Circus programmes and VHS tapes from Billy Smart’s Circus and Chipperfields’s Circus collected during the 1970s and early 1980s by the TV producer, Christopher John Palmer. There are also a number of promotional photographs of artistes and other ephemera related to the circus.

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

Amateur and commercial films on multiple formats, focusing mainly on Circus but also including transport, fairs, fairground rides and other types of travelling entertainments.

Gerry Cottle Circus programmes including Circus of Horrors, Cottle and Austen, Cottle-Chipperfield Circus, Continental Berlin Circus, Moscow State Circus and Gerry Cottle's Circus abroad.

Las Kansas jugglers, Khalil Oghaby Strongman, The Cimarro Brothers high-wire, Captain Sydney Howes with Lions, Orramic, Scott’s Californian Sea-Lions, The Inaros Sisters trapeze, The Santus Julian Troupe French wizards on Wheels, Billy Wild, Otaki and the James Sisters Wild West Show, Miss Babette’s Lovable Dogs. Colour with photos, 16p.p.

Royal Silver Jubilee, Binak Brothers knockabout comedy, Captain Sydney Howes and his lions, The Cimarro brothers high-wire, The Inaros Sisters trapeze, Sonny Fossett and Co. clowns, Otaki and the James Sisters Wild West Show, Batman and Robin aerial act, Captain Universe human cannonball. Colour illustration of human cannonball on cover. Fold out programme with photos.

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.

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

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.

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.

A wide range of British and international circus and menagerie posters ranging from the 19th to the 21st century including Astley's Amphitheatre, Pablo Fanque, Polito, Bostock and Wombwell, Ducrow, Cooke, Hengler, Sanger, Smart, Gerry Cottle, Bertram Mills, Chipperfield's, Robert Brothers, Fossett, Blackpool Tower, Billy Russell, Belle Vue, Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, Austen Brothers and many more.

Programmes for various British and international circuses including Billy Russell's, Blackpool Tower, Fossett's, Chipperfield's and the Toni Boltini's Circus.

A collection of mainly British and international circus programmes and some variety and music hall programmes containing circus acts.

A range of items of promotion and advertising from a range of circus companies and performers, including artistes' photographs with act descriptions used for seeking employment in circuses and pamphlets advertising independent performances and circus companies' literature and souvenirs for public distribution and promotion including Gerry Cottle's Circus, Belle Vue, Blackpool Tower, Bertram Mills Circus, Gandey's, Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey, Knie and many more.