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Gerry Cottle's Circus (1974 - 2003)

 Organisation

Dates

  • Existence: 1974 - 2003

Biography

The beginnings of Gerry Cottle's Circus trace back to 1970 when Gerry Cottle and partner Brian Austen established Embassy Circus, a small outfit, which opened its firts show in Sturminster Newton, Dorset with nine staff including Gerry, Brian and their wives. They soon changed the name of the circus to Cottle & Austen's Circus, name they used until their partnership disolved in 1974 and Gerry established Gerry Cottle's Circus.

By the mid-1970s Gerry Cottle's Circus was enjoying great success and was touring three different shows across Britain. Always lookin to innovate and reinvent itself, Gerry Cottle's Circus brought to England some of the most prestigious international circuses for the first time such as the Moscow State Circus and the Chinese State Circus. Cottle's circus also travelled to parts of the world no other European circus had travelled before such as Iran and Hong Kong in the late 1970s.

In 1995, he co-created The Circus of Horrors with Doktor Haze, inspired by the alternative French circus Archaos. The Circus of Horrors debuted at the Glastonbury Festival and travelled internationally. Today it is the longest running alternative circus in Britain.

Cottle's Circus ceased to trade in 2003, although it travelled briefly in 2012 as Magic Circus to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Cottle's Circus.

Found in 82 Collections and/or Records:

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.388
Scope and Contents

Black and white photograph of Gerry Cottle with a circus tent and a BBC truck on the background and a red border with white dots on the front cover, inside black and white portraits of performers in circles with their names and programme towards the bottom right, on the back cover advertising for world tour, 2p.p.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.389
Scope and Contents

Black and white photograph of Gerry Cottle with a circus tent and a BBC truck on the background and a red border with white dots on the front cover, inside black and white portraits of performers in circles with their names and programme towards the bottom right, on the back cover advertising for world tour, 2p.p.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, 1978

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.390
Scope and Contents

Black and white photograph of woman and tiger on a platform in a circus ring and a red border with white stars on the front cover, inside black and white photographs of Mary Chipperfield, Gerry Cottle and an elephant act and text and programme, on the back cover black and white photogrphas of The Loonies and The Cimarro Brothers with text, 2p.p.

Dates: 1978

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.399
Scope and Contents

Red type on cream background with starry border and solid red border.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, 1976

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.402
Scope and Contents

Autumn season. Colour illustration of clown's face with yellow gloves on a blue background and five colour balloons on the front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers within star shapes and programme in the centre, other information on back cover within two flags, 2p.p.

Dates: 1976

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1980s

 File
Reference code: 178K43.403
Scope and Contents

Colour illustration of head of clown on top right holding a circles containing circus acts including a woman in a white outfit holding a tiger, a man with his head inside a lion's mouth, a trapeze act, and elephant and a zebra. Four fold brouchure with information about the Cottle family circus and colour photographs of acts and performers inside and added insert programme, colour photograph of Susan Lacey with tiger on reverse.

Dates: c1980s

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 File
Reference code: 178K43.406
Scope and Contents

Four fold brouchure with colour photograph of five white face clowns on a black background and red and yellow type on a blue background inside a blue oblong shape on top left, inside information about Gerry Cottle and colour photographs, colour photographs of acts and performers in the centre, commercial advertising and added insert programme.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.408
Scope and Contents

Four fold brouchure with colour photograph of five white face clowns on a black background and red and yellow type on a blue background inside a blue oblong shape on top left, inside information about Gerry Cottle and colour photographs, colour photographs of acts and performers in the centre, commercial advertising and added insert programme.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, 1984 - 1985

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.409
Scope and Contents

Four fold brouchure with colour photograph of five white face clowns on a black background and red and yellow type on a blue background inside a blue oblong shape on top left, inside information about Gerry Cottle and colour photographs, colour photographs of acts and performers in the centre, commercial advertising and added insert programme.

Dates: 1984 - 1985

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.410
Scope and Contents

Blue type on off white background with illustration of clown's face on top right and introduction on front cover, inside blue and off white photographs of performers and back of house scenes programme and article on being a circus proprietor, commercial advertisement on back cover, 2p.p.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, 1978

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.411
Scope and Contents

Dare to dream and the dream will come true article, blue type and blue photographs on blue background on one side, on the other side programme.

Dates: 1978

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, 1976

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.412
Scope and Contents

Black and white illustration of clown on the left, roaring lion in the centre and ice skater on the right with circus tent and elephants and horses on the background and international flags above on the top section and programme below.

Dates: 1976

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, Christmas season 1976

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.419
Scope and Contents

Colour illustration of clown's face with yellow gloves on a blue background and five colour balloons on the front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers within star shapes and programme in the centre, other information on back cover within two flags, 2p.p.

Dates: Christmas season 1976

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, 1976

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.422
Scope and Contents

Colour photograph of circus acts in the ring including aerial acts, floor acrobatics and clown on the front cover, inside introduction, colour and black and white photographs of acts and performers with text and other articles and programme, 8p.p.

Dates: 1976

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, 1978

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.423
Scope and Contents

Black and white photograph of aerial act in the circus ring, blue and white type and blue border with white stars on the front cover, inside introduction to Gerry Cottle and Charlie Cairoli, with black and white photographs and equestrian act above programme, on back cover black and white photographs of perfomers and acts, 2p.p

Dates: 1978

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, Christmas season 1977-1978

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.424
Scope and Contents

Cardiff. Black and white photograph of woman and tiger on a platform in a circus ring and an orange border with white stars on the front cover, inside black and white photographs of Mary Chipperfield, Gerry Cottle and an elephant act and text and programme, on the back cover black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, 2p.p.

Dates: Christmas season 1977-1978

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.425
Scope and Contents

The Grand Programme. Black type on white background with smiley clown's face and stars by the title and programme below and line border around it with decorative corners.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, 19 - 26 November 1976

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.426
Scope and Contents

Wattaya-Muscat, Oman. Red, green, blue and white type on white background with green, red, white and blue lines on the bottom section on the front cover, inside introduction, programme and black and white photographs of acts and performers, 6p.p.

Dates: 19 - 26 November 1976

Gerry Cottle's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.428
Scope and Contents

Black and white type on white background with programme on front cover, inside articles about the circus practices and standards and wild animal welfare on back cover commercial advertising, 2p.p.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Gerry Cottle's Circus Tour List, 1978 - 1979

 Item
Reference code: 178I22.5
Scope and Contents

Photocopy of map of Britian with reference numbers and key of locations of circus performances.

Dates: 1978 - 1979