{"id":166,"date":"2024-10-03T17:48:23","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T17:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.disphoria.net\/test\/history\/?page_id=166"},"modified":"2025-07-10T14:10:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T14:10:20","slug":"stokes-croft-history-walk-location-3-city-road","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.disphoria.net\/test\/history\/stokes-croft-history-walk-location-3-city-road\/","title":{"rendered":"Stokes Croft History Walk – Location 3: City Road"},"content":{"rendered":"

Circus in Backfields<\/h4>\n

Opposite Lakota is a small lane called Backfields, reached by the lane from the Full Moon Inn, now called Moon Street. The riding school is considered to be one of the first circuses, built on the site of a circular yard of riding stables. the first riding school in Bristol, opened by RC Carter in 1761. Following a similar riding school in London, the riding school began to put on popular public displays of equestrian showmanship and other events, such as bare-knuckle boxing battles and acrobatics.<\/p>\n

In 1790 it was superseded by a purpose-built wooden amphitheatre, and in 1824 it was rebuilt again into a more modern and sophisticated amphitheatre.<\/p>\n

In 1861, so many people turned up to hear the celebrity preacher Charles Spurgeon at the opening of City Road Baptist Church that the meeting was relocated to the circus arena. After 2000 people were admitted, the doors had to be closed to prevent dangerous overcrowding, provoking a riot which badly damaged the building.
\nThe building was eventually sold to the Salvation Army who named it the Salvation Circus, using it until it burned down in 1885.<\/p>\n

“A more unexpected venture was made by G. W. Harris who on
\n6 October 1873 opened the old Circus in Moon Street, at the back
\nof Stokes Croft, which had been built for James Ryan in 1837.
\nFor over a decade now it had been only occasionally used, as
\ntravelling circuses developed tenting techniques, and there were
\nplenty of precedents in the provinces for such a change of use…
\n…The Era reported it generally well attended during Harris’s management. Unfortunately it changed hands in January 1875, and on the reopening night the performance came to a stop after an hour, a number of the artists advertised having failed to appear.
\nThe audience demanded their money back, and this being refused, they rushed the Manager, “many of those present arming themselves with portions of the seats, which were broken up.<\/em>” The Manager hastily sought police protection, and a frustrated mob commenced throwing stones, and broke every pane of glass in the building, and a scene of great disorder prevailed in the neighbourhood until a late hour. A fortnight later the Era reported the building “announced for<\/em>
\nreopening under fresh Management and a new Title<\/em>“: the Britannia. But the damage had been done-in every sense-and at the end of the month the new lessees had to cancel all contracts. A Derby manager called Stoner advertised that he would reopen the Britannia, but his intentions came to nothing; a further attempt early in 1877 lasted one month, and about 1880 the building was bought by the Salvation Army.”<\/p>\n

https:\/\/bristolha.wordpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/bha044.pdf<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n