Circus Friends Association of Great Britain (Established 1934)
Biography
The CFA, formerly known as the Circus Fans Association was stablished on Saturday 20th January 1934 in the ring of Bertram Mills Circus at Olympia, London by a group of enthusiasts. The CFA’s purpose remains the same as in its conception; to stimulate, foster and promote enthusiasm for circus and related performances as part of British culture.
During 1934, the pattern for CFA activities was established, with the formation of the library, the publication of The Sawdust Ring magazine and the first rallies, including ones to the Hippodrome Circus in Great Yarmouth and Blackpool Tower. The annual subscription at the time was one guinea for residents in a radius of 60 miles from London 'as defined by Automobile Association handbook', and half a guinea for those residing outside that area, in the provinces. 'For residents in the Colonies and foreign counties' the subscription was 7/6.
The first President of the CFA was Lady Eleanor Smith (1902-1945), the eldest child of the politician F. E. Smith. Lady Eleanor Smith was an author, a society reporter and cinema reviewer and worked as a publicist for circus companies.
Other notable presidents were; Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970), the most celebrated British impressionist female artist of all time and the first woman to ever be elected to the Royal Academy. The actor Sir Cedric Hardwicke (1893-1964), wine merchant and philanthropist Sir Walter Gilbey (1831-1914), theatrical manager and empresario Sir Charles B. Cochran (1872-1951), Sir William Savory (1882-1961), author Antony Hippisley Coxe and Commander W. J. Gerard.
The first five years of the CFA saw the firm establishment of the Association its activity, although it was active by Alfred 'Dickey' Bird. The post-war years were difficult but the CFA continued operating with the same aims and ambitions.
The library was started in 1937, as a gift of 30 books from A.C. McLachlan. Others titles were acquired by purchase or donation. It contains books on virtually every aspect of circus life from individual acts, to acts of Parliament, from erecting a Big Top, to the logistics of transporting circuses, works of fiction, photography and juvenile literature all of which help to create a greater understanding of the many contrasts in circus life; of the romance, tragedy, spectacle and hardships.
Notable authors who have contributed to the myth and legend of circus include Lady Eleanor Smith, who in 1945, donated all her circus books to the CFA, Ruth Manning-Sanders and Courtney Ryley Cooper, an American writer who, after having first joined a circus aged 16, went on to write crime books and ghost-wrote articles under J. Edgar Hoover’s name in the 1930s.
After the war lists of holdings were printed and distributed to members, who could borrow a book at a time by post. By the mid 1970s, the ‘Library Catalogue’ listed 525 books and a ‘Circusiana’ section was created for valuable books, for reference only.
The CFA continues maintaining the collection, ensuring its growth and establishing it as the primary, national collection of books on circus.
The CFA has also amassed one of the most fascinating and important collection of circus related material in the United Kingdom expanding over 200 years. This material has supported research and literature produced by its members over the years and has ensured that an important part of British circus history will be available for future generations of researchers and enthusiasts.
The association has always welcomed enthusiasts and circus artistes to it’s membership and has always produced a regular publication giving news, reviews and articles on circus artistes and personalities and reviews of British and foreign circuses. The current quarterly magazine King Pole, named after the masts, which support a circus tent, is regarded as one of the leading circus periodicals in the world.
The CFA continues to organise visits, formerly called rallies, for the members, to UK circuses and recognises the achievements of those involved in circus with special awards.
After almost 85 years in existence the CFA continues to flourish with membership being maintained in the region of 500 comprising both British and subscribers from abroad.
Found in 1288 Collections and/or Records:
Russian circus Calendar, 2011
Contains illustrations of circus art work and ceramics, 14pp.
Russian Circus Programmes, 1956 - 2013
Russian circus programmes including the Moscow State Circus, the Traditional Russian Circus, Staats Zirkus, the Great Moscow Circus and the Republic of Sakha State Circus, contain black and white and colour photographs of acts and performers with information, programme and some illustrations and commercial advertising.
Russian State Circus Poster, c1930 - 1990
Peter Jay, The Imperial Russian State Circus, All New Superdome Circus at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. 6th Jul to 29th October. Colour illustration of a strongman riding an elephant, background purple and pink, type blue, yellow and white.
Salford Royal Hippodrome Programme, Monday 25 March 1935 and during the week
Lord John Sanger's Wild Animal Circus. Three fold, blue type on white background with programme in centre.
Sally Chipperfield Presents The King's Hall 2nd Xmas Circus Programme, 1978 - 1979
Black type on blue background, loose programme, souvenir booklet missing.
Sally Chipperfield's Christmas Circus Programme, 26 December - 13 January c1900 - 1999
The Hippodrome, Great Yarmouth. Blue type on yellow background.
Sally Chipperfield's Circus Programme, 1 July - 10 September 1983
Westover Ice Rink. Colour illustrations of circus acts including a high wire act on top right, a roaring lion's head on top left next to an acrobatic act, animals along the bottom section, leopards and panthers on stepped contraption with tamer and clonw's face on right over a blue background on front cover, inside colour photographs of performers and acts with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 8p.p
Sally Chipperfield's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999
Colour illustration of clown, elephant, bear, poodle, lioness and horse on a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white and colour photographs of performers and acts on blue background with text, programme in the centre, 4p.p
Sally Chipperfield's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999
Colour illustration of cartoon lion and tiger stood in front of a circus tent and clown on a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, colour photographs of performers and acts with text, programme in the centre and 2p.p insert with programme and black and white photographs, 8p.p
Sally Chipperfield's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999
Colour illustration of cartoon lion and tiger stood in front of a circus tent and clown on a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, colour photographs of performers and acts with text and programme in the centre, 8p.p
Sanger Circus Programmes, c1894 - 1999
Sanger Circus programmes including Lord George Sanger's Circus, Lord George Sanger and Pops Sanger Circus, Lord John Sanger's Circus and Sanger's Circus. Contain pantomime acts as well as circus performances in theatres venues.
Sanger Family Correspondence, c1900 - 1999
Letters to Miss Sanger Reeve from Bernard and Mabel Harris and letter of invitation to Sunday service from G. K. Gillespie to the Sanger circus staff.
Sanger Family Research Material, 1878 - 1999
Includes a route booklet by R. Archer for the George Sanger's Grand Circus and Menagerie tour of Europe in 1878 and photocopies of programmes, photographs, newspaper cuttings, a letter and a Sanger family tree.
Sanger-Reeve and Vesque Correspondence, 1930 - 1934
Letters to Miss Florence Sanger-Reeve from Miss Martha Vesque. Include a watercolour of a female acrobatic act balancing on a pole which stands in a bottle on a table, entitled Miss Castle.
Sanger's Circus Photographs, c1800 - 1939
Black and white photographs and postcards of the Sanger circus and family, including family portraits, show fronts, performers, musicians, parades and carriages, some of the people on the photographs have been identified.
Photographs 178C108.502-515 show Lord George Sanger's Circus on a European tour.
Sanger's Grand National Amphitheatre Programme, c1900 - 1999
Westminster Bridge Road. Scenes in the Circle, Richard III and the Great Battle of Bosworth Field and the Death of White Surrey, Cinderella. Black type on off white background with embossed border, 2p.p.
Sanger's Grand National Amphitheatre Programme, c1900 - 1999
Sanger's Grand Procession Poster, Friday 27 and Saturday 28 June 1863
Bath, Cricket Field, Pulteney Road. Sanger's grand procession on the occasion of the marriage of T. R. H. The Prince and Princess of Wales, equestrian acts, gymnastic acts, performing dromedaries, camels, llamas, cebras, Perubian God horses, elephants. Colour illustration showing procession of animals and carriages on a zig-zag line from the top to the bottom of the poster with text in between in black type on pale yellow background and title on red and yellow over blue background.
Scenery and Incidents Poster, c1800 - 1899
Contains listing of acts including: Scenes in the Arena produced by Mr. William Cooke and Return from the Baltic, or Jack on Shore. Black type on off white background.
Scrapbook of Multiple Circuses, 1925 - 1936
Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings, advertisments and black and white photographs relating to multiple circuses and acts including Belle Vue Circus, Hengler's Circus, Blackpool Tower, and Sir Robert Fossetts, includes deaths of Buff Bill Kayes, Whimsical Walker the clown and Mary Ann Bevan 'the world's ugliest woman', 61p.p.