Yarmouth Hippodrome

Norfolk has an illustrious history in Circus as I discovered when I wrote about Pablo Fanque last year. Great Yarmouth proudly continues that tradition today by hosting the Out There Festival of outdoor arts and circus every September and also at one of Norfolk's finest institutions, Yarmouth Hippodrome.

As the Hippodrome's web site says:

The Historic Hippodrome is Britain’s only surviving TOTAL Circus Building, built in 1903 by the legendary Circus showman George Gilbert.

An article in the Great Yarmouth Mercury describes how Gilbert escaped his poor origins in Norwich to join Hannaford's London travelling circus which took him to Yarmouth. Though he had mixed experiences of circus including injuries and abuse he was clearly inspired by it and achieved enough success with his horse riding, acrobatics and trapeze skills to build the Hippodrome in 1903. 'Hippodrome' is a French word which translates to 'horse racing course'. Gilbert was a skilled horse rider and horses also featured strongly in Pablo Fanque's shows so the name presumably attests to horses being a prominent feature of the circus.

The iconic building was designed by architect Ralph Scott Cockrill. R S Cockrill was the son of John William Cockrill and their shared love of Art Nouveau did much to shape the distinctive Victorian style that Yarmouth and Gorleston retain today.

The building's intricate art nouveau stylings are immediately visible as you depart from the promenade down St Peter's Road and venture behind the Flamingo Amusement Arcade. It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the muted light of an atrium as you enter the thick oak doors at the entrance. The effect helps to transport you back in time to the days when a trip to the circus was the ultimate in entertainment. The decor has been beautifully preserved and vibrant circus artwork and sculptures loom from the corners of the dim corridors and stairwells that lead you to the steeply tiered seating that surrounds the main arena.

Colourful spotlights illuminate the circle of the stage but leave much of the surroundings in mysterious shadow perfect for children to enjoy the spinning LED toys that are on sale and to disguise the spilt popcorn from the matinee show. Scanning the periphery you will see an elaborate drum pit by the entertainers' entrance. As the lights go down, signalling the beginning of the show, the drummers start up to accompany the entrance of ringmaster Jack Jay (son of owner Peter Jay). I'm pleased to say that Jay seems unaffected by the hearing problems that afflict so many other hosts and the time that would be spent repeatedly shouting what a good time we are having can instead be spent enjoying the international cast of daredevils, acrobats and dancers.

What really sets the Hippodrome apart though is the moment in the second half of the show when water spouts from the stage in fountains that twinkle under the lights, the floor starts to sink to form a pool and the dancers seamlessly switch to become synchronised swimmers. It is a magical piece of Victorian theatre that somehow still surprises me each time that I see it.

Update

I published a link to this story on the Facebook group Secret Norwich and really struck lucky when another member replied with some fascinating details that paint a clearer picture of George Gilbert's tale:

Last year I moved into a house in Beaconsfield Road in Norwich. The paperwork that came with the house showed that in 1904 George Gilbert sold numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Beaconsfield Road, presumably to pay for building the Hippodrome.
... the document says George Gilbert of Reedham, Norfolk, Circus Proprietor sold the houses to George Horace Butolph of 33 St Stephen's Square Norwich, Commercial Traveller.
... the sale price for the eight houses was £1245.

Googling "George Gilbert Reedham" also turns up another couple of house sales in Norwich rom 1904.

I always tag on a bit of music to each entry. For Yarmouth Hippodrome it is Bring on the Dancing Horses by Echo and the Bunnymen. That's Bring on the Dancing Horses by Echo and the Bunnymen.

Location: St George's Rd, Great Yarmouth NR30 2EU, UK

Comments

  1. Wendy27 July 2021 at 15:23

    Very interesting, thanks. I think there used to be hippodromes all over so this must be the last surviving.

    ReplyDelete

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