14/10/2026
Part of the museum will be made up of my family's circus collection, built up over generations. From posters & costumes to equipment once used on our bigtops, alongside films of live performances playing throughout the building, I want to tell the story of circus from its very beginnings to the present day. Today I added two more posters to the collection from Astley's Amphitheatre. Although these particular posters date from after Philip Astley's death, they are from the era when the amphitheatre was under the direction of Andrew Ducrow, one of the greatest equestrian performers in circus history. Ducrow is perhaps best remembered for his spectacular equestrian drama The Courier of St. Petersburg, which became one of the defining productions of the 19th century. Philip Astley is widely recognised as the founder of the modern circus & I am incredibly proud to now have 8 posters from the Astley era, alongside books, letters & many other historic items that will go on display when the museum opens ✨🎪🤍
Philip Astley died in 1814. Andrew Ducrow ran Astleys Amphitheatre from 1825 to 1841. These posters are dated 1838 & 1839
