Circus comes to town? Mid 60's?

[Guest Trefcon]

mammybear,

I remember being taken to the Wicker to watch the animals parade. We were stood i think near the steps that lead to the station. We then went to a performance, the Big Top was on the old rail way sidings just through the arches. The only thing i can remember about the show was a clown throwing a bucket of 'water' into the audience, it was confetti !

Dean.

[Suzy]

On 02/10/2008 at 16:49, Guest george m said:

The circus was for years on the what is now devonshire area near west street,and thinking back i can remember that they used to be Billy Smarts circus,Chippenfields Circus,Robert Bro Circus, who had animals and you could go round and look at the animals before and after the shows.

The 50s and early 60s,And i used to go to springfield school on broomspring lane and when the circus came the circus kids used to attend the school.

Wow ,brings  back childhood memories of being taken to the circus by my parents . We sat on wooden benches above the animals , which were I holding area underneath . You could look through the gaps and see the animals 😱No health and safety in those days .

Always remember the anticipation and excitement of seeing the lions 🦁elephants and the  high wire acts brilliant days sadly long gone.

[Organgrinder]

I remember a circus coming to Sheffield sometime between 1946 and 1952.

They got off the train at the Victoria station  ( in the cattle yard ) and I followed them all the way to a site somewhere at the bottom of Broughton Lane Attercliffe.

[Hopman]

Billy Smart's Circus were at Devonshire Green (or whatever it was called back then) for week ending November 4th 1961.

[MartinR]

I remember being taken to the circus around winter 1965 (possibly the following year).  Dad drove to the northern half of the city and we walked onto some cinder-like hard standing where the big top was.  I do recall watching them erect the cage for the lions whilst the clowns were doing something around the outside of the ring.  The lions were both fascinating and terrifying to a young lad.  I'm afraid I can't remember much else other than Dad making a joke about keeping quiet because we were now in "Wednesday" territory, Steve and I took him literally!

[Lysanderix]

Sounds like you may have been in Owlerton. I seem to recall the car park at the dog track hosted the occasional circus.

[Andrew]

ou may be interested in ...

http://www.sheffieldscoutarchives.org.uk/detailed_description.php?itemID=1276

[Edmund]

Elephants in the Circus parade in Sheffield city centre, April 21, 1974

Star Retro - Elephants (photo No 8 )

[Ponytail]

On 14/04/2009 at 11:56, RichardB said:

Here's Sangers from the '80's, 1880's that is.

 

PictureSheffield link : http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s18847

 

 

Sanger's Circus Procession, Upper Hanover Street

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s18847

 

Link restored:

Sanger's Circus Procession. 

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s18847&pos=2&action=zoom&id=21500

 

Sanger's Circus Procession, Upper Hanover Street at junction of Monmouth Street. Date Period:1900-1919. w00143

w001444

w00145

[Ponytail]

Batty's Circus Royal, Sheffield. 16th December 1839. y10005

 

[Ponytail]

Circus Elephants in Norfolk Park. Date Period: 1900-1919. p01628

This image was originally part of the Tim Hale Photographic Collection. It was purchased at auction in September 2019 through donations from members of the public and a grant from the Graves Trust.

 

Circus Parade, probably passing the works of Thomas William Sampson, electrical engineers. Date Period: 1940-1959. 

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;v04500&pos=16&action=zoom&id=69568

 

Chipperfield's Circus at unidentified location (Possibly Hillsborough Park 1972)

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;t08901&pos=14&action=zoom&id=87634

Circus Horses at Hillsborough Park. 

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;t08923&pos=15&action=zoom&id=87655

 

Elephant at Gerry Cottle's Circus, Brightside Lane. 14th March 1990.

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s42181&pos=12&action=zoom&id=82385

 

Indian Circus Elephants on land near Meadowhead close to the Nag's Head Roundabout. 20th October 1993

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s42319&pos=13&action=zoom&id=82614

 

[Hopman]

On 01/10/2008 at 18:13, Stuart0742 said:

I remember the site at the top of Fitzwilliam st, I was taken to a cinema show with a 180 degree screen there in the 60's. That was in a circus type tent

From what i recall this would be around 1964-65. I think we had an outing with the Wolf Cubs to see Cinerama at this time. The film was the 1956 release "Seven Wonders of the World".

(sorry for topic drift)

There was also the story of the circus leaving Sheffield through Woodseats where they stopped for a swift half before going up Meadowhead, leaving the elephant fastened to a tree. The elephant was not amused and pulled the tree out of the ground. The current big tree outside the pub of that name is, therefore, not the original.