Het interieur van Astley's Amphitheatre, 1843
The defining characteristic of Astley's and its
imitators then and now was the mixed nature
of the entertainment: whether the show was
large or small, travelling or stationary, a
circus always included performing animals,
athletic artistes, and merrymen.
But the circus in the eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries customarily had
two further features which distinguish it from
later circuses: it was housed in a large
building which had a stage as well as an
arena, and the chief attraction was the
enactment of a melodrama on horseback, or
hippodrama.2) Soon after his show settled in
Lambeth, Philip Astley had the amphitheatre
covered, and in the 1780's a stage was built,
which moveable ramps which allowed horses
to move freely between ring and stage.
Disastrous fires in 1794, 1803, 1830, and 1841
necessitated rebuilding on each occasion, but
the type of structure remained constant:
seating, as in a theatre, was arranged in
gallery, dress circle, boxes, and pit; a ring,
thirteen metres in diameter, dominated the
centre of the pit; and a stage, said to be
130 feet wide and described as the largest in
London, had a proscenium arch which
extended the full width of the auditorium.3)
Contemporary illustrations reveal a highly
decorated interior, with curtains, chandelier,
gilding, and ornaments on ceiling and walls.
Circuses elsewhere in England, in France,
and in America were housed in similarly
designed buildings, and even travelling
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