Gandey's Circus (Established c1918)
Biography
The Gandey family has a long history of circus performance dating back to the late 1800s with wild west acts known as The Montanas and The Colorados appearing in Bostock and Womwell Circus and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows.
Robert (Bob) Gandey was the second generation of the family to be involved in the show business and founder of Gandey’s Circus. Bob was born in 1894 and influenced by the family act, he started to train ponies with Lord George Sanger’s Circus aged nine. By the time he was fifteen he was an accomplished rider and was touring the UK with a Buffalo Bill show. Between 1910 and 1920 Bob performed under various aliases including Arthur Jack, Robert Gandey and The Colorado Kid presenting comedy mules and ponies he trained. In 1912, he married Rose, who was a performer and immediately joined the family troupe. They presented their wild west act in theatres and music halls as well as circuses across the country and during the winter season, they often performed in pantomimes.
In 1916 Bob and Rose had a son, Phillip aka Joe, who joined the family act and later became Jo-Jo the clown.
During the First World War the family continued to appear in variety shows around the country and by 1918 they were travelling their owned circus tent.
During the 1920s Bob was part of the North Western Troupe of Cowboys of Colorado and as well as touring theatres, he was presenting the Gandey’s Comedy Circus in fairground sideshows.
Bob continued training domestic animals throughout his life including Shetland Ponies, Mules, Geese and Sheep not only for his own act but also for the Blackpool Tower Circus, Tom Arnold’s Circus, pantomime shows and television.
During World War Two, Gandey’s Circus was hired by the government for twelve weeks as part of the Holidays at Home initiative. At this time this time, Philip met his wife Mary Kennerley. Although Mary did not come from a family of performers, she joined the family act and forged a career for herself including an aerial act with Michael Gerbola as The Kusicks.
Joe and Mary had two sons, Michael (b. circa 1948) and Philip (b.1957). Michael initially joined the family business as the Ringmaster, but soon left for a career outside the circus, while Philip became Starri the clown and later took on the running of the family business with his wife Carol.
In 1952, Bob Gandey presented the Big Top Circus and a year later, aged only 58 he died, leaving the Circus to his son Joe and his wife Mary. The show became a small family circus with the reputation for good value and high quality. Joe run Gandey’s Circus and Royalls Miniature Circus until his death in 1973, when his son Philip became the youngest director of a Circus in Britain at the age of seventeen.
In the 1980’s, Gandey’s Circus teamed up with Tycross Zoo and PG Tips to present the TV Chimps live on stage. In 1996, Gandey’s Circus took on the Chinese State Circus as they toured the UK and in 1999 Philip Gandey made history when he took the first ever Circus to Saudi Arabia.
In 2005 Gandey’s Circus went back to its roots with the Spirit of the Horse Show, which presented a modern version of the wild west show, based on equestrian skills. Today the circus is run by Philip and Carol Gandey with their daughters Hayley and Mariska involved in various aspects of the business.
Found in 24 Collections and/or Records:
Charles Taylor Collection
The Charles Taylor collection is a fine example of Taylor’s of Wombwell printers’ posters, which highlight changes in printing techniques, fashion and taste within the popular entertainment industry. Included are examples of posters for pantomimes, fairs and circuses. The collection also contains handbills and other advertising material.
Circus Friends Association Collection
This collection consists of a large library of books and journals, as well as archival material including posters, programmes, photographs, films, handbills, research material, scrapbooks, original artwork and many other items of ephemera relating to British, Irish and European circuses
Circus Posters Printed by Taylor's of Wombwell, c1965 - 1979
Circus posters printed by Taylor's of Wombwell.
Circus Posters Printed by Taylor's of Wombwell, c1970 - 1979
Circus posters printed by Taylor's of Wombwell.
Cyril Critchlow Collection
Films, 1927 - 2007
Compilation of circus films showing acts on the ring as well as interviews with performers and proprietors, mainly produced by tv companies in the UK and Europe. Many of them narrated in German.
Films, c1930 - 1990
Amateur and commercial films on multiple formats, focusing mainly on Circus but also including transport, fairs, fairground rides and other types of travelling entertainments.
Gandey's Circus Poster, c1970 - 1979
Poster left blank for over-printing location and date. Featuring Chi-Lahn-illusionist, Apache Braves-Red Indian Fire Eating Rituals, Brett Mentona-Knife Throwing, Reyall’s Dogs, Alec Halls and his cavalcade of junk, Commanche Spotted Stallion, Tommy the TV Pony, Dr Sparks-the First ever Tour of the UK. The Electric Man, 3 show in one. Circus, Variety, Wild West.
Gandey's Circus Poster, c1970 - 1979
Poster left blank for overprinting location and date. Crazy circus clowns, speciality acts, wild west, novelty animal acts. Blue and red type on yellow background and illustration.
Gandey's Circus Poster, 1973
Running Fox and Juanita Apache Fire Rituals, Brett and Rosa Montana Wild West Sports, Jacqueline trapeze artist, Alun Davies and his 10 poodle all with photographs. Yellow, red and blue type on white background.
Gandey's Circus Poster, c1980 - 1989
Contains Illustration of roaring lion. Printed by Derek Simpson.
Gandey's Circus Poster, c1990 - 1999
Llangefni. Colour illustration of clown and animals.
Gandey's Circus Poster, Thursday 14 - Sunday 17 June 1988
Holyhead. Including Billy Wilson Smart’s Elephants. Contains colour photograph of elephants.
Gandey's International Circus Poster, Week commencing 14 March 1977
Sunderland Empire Theatre. The Montas, Achmed the Llama, Dr. Sparks the electronic man, Cheeko, Tommy the T.V. pony, Schumann Brothers, Alec Halls. Red, blue and yellow type on white background.
Joe Gandey's Circus Presentations Poster, 1970
English Single Most Circus International, Featuring Granada Television Documentary, Delmarrs Equilibrists, Trevor Doolottle acrobatic, comedy and juggling, Cheeko minute Trick Pony, Caprice Alpine Goat, Billy Diamond and Sioux City Sue Knife Throwing, Prince Kahn And Co., Running fox and Juanita Apache Fire Rituals.
Newspaper Cuttings and Scapbooks, 1838 - 2007
A collection of newspaper cuttings on circus, circus proprietors and performers and scrapbooks containing newspaper cuttings, posters, programmes and other items of ephemera, covering mainly British circuses and venues such as Belle Vue and also some international circuses.
Noel Drewe Collection
A large collection of films entitled Circusama containing amateur and professional films on the themes of circus, performing animals and zoos, and edited clips from commercial Western and comedy films. The films are in a variety of formats including 8mm, Super8, 9.5mm and 16mm and contain related correspondence and notes. This collection also contains some sound reels mainly of fairground music.
Oversize Circus Poster Printed by Taylor's of Wombwell, c1970 - 1979
Circus posters printed by Taylor's of Wombwell.
Oversize Mixed Posters Printed by Taylor's of Wombwell, c1970 - 1979
Posters printed by Taylor's of Wombwell including variety and music hall, fairgrounds and circus.
Photographs and Postcards, c1800 - 1999
Black and white and colour photographs, negatives and photographic albums mainly containing images of British circus, circus performers, animals and circus personalities but also some menageries such as Bostock and Wombwell and other associated entertainments and non-British circuses taken by David Jamieson, Lindsay Temple, Den Curtis, Capt. Middleton, Jack Niblett and other photographers.
Filtered By
- Subject: Animals X
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 20
- Collection 4
- Subject
- Acrobat 1
- Acrobats 10
- Aerialists 13
- Amusement rides 5
- Animal trainers 12
- Ark 2
- Art 2
- Big wheel 2
- Boxing 3
- Business 2
- Chairoplanes 2
- Circus workers 2
- Clowning 17
- Comedians 8
- Contortionists 8
- Dance 5
- Diving 4
- Dodgems 2
- Dwarfs (Persons) 4
- Equestrians 11
- Escape artists 2
- Fairground art 2
- Fairs 8
- Fakirs 7
- Family 2
- Fire eating 7
- Freak shows 4
- Fun house 2
- Games 2
- Ghost train 2
- Gymnasts 3
- Human cannonball 2
- Jugglers 13
- Knife throwing 9
- Magic 9
- Male impersonators 1
- Menageries 4
- Meteorite 2
- Mimes 1
- Minstrel shows 5
- Motion pictures 6
- Music 2
- Music-halls 5
- Musical performances 7
- Musicians 3
- Octopus 2
- Pantomime 8
- Performers 20
- Pierrot 2
- Puppets 6
- Ringmaster 4
- Roller coasters 2
- Satellite 2
- Showman 9
- Showwoman 6
- Singing 5
- Skating 4
- Striptease 2
- Strong men 6
- Stunt performers 3
- Transport 4
- Travel 1
- Twist 2
- Variety 9
- Ventriloquists 4
- Wall of death 2
- Waltzer 3
- War 3
- Wild west 15
- World War, 1914-1918 1
- World War, 1939-1945 4
- Wrestling 5
- Zoos 5 + ∧ less