The History of Belle-Vue

The History of Belle-Vue

For nearly 150 years, Belle-Vue Zoological Gardens was one of the most continuously successful entertainment destinations in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1836 by John Jennison and by 1856 the collection included monkeys, kangaroos, rhinos, lions and bears, and even...
Evetta, The Lady Clown

Evetta, The Lady Clown

The Barnum & Bailey show created quite a stir during the 1895 season with Josephine Mathews (also sometimes labeled as Williams in the press) aka Evetta, The Lady Clown. That season Barnum & Bailey had a strong female presence and the posters also announced a...
William Kempe, The Dancing Clown

William Kempe, The Dancing Clown

On the 8th March 1600, a noisy and excited crowd of spectators gathered to witness the final stage of a remarkable event, (which later became known as the “9 Day Wonder”) an event that had long been anticipated and had captured the imagination of a city. The...
April Fools

April Fools

Did you know when it comes to our unofficial holidays, April Fools’ Day is one of the weirder ones.? It’s a folk holiday of pranks and mild humiliations, in which children get to pull one over on their parents or teachers, and vice-versa; in which media outlets can...
A Chip Off The Old Block

A Chip Off The Old Block

One of our newest Junior members had her first bookings recently, Millie is the daughter of our  PRO Rob Bowker and has decided of her own accord to start clowning after seeing how much fun her Dad has at work. Both Rob and Millie were booked to work the parade...