I remember the circus coming to Heybarnes Rec off the Coventry Road in Hay Mills. I lived in Oldknow Road, Small Heath and remember the circus coming down our road. It would be in the mid 50`s. I recall these huge elephants walking in a line tail to trunk and the clowns running around and lots of lorries. I was told they had arrived at Tysley station, and the only way to the field was to have a parade on their way to set up in Hay Mills. Such excitement.
Another memory relating to the circus. My Dad worked at the Rover factory at Tysley. Every Christmas us children would be taken by coach ( no parents just helpers) to the Hippodrome to watch the panto. The next year we would go to the circus at Bingley Hall. and it would alternate every year. After the circus performance we were taken behind the scenes to see the animals. Lions, elephants and horses are what I remember. It was so exciting even if a bit smelly. Old Mr Warner who lived next door always went into the road to pickup any horse manure for his roses. When the circus came down the road he thought he`d won the pools !! You can imagine him with his metal bucket and shovel collecting up the elephants poo.!!! but he had amazing blooms that year.
I haven't joined in threads on a forum before so apologies if I get anything wrong. I first looked at the forum looking for information on the history of circuses in Birmingham and was surprised to find so little information, most of it about Sparkbrook which I don't know at all.
I lived in Birmingham from 1945 and remember going to the circus at Hay Mills with my parents as a young boy, so mid to late 1950s. I only remember the name as talked about by them over the years and don't know exactly where it was. From maps, the whole area now seems to be built up.
I went at least once and possibly more times. I remember the circus names of Chipperfield, Billy Smart and Bertram Mills but don't know which of these I might have seen and which have just been heard of over the years.
I do remember going to watch the circus procession. To get there we walked through the parkland beside the River Cole between Bordesley Green East and the Coventry Road. I had always understood that the circus came to Birmingham by train to New Street and then walked along the Coventry Road. Given the chaos that this would have caused, Crimble's comment about traveling to Tyseley and then walking via Oldknow Road to reduce the distance along the main road sounds much more likely and sensible. I do remember the elephants walking along, the trunk of each one holding the tail of the one in front. I also think that the palomino ponies were in the procession and the big cats and other performing animals came past in wheeled cages, though I can't be certain of this.
The use of performing animals was rightly stopped many years ago but, with attitudes that prevailed at the time, to a small boy the performances were amazing. Lions and tigers snarling at a trainer armed only with a whip looked terrifying but it was noticeable that as soon as he turned his back they meekly sat back, job done.
Palomino ponies were beautiful animals and cantered around the ring while their riders rode them, stood on their backs, jumped down and leaped back on sometimes with a somersault, crawled under the animals stomach and back up the other side or rode with one foot on each of two horses running side by side.
Sea lions were very clever at balancing balls on their noses and tossing them to and fro with the trainer.
In addition to the animals were what you will still see in a circus, high wire and trapeze acts, all amazing and terrifying in their own way, though they did have safety nets, and there were knife throwers, amazingly flexible acrobats and the clowns.
