20 Facts About Philip Astley

Philip Astley was an English equestrian, circus owner, and inventor, regarded as being the "father of the modern circus".

Philip Astley performed his stunts in a circular arena, though Philip Astley never used the title of 'circus' for his shows.

Philip Astley was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme in England the son of a cabinetmaker.

At the age of nine, he apprenticed with his father, but Philip Astley's dream was to work with horses, so he joined Colonel Eliott's Fifteenth Light Dragoons when he was 17, later becoming a Sergeant Major.

Philip Astley saw that trick riders received the most attention from the crowds in Islington.

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Philip Astley had an idea for opening a riding school in London in which he could conduct shows of acrobatic riding skill.

In 1768, Philip Astley performed in an open field in what is the Waterloo area of London, behind the present site of St John's Church.

Philip Astley added a clown to his shows to amuse the spectators between equestrian sequences, moving to fenced premises just south of Westminster Bridge, where he opened his riding school from 1769 onwards and expanded the content of his shows .

Philip Astley taught riding in the mornings and performed his "feats of horsemanship" in the afternoons.

Philip Astley did not invent trick-riding, which was already a popular entertainment of the period.

Philip Astley's circus was so popular that he was invited in 1772 to perform before Louis XV of France in Versailles.

In 1782, Philip Astley established the first purpose-built circus in France, the Amphitheatre Anglais in Paris.

Philip Astley then established 18 other permanent circuses in cities throughout Europe.

Philip Astley later established eighteen other circuses in European cities, was patronised by a great number of royals, and was famous, envied, and occasionally rich.

In 1806, with the profits he had earned from his amphitheatre, Philip Astley opened a new venue, the Olympic Pavilion on Wych Street, Westminster, near the Strand.

Philip Astley died a year later in Paris and was buried in Pere Lachaise Cemetery, the cause of his death being gout in the stomach.

Philip Astley's Amphitheatre is mentioned in the popular fiction of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and William Makepeace Thackeray, among others.

Philip Astley's circus is featured prominently in Tracy Chevalier's novel Burning Bright.

Van Buren is the Astley expert and curator of the Philip Astley Project, creating and uniting archives, exhibitions and a series of events to celebrate the 250th anniversary of circus in 2018 and beyond.

Newcastle-under-Lyme's New Vic Theatre during the summer of 2018 ran the hugely successful Astonishing Adventures of Philip Astley play, complementing their Roll Up events, which included a street exhibition of Circus art and photography curated by the Victoria and Albert Museum.