Plaque

Astley's first venue

Erection date: 2/4/2018

Inscription

Astley's
Philip and Patty Astley first staged spectacular horse-riding feats nearby on Easter Monday 1768. Adding acrobats and clowns, they created what we know as a Circus.
250th anniversary 2018

Easter Monday in 1768 was 4 April. The plaque was erected by the Lambeth Estate Residents' Association.

Site: Astley's first venue and Action for Children (2 memorials)

SE1, Cornwall Road

Video of the plaque unveiling. You can just see one of the horses in our photo, and the gray wigs are on the "cossack" riders. The site of Astley's first performance space, in a field, was just about 50 yards to the east of the plaque. By the next year success meant that the Astleys could set up the more permanent Astley's Amphitheatre, a short distance away. But this plaque marks where "circus" began.

The Action for Children plaque is also on this building (a London Underground electrical substation) around the corner to the right of our photo.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Astley's first venue

Subjects commemorated i

Patty Astley

Wife of Philip; see there for more info. We cannot be certain that the image ...

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Philip Astley

Equestrian performer and circus proprietor. Born Newcastle under Lyme. Aged 1...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Astley's first venue

Also at this site i

Action for Children

Action for Children

Plaque unveiled by actress Shirley Anne Field (who spent part of her childhoo...

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