Historic Circus to visit Wadebridge

One of the oldest names in circus entertainment will be visiting Wadebridge, in their first visit to the area in more than 20 years.

Charles Chipperfield Circus will be performing in their 1000-seater Big Top at Wadebridge Town Football Club from Friday 25th until Sunday 27th July.

The Chipperfield name traces its performance roots back more than 300 years, when in 1684 James Chipperfield exhibited his menagerie at the Thames Frost Fair. This took place on the river itself, which regularly used to freeze over in the winter months, allowing Londoners to take in a host of entertainment on the ice.

Rebecca Chipperfield, Ringmistress for the current production, says that this long history is something to be very proud of. “The circus industry is wonderful because it has been bringing joy to families for such a long time. We are immensely proud that Chipperfield’s can date our performance history back so far, because it means we must have a winning formula that has been putting smiles on faces for more than 300 years.” she said.

This year’s touring show of the Charles Chipperfield Circus features a range of traditional acts and more modern performances, mixing death-defying feats with plenty of laughs. Rebecca said: “What is great about our show, is that there is something for absolutely everybody. We’ve assembled some amazing performers for this year’s show from all over the world. We have a fearless Romanian troupe performing some incredible acrobatics, a hilarious pair of Mexican clowns who are wonderfully daft, as well as plenty of British showmen who offer everything from magic acts to trapeze.”

Charles Chipperfield himself added that the whole team were looking forward to coming to Wadebridge, for the first time in over 20 years. “I know this area very well so I’m delighted to be bringing the show back to North Cornwall for the first time in so many years. Wadebridge is a beautiful place and the Town's Football Club provides the perfect location for us because it’s so easy for families to get to. We’ll only be here for 3 days, so I really hope local people will take this opportunity to come along to a real circus to enjoy some fantastic family entertainment.”

Shows are at 4pm and 7pm on Friday 25th, Saturday 26th 2pm, 4pm and 7pm and Sunday 27th July 2pm and 4pm. A special offer for the opening day means all seats will be £5.99 on Friday 25th July To book tickets, visit the box office at Wadebridge Town FC between 9am and 9pm from Thursday 24th July, or call 0750 0365 231.