Gerald Ward Cottle was a British circus owner and the owner of the Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset.
12 Facts About Gerry Cottle
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2.
Gerry Cottle presented the Moscow State Circus and Chinese State Circus in Britain, founded Gerry Cottle's Circus, and co-founded The Circus of Horrors.
3.
Gerry Cottle's father was a stockbroker and grand-master in the Freemasons.
4.
Gerry Cottle was educated at Rutlish School, Merton Park, south London and left home in 1961 at the age of 16 to join the Robert Brothers Circus.
5.
Gerry Cottle established his Big Top in 1974 and ran it until 2003.
6.
Gerry Cottle presented the Moscow State Circus and Chinese State Circus in Britain.
7.
Gerry Cottle sold his last elephant and by the end of 1993 had a non-animal circus.
8.
At the latter, local youth were trained in a wide range of circus skills, and performed at the theatre and in Gerry Cottle's touring show Turbo Circus.
9.
Gerry Cottle married Betty Fossett, youngest daughter of circus showman Jim Fossett, in 1968.
10.
Gerry Cottle was separated from Betty and had another partner, Anna Carter of Carters Steam Fair.
11.
Gerry Cottle was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on 15 September 1984.
12.
Gerry Cottle died in hospital in Bath, Somerset, in January 2021, aged 75, after contracting COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.