Wigan Album

Wonder if councillors still dress like that in full council meetings. :¬)

The one in the bowler looks like Charlie Cairoli, though the children don't look to be impressed. It looks like the pool that was in the Orthopaedic and Physiotherapy Departments.

"Dont worry kids when you come out of hospital we will have a lovely new cinema and ANOTHER Bowling alley"

I see now what did there Ron, it says on the photo 'Visit of Circus Clowns To Wigan Infirmary in August, 1958.' You said it was Wigan Councillors. Great stuff LOL. :¬)

So most probably that actually is Charlie Cairoli who is pictured along with other Clowns from when the Circus came to town in August 1958.

It was Bertram Mills Circus that visited Wigan and there are photos on the Album of the circus parade going along Wallgate to the Big Top that was on the Laithwaite Fields at Newtown. https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/showalbum.php?opt=8&gallery=Circus+comes+to+Town

Also it isn't Charlie Cairoli on the Infirmary photo as I thought, he's a clown known as Little Billy Merchant and alongside him on the right is Coco the Clown, his red haired and hinged centre parted wig would flip up to feign surprise and would have children in fits of laughter. Links to information below:
Coco the Clown: http://www.circopedia.org/Coco

Circus Program covers, 1961 program showing Little Billy, Coco and Jackie Sloan. http://www.circopedia.org/Bertram_Mills_Circus

Blog about Little Billy. http://clownalley.blogspot.com/2008/08/jacko-fossett-and-litle-billy-merchant.html

Cyril thanks for the links to the Circus programmes. What fantastic colourful artwork on the front front covers..

They are Ron, very eye-catching and spectacular crowd pullers, the commercial artists who did them and also the posters were very talented. Wonder if there are any programmes or posters yet to be discovered in drawers or attics from when the circus came to Wigan.

Here's an excerpt from the FT of a quote in 2007 by Gerry Cottle who collects circus memorabilia,
“I really didn’t know how much my collection was worth until we had some of it valued for insurance purposes,” he says. “Anything to do with the circus has gone up in price in recent years and I think that’s because the art form has utterly died out in this country.
“My Bertram Mills posters used to be only worth £20 two or three years ago, but now they’re worth around £150 and I’ve got loads of them. Their artwork was 10 times better than most other circuses so they are highly sought after.”

From here:
https://www.ft.com/content/d8de55ac-ce3b-11db-b5c8-000b5df10621

There's an interesting behind the scenes film on YouTube entitled The Bertram Mills Circus on Tour 1958. Look out for Coco and his popup wig, though a lot of it is out of camera frame.
https://youtu.be/uT4PaIFZT8U

Thankfully elephants don't perform in circuses now, they must have led horrible and miserable lives whilst enduring lots of cruel treatment. Ireland's Own magazine is running a series of articles on The Circus at the moment and last week told of an circus elephant named Mary who crushed the head of a sadistic drifter who was hired in 1916 by Sparks Circus during their stay in Erwin Tennessee to look after her, but he repeatedly kept jabbing her with a sharp bull hook. Astonishingly the townsfolk called for Mary to be hung for this. The sad story about her is also on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/I28i0TiTMsU

Ron, if you are interested there are Bertram Mills Circus programmes on ebay, prices range from around £10 upwards though there are some a lot cheaper, depending on condition I suppose.

A 1958 Summer Season programme is on along with photos etc from the inner pages @ £12.99, I've put the link to it below. There's no list of the areas in the UK where they planned to visit that year, shame really as I thought there could be and which would have added interest.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194128756911?hash=item2d32f9c0af:g:2nkAAOSwB09YQt4-