Circus programmes from the 1950s
Bertram Mills circus programme, 1951
Gt Yarmouth Museums
Bertram Mills circus programme, 1954
Gt Yarmouth Museums
Bertram Mills circus programme, 1957
Gt Yarmouth Museums
Bertram Mills circus programme, date unknown
Gt Yarmouth Museums
Billy Smart's circus programme, date unknown
Gt Yarmouth Museums
Chipperfield's Circus programme, date unknown
Gt Yarmouth Museums
Extra information and a date for the Chipperfields Circus Programmep
Courtesy of Clifford Hudson Hawk
Covers of circus programmes from the 1950s
By John Layton
Everyone loves a circus, whatever their age, and Yarmouth has its own purpose-built circus building: the Hippodrome, which even used to hold professional wrestling bouts on a Sunday!
It also had a unique 'water spectacular' ending to its shows, with the whole ring turning into a water tank, providing a fantastic ending to the performances.
The Hippodrome had a building next to it which held the animals, and the public could go and get a closer look at them, even feeding the elephants!
Has anyone any recollections of the circus, and whether the circuses depicted here actually used the Hippodrome, or were the more traditional three-ring, big top type?