Gerry Cottle's Circus (1974 - 2003)
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 79 Collections and/or Records:
Moscow State Circus, That's Entertaining, Gerry Cottle Circus, Chinese Circus, 20th Circus Festival and Cirque de Main Films, 1988 - 1997
Newspaper and Magazine Cuttings on Circus, 1897 - 2005
Newspaper Cuttings, 1976 - 1979
Various newspaper cuttings on circus and showmen, including Billy Smart's Circus and Gerry Cottle.
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.
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.
Posters, c1800 - 2011
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, c1800 - 2019
A collection of mainly British and international circus programmes and some variety and music hall programmes containing circus acts.
Programmes, 1970 - 1981
Programmes for various British and international circuses including Billy Russell's, Blackpool Tower, Fossett's, Chipperfield's and the Toni Boltini's Circus.
Scrapbook of Multiple Circuses, 1963 - 1978
Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings, photographs, advertisments and correspondance, relating to multiple circuses and acts including Belle Vue, Cottle and Austen and Billy Smart's, 196p.p.
Scrapbook of Multiple Circuses, 1984 - 1985
Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings, relating to multiple circues and acts including Austen Brothers, Blackpool Tower and Gerry Cottle's, and many articles on allegations of animal cruelty in circuses, 41p.p.
Scrapbook of Multiple Circuses, 1983 - 1984
Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings, relating to multiple circuses and acts including Robert Brothers, Chipperfield's and Gerry Cottle's, 25p.p.
The All New Cottle Sisters Poster, Tuesday 1 - Sunday 13 August 1995
Bournemouth. Colour illustration of the Cottle sisters and a gorilla.
The Circus of Horrors Programme, c1900 - 1999
Colour photograph of female vampire's face showing behind an open metal hatch in a box with metal spears on the front cover, inside programme and colour photographs of acts and performers with text, on back cover save the rhino campaign article, 6p.p.
The Circus of Horrors Programme, c2000
Red type on black background on front cover, on gloosy card, inside introduction, colour photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, also circus merchandise advertising, 10p.p.
The Show Must Go On Programme, c1979
Black type on white background with introductioin on top section and programme below, Joker costume hire advertisement on reverse.
The Show Must Go On Programme, c1979
Black type on white background with introductioin on top section and programme below.
The World Famous Moscow State Circus Programme, 1998 - 2000
Colour photograph of clowning act on a hot air balloon with a clown in the basket trying to hook an umbrella onto another clown, which is hanging in the air's foot on a black background on the front cover, inside introduction and colour photographs of acts and performers with text and programme in the centre. Printed by Perfectaprint, Byfleet, Surrey KT14 7JG, 8p.p.
Trade and Advertising Material, c1900 - 1999
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.