THE BALLOON MAN

Famous circus name rolls into Nuneaton

Charles Chipperfield has brought his family’s 400-year-old traditional brand of entertainment to the Pingles

Clown Picorete, from Mexico, with some of his fellow circus performers outside the Charles Chipperfield Big Top at Nuneaton's Pingles Fields.

from: coventrytelegraph.net

By Mike Malyon

Jun 05,2014

Charles Chipperfield has brought his family’s 400-year-old traditional brand of entertainment to the Pingles Fields, where jugglers, acrobats, trapeze artists and clowns will perform until Saturday.

It will be the first Chipperfield Circus to hit town for more than 20 years – and brings back memories of an appearance in the late 60s when elephants, lions, tigers and even a leaping black panther drew vast crowds to Pool Bank Street Recreation Ground.

“Animal acts are not allowed these days and putting on the show has become more of a challenge,” said Charles.

“But we are still going strong, proving to be as popular as ever and touring almost constantly all over the country.”

The 53-year-old is a direct descendant of James Chipperfield, who exhibited performing animals at the Thames Frost Fair in London in 1684.

There has been a Chipperfield Circus in various forms virtually ever since then and in its heyday, after the Second World War, it became one of the biggest circuses in Europe, with a tent that could hold 6,000 people.

Charles used to appear in the ring with a troupe of elephants and now combines running his circus with staging corporate events and hiring out large marquees.

He is joined on the road by his wife, Rebecca and three young sons, Regan, four, Kaiden, seven, and 12-year-old Cranston who gained an entry into the Guiness Book of Records nine years ago as the youngest-ever circus ringmaster.

Rebecca acts as Ringmistress in the show, which features an international cast and includes a Wheel of Death, a Russian Swing and a Spiderman appearance.

Performances are at 5pm and 7.30pm, with a 2pm matinee on Saturday. Tickets can be booked on 0750 0365 231.