National Fairground and Circus Archive

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🎉In 2024 we celebrated 30 years of the National Fairground and Circus Archive!🎉 Our #NFCAat30 podcast highlights some of the amazing collections we hold and incredible people we have worked with. Listen NOW on @UniShefPlayer ➡️ tinyurl.com/bdcmnd4z

🎉HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO US🌟 Next up in our #NFCAat30 podcast is special guest Joanna Whittle @_joannawhittle_ , an artist who works with landscape and archival sources and collections. Listen to all episodes on @UniShefPlayer and our YouTube channel ➡️ tinyurl.com/bdhjcnhy

Our Reading Room closes for Christmas after Thursday 19th December and reopens on Monday 6th January. Our enquiry service will close after Friday 20th December and will reopen on 2nd January. We hope everyone has a wonderful festive break when it gets here!

🎉HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO US🌟 We are celebrating 30 years of the NFCA by releasing a podcast series on @UniShefPlayer and YouTube! The 5th #NFCAat30 episode features the President of the Circus Friends Association of Great Britain, Mark Twitchett! tinyurl.com/2fd68cbr

🎉HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO US!🌟 The 4th episode of our #NFCAat30 podcast is available to listen to on @UniShefPlayer and Youtube! This ep, our special guest is Professor Brendan Walker, the only thrill engineer in the world! Listen here ➡️ tinyurl.com/5buw6eje

VHS tapes, dragons, PDF files, ghost trains, newspapers, diaries, fleas, vinyl records, animals in circuses legislation, Billy Smart and glass slides are some of the things you can find in our archives… What would you put in #YourArchive? #EYAYourArchive #EYA @explorearchives

Animals feature heavily in fairground ride designs. Savage Brothers Ltd designed and made gallopers in the form of horses, cockerels and other animals. Find more items related to Savages in the display on Level 5 of Western Bank Library! 🎠 #EYAAnimals #EYA @explorearchives

Meet the Rosaire #family! Fred Rosaire bought a fairground booth and took it on the road with his wife, Florence in 1904. Joined by their eight children, this one-man show soon became a successful family business! #EYAFamily #EYA @explorearchives

Many fairground rides have a #disco theme 🪩💃🪩🕺🪩 Would you go on any of these rides? #EYADisco #EYA @explorearchives

🎪 Celebrating 30 years of the @Fairarchives! @professorvaness reflects on her Showmen roots, the people who inspired her, and the unique collections that shaped the National Fairground and Circus Archive. Discover her story and the archive’s legacy: bit.ly/4fMWP9O

Orton, Sons and Spooner Ltd, a British engineering company, used creatures from #mythology in their pioneering fairground ride designs such as dragons and unicorns 🦄🐉 Browse more of our digital collections here ➡️tinyurl.com/26x634d6 #EYAMythology #EYA @explorearchives

Which of these fashionable outfits suits your mood today? Dress for the job you want this Monday morning inspired by these performers from Sanger Circus 🏴‍☠️🤡🤠🎀☂️ #EYAFashion #EYA @explorearchives

Circus management often exaggerated the physical attributes of showman, John Kempster. He was advertised as being 8 ft 8. This photo isn’t suspicious at all right?! #EYAHuge #EYA @explorearchives

Lots of fun! Marvel at the curious and amusing feats performed by the teeny tiniest circus artists in the world! Flea circuses were hugely popular from 1830s to 1960s🎪 #EYATiny #EYA @explorearchives

🎉HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO US🌟 Listen to the third episode of #NFCAat30 podcast now on @UniShefPlayer and Youtube! Professor Stephen Walker, Head of Architecture @OfficialUoM and fairground architecture enthusiast, talks about his research and work with the NFCA over the years!🎠

Lulu Adams was the first woman to perform as a clown at Olympia. She also served with the Red Cross and entertained the troops during WWII 🤡 #EYAHero #EYA @explorearchives

It is @explorearchives week! 🎉 To kick off, the first theme is #Decisions… So who decides what collections we take in? We have an Acquisitions Advisory Group who discuss if we are the appropriate place for a new acquisition and whether we can care for it 🤔#EYADecisions #EYA

Arthur Prince (born #OTD 1881, London) on the bill at the now demolished Dudley Hippodrome in August 1943, with his dummy, Sailor Jim in a 'New Naval Occasion'. Poster/showcard from our archive #musichall

We have some great events lined up for 2025: a talk about Sid Field; death in the theatre; the history of the Players Theatre; Vulcana the strongwoman as well as a show about Vesta & Hetty AND a tour of the Clapham Grand. BOOK HERE: ticketsource.co.uk/britishmusicha… #musichall #variety