Bertram Mills Circus (1920 - 1967)
Dates
- Existence: 1920 - 1967
Biography
Bertram Wagstaff Mills was born in London on August 11, 1873, the son of Halford Lewis Mills of Smarden, the proprietor of a coach building firm and funerary company.
Bertram became part of the family business as a carriage builder and only became involved in the circus through a wager in 1919 of £100 from Sir Gilbert Greenhall, a fellow coaching enthusiast, who was encouraged by R.G. Heaton, the Managing Director of Olympia to put on a first class circus after watching what was in his eyes a very disappointing show at Olympia.
Mills has originally planned to win the wager by engaging Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey to come to London for the 1920-1921 season but cancellation of the contract resulted in Mills decided to put on his own show. He rose to the challenge and the following year he presented a circus which would become an annual highlight for London audiences and introduced world class performers to the British public.
Between 1930 and 1964, and alongside his annual shows at Olympia, Bertram Mills Circus toured the country under the management of his sons Cyril and Bernard. Following the lines of excellence, production and performance standard set by the Olympia shows, according to Bertram Mills, ‘The Mills Circus will perform like professionals and live like gentlemen."
After approximately nine years of exhibiting in London, he created a tenting show which was said to have cost £40,000 to launch and £2500 to run weekly. With the crème de la crème of circus performers forming part of his touring repertoire, regional audiences thrilled to some of the leading artists of the day appearing in the specially designed German big top which travelled by their town by rail, the first British showmen to do so.
Bertram Mills’ status as an innovator and re-invigorator of the circus was heralded on both sides of the Channel. He only selected the best and most polished performers in the world and one of his major impacts as a producer was his ruthless ability to select the best five minutes of a twenty minute act. Circus historian Don Stacey lists these as part of his five principles the others being the ability to attract and convert influential people to the cause of the circus, using individual acts to promote as the star of the show with his treatment of Koringa being a case in point, and finally his ability in using publicity and marketing for the benefit of the show. As one contemporary commentator observed, 'It is not an exaggeration to say that he brought back the circus to England at a time when it seemed that it was about to quietly expire, killed by the War and mechanical entertainment'.
Mills believed in attracting and encouraging the attentions of the great and the good and following on a tradition laid out in the nineteenth century when circus was patronised greatly by the Royal Family, he aimed to make the Quality Show part of the establishment. From 1926 onwards following a visit of the then Prince of Wales to Olympia, the association between the Bertram Mills Circus and the Royal Family resulted in over sixty visits to the shows during its time in Olympia and other venues.
Bertram Mills became President of the Showmen’s Guild of Great in 1935, only the second circus showmen to hold such a position and the first and only time in its history that the position was occupied by someone not born into the business. He proved to be a successful and capable President, often travelling thousands of miles on Guild business including attending the First International Showmen’s Congress in Paris in 1937. Also this year Bertram Mills was the first circus in the world to be televised.
Mills died at the age of sixty-four of cardiac syncope and bronchial pneumonia on 16 April 1938 at his home, Pollards Wood, Chalfont St Giles, the day the tenting circus opened, at Luton, but the circus opened that evening. His death was greeted by the public and industry alike with shock as tributes to Britain’s No 1 Showman and King of the Circus appearing on the newsstands. However, the legacy he built was second to none, the principals laid down by the Quality Show with its attention to detail, model professionalism and quality of acts would be continued by both his sons and provided a template for the industry to follow.
By 1965 Bertram Mills Circus was in decline due to raising costs and the new way of competition the advent of television brought to the entertainment sector. The last winter season at Olympia was delivered by catering and hotel magnate Maxwell Joseph who leased the business for the 1966-1967 season, which will be the last one. Bertram Mills Circus closed 1967.
Found in 219 Collections and/or Records:
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 1960
Colour illustration of three clowns on a green and yellow background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre, articles and commercial advertising. Printed by Welbecson Press Ltd, London, 12p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 1961
Colour illustration of three clowns on a green and yellow background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre, articles and commercial advertising. Printed by Welbecson Press Ltd, London, 12p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 1962
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a pink ribbon and playing with a yellow balloon in a circus ring with a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre, articles and commercial advertising. Printed by Welbecson Press Ltd, London, 12p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 1961 - 1962
Golden type on red faux velvet background on decorative cover, inside colour illustration of elephant wearing a pink ribbon and playing with a yellow balloon in a circus ring with a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre with illustrations and commercial advertising. Printed by Welbecson Press Ltd, London, 16p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 18 December 1962 - 2 February 1963
Olympia, London. Golden type on red faux velvet background on decorative cover, inside colour illustration of circus acts including clown, chimpanzees, elephants, horse, aerial act, cage animals and trick cyclist on blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre with illustrations and commercial advertising. Printed by Welbecson Press Ltd, London, 16p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 18 December 1963 - 2 February 1964
Olympia, London. Golden type on red faux velvet background on decorative cover, inside colour illustration of circus acts including clown, chimpanzees, poodles, horses and aerial acts in the circus ring on blue background on the front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre with illustrations and commercial advertising. Printed by Welbecson Press Ltd, London, 16p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 1963
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a pink ribbon and playing with a yellow balloon in a circus ring with a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre, articles and commercial advertising. Printed by Welbecson Press Ltd, London, 10p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 1964
Colour illustration of circus acts including aerial act, Cossacks, girl with drum and man in red and gold outfit with golden head dress on a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre, articles and commercial advertising, 8p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 1965 - 1966
Red outline of horses and red type on yellow faux velvet decorative cover, inside colour photograph of white face clown wearing a colourful sequence outfit, holding a white circle with circus information on a black background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 16p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Programme, 1966 - 1967
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a pink ribbon and playing with a yellow balloon in a circus ring with a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising. Printed by Welbecson Press Ltd, London, 14p.p.
Bertram Mills Circus Programmes, c1900 - 1999
Bertram Mills Circus programmes at Olympia and travelling shows.
Bertram Mills Circus Research Material, c1900 - 1999
Two colour photocopies of Bertram Mills circus posters.
Bertram Mills Circus Research Material, c1900 - 1999
Research material related to Bertram Mills Circus including newspaper cuttings, photocopies, a monograph entitled 'A Brief Survey of the Origins and Present Organisation of the Bertram Mills Circus', 'Bertam Mills Circus, The Quality Show' research work by Stephen Sharp and a speech by one of Bertram Mills' sons.
Bertram Mills Circus Royal and Gala Performance Programmes, Great Carmo, Bostock and Wombwell's, and Bailey's Circus Programmes, c1900 - 1999
Bertram Mills Circus Royal and Gala Performance programmes, Great Carmo's Circus, Bostock and Wombwell's menagerie and Bailey's Circus programmes.
Bertram Mills Circus Royal Performance Programme, Wednesday 21 December 1960
Olympia, London. Black, green and yellow type on off white background on the front cover, inside colour illustrations of the Queen and Prince Philip, introduction, commercial advertising, articles and programme, 66p.p.
Bertram Mills Circus Royal Performance Programme, 19 December 1963
Olympia, London. White type on blue background and a circle cut out in the centre throught which horses and ponies can be seen runing around the circus ring on the front cover, inside black and white photograhs of the Queen and Princess Margaret, introduction, commercial advertising, articles and programme, 28p.p.
Bertram Mills Circus Royal Performance Programme, Tuesday 21 December 1965
Olympia, London. Black type on golden background on the front cover, inside black and white photograhs of the royal family and the Queen, introduction, commercial advertising, articles and programme, 30p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook, 1936 - 1937
Scrapbook relating to Bertram Mills' Circus, contains drafts of promotional text, newspaper cuttings, black and white photographs, programmes, performance shedules and letters, 85p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook, 1925 - 1938
Scrapbook relating to Bertram Mills' Circus, contains posters, advertisments, promtional text, black and white photographs and newspaper cuttings, 62p.p.
Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook, 1939 - 1949
Scrapbook relating to Bertram Mills' Circus, contains posters, advertisments, programmes, black and white photographs and newspaper cuttings, 66p.p.