Corgi Land Rover, Morris Minor Pick-up, Thames Trader and AEC Fire Engine
| Scale | 1:43 |
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C31703
Chipperfields – Over 300 Years in Show Business
This is a Limited and is no 00580 of 12,500 produced
Land Rover, Morris Minor Pick-up, Thames Trader and AEC Fire Engine.
For over 300 years, the Chipperfield family has been entertaining the British public – from the early days of their menageries and shows to the mighty circus organisation of today.
According to records, the first Chipperfield to be involved in the business, had a booth on the Thames when it froze over in the winter of 1684. Early in the nineteenth century, James William Chipperfield travelled with a small show, containing bears, monkeys and pigs. On of his sons, born in 1824, built up a sizeable menagerie, with permanent quarters in Norwich, and the next generation developed a family circus later in the last century.
Richard Chipperfield who was born in 1875, operated an early cinema show before the First World War. The circus went on the road, gradually enlarging until it combined with the Purchase family in 1933.
After the Second World War Chipperfields became the largest circus in the world, renowned for its spectacular circus programmes and its large troupes of animals.  In 1964 the entire show – 150 animals, 100 people, tents, transport and equipment went on a three tour of South Africa, returning to England in 1968. Meanwhile, Jimmy Chipperfield had conceived the revolutionary notion of the drive-through safari park which he put into action with Lord Bath at his estate at Longleat in 1966. The Lions of Longleat was a tremendous success and similar parks were set up in South Africa and on Lord Gretton’s estate in Stapleford, Leicestershire.
Chipperfields’ groups of elephants, horses, lions, tigers, leopards and bears have appeared in the world’s top circuses, including Krone, Busch-Roland and Althoff in Germany, Amar, Bouglione and Jean Richard in France, Knie in Switzerland and the famous Blackpool Tower Circus in England. In 1971, Dick Chipperfield was a centre ring attraction in the Ringling Brothers, Barum & Bailey “Greatest Show on Earth”, the largest circus in the world, in the USA.
By 1953, Chipperfield’s Circus ousted rivals Bertram Mills and Billy Smart and boasted a big-top tent which could accommodate 6,000 people. It had a collection of 200 horses, 16 elephants and 200 other animals. Dick Chipperfield died at the age of 83 in 1988.
Chipperfield Circus, as run by the Dick Chipperfield family, ceased touring in the late 1980s. In the 1989–1990 season Chipperfield Circus toured Ireland, commencing the season in Cork, The show ran for a few months featuring The Flying Souzas, Shiganio, Peter Althoff and members of the Chipperfield family. In the early 1990s Charles Chipperfield, a son of Jonny Chipperfield, ran Chipperfield Brothers, but this ceased in the 1990s. The show name rented to Tony Hopkins Promotions for his UK circus tour from 1992 to 1996. The show featured Dick Chipperfield Sr.’s grandson, Richard Chipperfield performing a lion act.
In the 1990s Graham Chipperfield toured with Ringling-Barnum, showing off three of his elephants: Patty, Zerbini and Luke.
In 2002 it was reported by the BBC that Mary Chipperfield was abusing her animals, leading to a fine for cruelty to animals.
In 2010, Chipperfield Circus returned without animals in the show, appearing at Cambridge and Rochester
Today Charles Chipperfield Circus, 7th generation of the original Chipperfield Circus family is still running with – Greatest show alive! Their 2019 award winning production is full of fun laughter and excitement; from the flying trapeze, wheel of death, International clowns, Roller Skating, Arial Silks, free standing ladder and lots lots more – a show not to be missed!
€100.00
1 in stock
