The Royal Circus
Artist unknown
South East London, England
1782
Hand coloured lithographic print

The equestrian Charles Hughes, a former member of Astley's company, opened the Royal Circus in 1782 in association with the pantomime author Charles Dibdin (who acted as manager), and four backers. Hughes called his establishment 'The Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy' and coined the term 'circus' as we understand it.

The Royal Circus was built in Blackfriars Road, then an area on the outskirts of London, surrounded by fields. It presented tumbling, dancing, singing, tightrope walking and a play with equestrian actors. The plays had extremely elaborate sets and effects, for example a model 'Volcano of Mount Etna' which apparently belched out burning lava. The Royal Circus itself suffered from fire, burning down in 1799 and again in 1805. Fire was a common danger for theatres at this time, since they were lit by candles and oil lamps.