performance. This wasn't just theatrical | | | | is why the date 1795 is used. It was thus built |
| performances or performances akin to plays in | | | | with obvious Georgian and Regency influences. |
| theatre houses. It was a raw theatricality that | | | | However it is still an important theatre to mention. |
| only circuses can evoke. It was real human | | | | In the Victorian age itself, the place was an |
| performance involving acts deliberately aimed at | | | | important centre for circus acts. The building had |
| captivating the audience. | | | | many names over time. It changed its name to |
| One of the central elements of Victorian Circus | | | | Davis's Royal Amphitheatre in 1823 and then the |
| was Astley's Amphitheatre. It is important to | | | | Royal Amphitheatre (Astley's) in 1825. Then it had |
| mention Philip Astley, a cavalry officer turned | | | | further name changes before returning to the |
| circus-manager who brought the circus to a new | | | | name Astley's Theatre in 1863. It was finally |
| level. And it is Philip Astley who the famous | | | | known as Sanger's Grand National Amphitheatre in |
| Astley's Amphitheatre is named after. Astley's is | | | | 1883 before the building was demolished as |
| considered the first real circus but it began before | | | | unsafe. Note how the name Astley's was |
| Queen Victoria came to the throne. You may | | | | associated with it throughout its history and you |
| wonder why the term 'amphitheatre' was used. | | | | can feel thus its rich association with circus. |