Excerpt from Circus Life and Circus Celebrities But of the circus artistes - the riders, the clowns, the acrobats, the gymnasts, - what do we know? How many are

“A valuable and illuminating read, shedding a lot of light on the political, economic and technological factors that have driven circus evolution” (The Circ

Philip Astley first pegged out his circular 'ride' on the banks of the Thames in 1768 and so laid down the foundations of the modern circus. Performing feats of