In 1824 the management of Philip Astley’s Amphitheatre was
taken over by Andrew Ducrow. Equestrian dramas such as Mazeppa,
The Courier of St Petersburg and Ivanhoe became very popular. These
were huge spectacles involving horses, scenery, beautiful costumes
and dramatic theatrical effects such as thunder.
Andrew Ducrow was an excellent trick rider but was also proficient
as a tumbler, ropedancer and later a theatre actor. Born into
a circus family in Southwark, London in 1793, Ducrow was trained
in circus skills from a very young age. His father was an acrobat
and strongman who could reputedly carry four or five children
on a table with no more than his teeth.
At the age of 19 Ducrow appeared at Astley’s with an act
called The Flying Wardrobe. In this act Ducrow would speed around
the ring on horseback dressed as a drunkard in rags. After many
false falls and the removal of several waistcoats he would reveal
himself as the star rider of the show. This act is still performed
in many circuses as a comic ‘entrée’ or opening.
In addition to equestrian dramas the audiences at Astley’s
were kept up to date about topical events. News from the
Napoleonic Wars was presented in dramatic form using exciting horse displays.
A trip to the circus could also include seeing a pantomime
or harlequinade.
Mr Philip Astley’s Introduction to The First Circus in England
