Philip Astley: His Life and Legacy

Dr Carmel Thomason from Staffordshire University worked with Brampton Museum and a group of volunteers to research the life of Philip Astley and his family in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the role of Astley’s theatrical performances in shaping recreational life of the period. The research was compiled and curated into an exhibition at the Bramptom Museum: "Philip Astley: His Life and Legacy". The exhibition ran from 5/6/18 to 15/7/18 and was visited by 16,600 people.
The exhibition was part of the 250th Anniversary of the first circus, and was held in association with the Victoria and Albert museum. Archive material, costume, sights and sounds were used to examine the man and the myths that surround Astley's rise from the son of a Newcastle cabinet maker to Father of the Modern Circus. The centrepiece of the exhibition was a scale model of Astley’s amphitheatre taken from a contemporary print showing the building’s impressive interior. Using loan material from the V & A Museum, Chethams Library, and other museums which included drawings, engravings and prints of Astley’s riding school and amphitheatres the exhibition displayed the progression from wooden outdoor structure through to the magnificent amphitheatre of the early 19th century and included a recreated section of Astley Amphitheatre based on an image of Astley’s Amphitheatre painted in 1806.