Andrew Ducrow's monument in Kensal Green Cemetery

Andrew Ducrow (1793–1842) was a British

circus performer A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicycli ...

, often called "

Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ''Colossus of Barletta'', a bronze statue of an unidentified Roman emperor * ''Col ...

of equestrians". He was the originator of horsemanship acts and proprietor of

Astley's Amphitheatre Astley's Amphitheatre was a performance venue in London opened by Philip Astley in 1773, considered the first modern circus ring. It was burned and rebuilt several times, and went through many owners and managers. Despite no trace of the theat ...

and remains one of the few giants of equestrian drama whose name is still familiar in the twenty-first century.

Life and career

Ducrow was trained by his father, who had immigrated to England from Belgium in 1793. Ducrow performed within the United Kingdom and in Europe, including in famous venues such as Covent Garden and

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks T ...

. He is perhaps best known as the proprietor of Astley's Amphitheatre, where he was also the chief performer. Referred to by some as "the

Chippendales Chippendales is a touring dance troupe best known for its male striptease performances and for its dancers' distinctive upper body costume of a bow tie, collar, and shirt cuffs worn on an otherwise bare torso. Established in 1979, Chippendal ...

of his day," Ducrow and his sons would dress in "fleshings" (flesh-coloured body stockings) to perform physique poses called '' plastiques'', while standing upon the rumps of white

stallions A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

cantering round the amphitheatre.

Pablo Fanque Pablo Fanque (born William Darby; 30 March 1810 – 4 May 1871) was a British equestrian performer and circus proprietor, becoming the first recorded Black circus owner in Britain. His circus was popular in Victorian Britain for 30 years, a pe ...

, the black circus equestrian and later circus owner, best known from his mention in

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

song "

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written and composed primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. ...

" on the album ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound compos ...

'', worked in Ducrow's circus for some time. Ducrow's shows proved immensely popular. Unfortunately, the Amphitheatre succumbed three times to fire. After the third time in 1841, Ducrow collapsed from a mental breakdown and died shortly thereafter in 1842.

William Batty William Batty (1801–1868) was an equestrian performer, circus proprietor, and longtime operator of Astley's Amphitheatre in London. Batty was one of the most successful circus proprietors in Victorian England and helped launch the caree ...

took over management of Astley's Amphitheatre and an employee of Ducrow called Joseph Hillier took over Ducrow's circus company.The Life and Art of Andrew Ducrow by A.H. Saxon

Legacy

Ducrow is buried on the Main (or Centre) Avenue at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

in London, England, one of the most desirable burial plots of the time. His tomb is one of the largest and most decorated tombs within the cemetery. The decoration is primarily pagan, being drawn from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

ian sources. There is no Christian-inspired decoration. The tomb was designed by Ducrow's theatrical designer and originally was brightly painted in pastel hues to attract the eye. These have faded over time. The "Courier of St. Petersburg", his most famous act, was the forerunner to modern horse acts and is still performed today at equestrian events.

References

*''The Victorian Way of Death from Body Snatching to Burning'', BBC Video Documentary, 2009.

External links

* * 1793 births 1842 deaths English male equestrians British circus performers Sportspeople from London Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Circus owners {{UK-equestrian-bio-stub