The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-09 00:00:00

At42DAe-e-tA3I/'t

EVENING EDITI
ASTLEI 'S AMPHITHEAT !tE

FLIRT IfEit PA ILTIC ULA r.s.
Uzabeth Uriten. the housemaid, who has beet burn,
$ pears to have escaped at first, but on gaming the stye et, ha. ate' -
remembe.ed that her savings'-bank book, with some Lien,
the especial favourites of Madame Ducrow, were left bef.i.at.
heedless of the lady's remonstrance, she returned and purist:nil
in the flames. The 'theatre having been chiefly built by the
, late Philip Astley of spars of ships, masts, &c., presented
peculiarly inflammable materials fur the action of tire. The
most probable cause of the fire is, that from the great nriniber
of guns discharged that night in the spectacle of The tVar,;
of Cromwell, a portion of the wadding had dropped into elait
is technically termed the " Magazine' floor, an intermediate
stage frequently used to produce the effect ef a sinkise
or the explosion of a mine, and there ignited with
bustibles. Bat the gas pipes are also stated to hay., , e
dilapidated state. Dlr. Ducrow's plate chest arts
are fortunately saved, together with other valuable era • . •
the chandelier, presented to the late P. Astley by :
York, and valued at. 500 euineas, Sir. West's wardrata . a,
theatrical properties, aad orchestral instruments, hale
perished.
The following historical account of this celebrated a a:
public amusement will on this melancholy occasion be re, • •
interest :
This equestrian establishment derived its origin from the lite
Mr. Philip Astley, an uneducated, but enterprisiee etei
ce•sfel adventurer. His history is so immediately :net is
with the subject that a biographical slietch of his life is
cessary adjunct to an account of the edifice.
Astley was born at Neweastle-under-Lone, in St2:lTord
on the bth of July, 1742. Dis father, who was a 7,nrer
and cabinet-maker. brought him to Loudon ahem ti
1754, and taught him his own business. In 1759, .ifte
disagreement with his parent, he quitted hint and era
Coventry in the 15th or General lailiott's Regiment
Home, commonly called the Tailor's Regiment, many
trade then :erring in it. Here, by his bravery, he so
came noticeable, and being a remarkably expeit he
was speedily made one of the rough riders, and teat.
breaker to the regiment.
On the return of the army to England he determiee,l in
apply the skill which he had acquired in the menayc
rivalling the equestrian performances of Pace, Johnson, ftri•!
Old Sampson. who exhibited in the Jubilee Gardens, •-, Iris
sign of the Three Hats, near the turnpike at Islington anti
having solicited and obtained his discharge, General Efiett,
as a reward for his intrepidity and soldier-like rlepleaneve, pre-
sented him with a fine charger, which was sfteehrtis knol. a to
the public as the " Spanish Horse."
Conjoining with the three equestrians above named, he com-
menced his career as a public exhibitor in an open hell, !leer
Glover's Halfpenny-batch, at Lambeth. The charger elven
him by his General, and another home, purchased in teuitli-
field, were then the only animals he possessed. _Meeting- witil
encouragement at different fairs, till he became master ef a
little property, he took a large piece of ground of..a timiser-
merchant, near Westminster-bridge, na the Surrey side (the
identical spot occupied by the late amphitheatre), and incliasitag
it circularly with boarding, erected seats for an audience, eith
a pent-house roof, covered with canvass. Mere his pricer were
6d. for superior seats, and 3d. for children and servants. His
performances were displayed within a rope ring, " melee no
roof but the canopy of heaven." In 1770, perhaps from increase
of entertainments, his price was raised to Is. Astley centintied
to improve his accommodations frorti season to season, hile, like-
wise to strengthen his company, having now admitted frets of
agility, vaulting, &c. In 1775 his admission prices being 2r.
to the gallery, and Is. to the riding-ground, it wits announced
that the seats were covered, and that slight showers woal,l not
prevent the performance.

f 1. }i

Astley's landlord at this time became involved in pceuaiary
difficulties, and Astley lent him 2001. on mortgage, the timber-
yard and timber forming his security. This mortgaged pro-
perty became his, he sold the timber, and with the produce,
increased by 601. resulting from the sale of a diamond ring,
which he had found at the foot of Westminster bridge,
he erected, in 1778, a roofed edifice, which he adrer-
' tised to be opened in the beginning of the following year as
the Amphitheatre Riding House. Hitherto Astley's eqUee,
trian feats had been performed in the mornings only, whilst his
evenings were appropriated to the exhibition of Les Ombres
Chinoises, sleight of hand, comic dancing, a conjuring horse,
dancing dogs, Rossignol's, imitations of birds, fireworks, sLe. in
a large room, at No. 22, Piccadilly; but in Passion Week,
1781, he performed by candlelight for the first time at the
prices of 2s. 6d. the boxes, Is. 6d. the pit, and 6d. the side
gallery. In 1780, he commenced a winter season in the Ara-
phitheatre, and the horsemanship of " Young Astley" became
much celebrated, and one or two females wore engaged.
Balancing, the 'Menders' tricks on chaires, and slack-cops
vaulting also formed part of the entertainments ; and a
" beautiful zebra" was exhibi'ed in the Ridine-seht,,,t. In
the same year the curious notice was issued of " No persons to
bring dogs." At this tine Hughes started a ride, which
was the forerunner of the present Surrey.
Astley, at the beginning of 1784, and in opposition to 1-litglies,
began stage-performances, and erected a stage, re-deene,,ting
his amphitheatre in a novel manner, and opening it under the
new title of the " Royal Grove." Astley hid at this offie‘ also
an amphitheatre at Paris, clans le. Rue et Faulio,rg (.1,4
Temple, where his equestrians and voltigeurs performed. anii
, young Astley, while there, was commanded by Louis XVI.
and the beautiful Marie Antoinette to perform before the
Court at Ver,ai!les. The manly agility of young Astley, his
symmetry ef figure, and elegance of attitude and deportosent, en
highly pleased the King and Queen, that they presented him with
a go'd medal set with diamonds, and at the ssme time " dubbed"
him the "English Rose," in contradistinction to thsee.egant
dancer " Vestris," who was then styled the " Franttli Rose,"
In 1792, Astley. from ill-health, resigned the Royal Saloon,
as this theatre was then called, to his son, ander whees, direc-
tion it continued to flourish till the 16th August., 1794, when
it was destroyed by fire, with all its scenery and ptom•rty of
every kind. At that time the elder Astley wo' service: as a
volunteer in the Duke of York's army, but returned home tts
retrieve, if possible, his heavy loss.- He actively pr./weeded
to re-build his Amphitheatre, and such dispatch IVR.R. eNertesi,
that. it was re-opened on Easter Monday, 1795, under toe ness-
appellation of the Amphitheatre of Arts. Thu sup, r ;or sle-
gance, end more expensive performances, raised 0., pr ear,
4s. boxes, pit 2s. and gallery Is. No alteration ler., been
since made. In the year 1798, this establishment tta, styled
Astley's " Royal Amphitheatre," and half-price was began to
be taken.
On the 2d September, 1803, the theatre was consumed by
a second conflagration. On this occasion the loss wee esti-
mated at 30,000/., of which scarcely more than one-sixth was
covered by insurance. The horses only were saved, wet those
principally by the exertions of Mr. fsearle, the beat-1,n.1 ler, of
Stangate-street, who had likewise been th., (em s& ef pfe.ervirtt
them at the former fire. Unhappily, the mother• in-law of
young Astley perished in the flames. Astley, itoweTer.
his accustomed celerity, immediately commenced the •-e.'s,:ien
of a new Amphitheatre, which opened s's Easter 2th,risy,
1804. Astley was his own architect, and it Las been rewarked
that his attendance was beyond all precedent. " Early or late,
bail, rain, frost, snow, or sunshine, impeded him not. Th,_,H,
he was, drilling the men at their work, as if he had been tra L-
ing a regiment of soldiers for the rigid duties of a winter's Case.
',sign." The designs Ia- the interior were by Mr. Grieve, sec..
of Covent Garden Theatre.

Some time after the Amphitheatre was rebuilt, larnsr...
Parker, Handy, Crossman, Smith, and W. Davies, all of *host
formed part of the company, were admitted to a half-sharr.
the conceit), in conjunction with Astley the younger ; anci
flaring their united management Horse spectacles vs..rt• firs .
produced upon the stage. At the end Lf the season in !so t+
Smith retired. 'I he next season was uncommonly prinllntivo,
chiefly irom the attraction of an equestrian spectacle
Blood-red Knight; and it is said that the proprietors eiridti
18,000/. amongst them at its close. In 1806, the elfin. Astle::
being tired of a quiet life, started a new theatre in Wyen...4 reet ,
called the Olympic Pavilion, which, in a few years afterr.nrc.4,
he sold to Elliston for 3,000 guineas, and an annuity el 100/.
daring life. That edifice 'was the last of nineteen tvt.ieh ht
built in the course of his theatrical career.

In 1813, Astley, long afflicted with a phlegmatic disorder,
went to France, but his health grivivally deelining, he cried at
Paris, on the '2oth of October, Itl4, in the 73d year of hi age,
and was buried in the cemetery of Nre la Chaise. He be-
queathed a respectable and unincumbered property to hi. son,
Mr. J. Astley, during life, and in the event of the Iraer
dying without issue, one-sixteenth was devised. to lAles.
Astley, and the remainder to the children of his own skier,
Mrs. Gill, namely, four nieces and one nephew.
In Isl 7, Parker retired, and the other shareholders liavine-
previously seceded, Mr. W.
.Davis became joint leesee wita
Mr. J. Astley. This partnership continued till 1821, when,
on the 19th of October. Astley died at Paris, in the same
house, chamber, and bed in which, just seven years before, his
father had expired, and his remains were deposited clos,e to
those of his parent in the same cemetery.
Mr. AV. Davis was for some years the sole propriety Of the
horses, and conducted the entertainments with great ,iiecess
till the and of 1824, when his interest in the lease expired.
Under his management it was known as Davis's Amphitheatre,
and many splendid equestrian spectacles were produced, one of
which, the Battle of Waterloo, formed the grandest military
display that was ever exhibited.
The Amphitheatre haesince been rented by
ibis celebrated
equestrian performer Ducrow. The property bebelongs"',Alrt
Astley, the two nieces of the elder Astley, Mr. W. ,
as a creditor, and some other persons. The ground lease CY,-
pired, we believe, about 1839, and we soppiest h 35 been re-
newed. The annual rental of the last lease was 1,0001-
The general form of the interior was that of an elongane
lyre. The equestrian circle, or ride, was about forty-four feet
in diameter. 'the interior was fitted up by Mr. Grieve, ben.,
in 181 e, at au expense of about 4,0001. The
proscenium was
about forty feet in width, and handsomely einhelli.thtel. Thy
stage was probably one of the largest and most converiient io
London, and was provided with immense platform",
,
rising above each other, and extending entirely:len,.
t 0 he
were of great strength, and were so construured ai
placed and removed in a short space of time, by mai,u,a.,lklealoeir
and mechanism. During exhibitions they "ere
l desires-
romantic scenery, bridges, forts, mountains,. and other
suitable to the subjects represented.

• This docile animal lived to the age of forty-two ',ears, anti
when, by the loss of teeth, he became unable to masticale
corn, lJr. W. Davis allowed him, generously, two half-yrirterth
ances he would fetch and carry a complete tea-equlpar4c,
loaves per day. His tactability was extreme; in pPtfortn.-
kettle of boilin water from the fire, and wit,h his own -;,,
a pail of water.' On his death, by a natural decay, n Ir. 7h r.;
caused his hide to be tanned and made into a thundrr-drnm.
which stood to the last minute on the prompt side of thc
theatre, and its rumbling sounds often served to retnitj.:',..
auditors of his parting hnell. ide De Castro's Aleincir,-,;,.

FATAL PUGILISTIC CONTEST--1 HAN
•KILLEIL—On Monday last a fight, eaused a
el, took place in the vicinity of Gloucester, btoc„.t,
en
frtalias
t ohnt'el ;•;
Ir.k,,hi :;;c. that
ati
quarrel,
Brown,
of
ands
i SaPibheitcl abetter re ibmnrkiatitygni:e.' nwtahaOmasnnefiedßxhredoWavrdinulhl,lhe
i-
owing to the'cisntgteartterbernicde of the police they adjourned to Sand.
hurst-green, where, after fighting 76 rounds, Brown fell 4.
sensible, and was removed to the Infirmary, where he died' ni
a few hours. •Prom the facts elicited before Thomas Bailer,
Esq., Coroner,
.it appeared that at the fifteenth round a city
policeman interfered, but the combatants were resolved to gi.;
sin. Again, at the forty-fifth round, the same polio-man, ac-
companied by another, entered the ring, and with, their staff
threatened to break the first man's arm who struck another
blow, when Mr. Chesterton, a gentleman, rode up, and :told
them to stand back or he would report them—that he had st eta;.
thirty rounds, and wanted to see the end, whereupon the i.e.
licemcn fell back. The seconds and bottle-holders wanted to
leave; but Mr. Chesterton rode round, formed another ring,
and again brought the men to the scratch. At the sevent:i-
fifth round Brown fell, and the appearance of his body bore
eample la)
triooonfsoof f t
ht heei r eoanddl
ceto, ntflhiactt.
thellteemix)pelirceonifetnhesaiedro'w.ind
prevented them from acting The Jury returned a verdict of
•‘ Manslaughter" against Philip Inkin, the principal, lsir.
Chesterton, and other ciders and abettors, and ord .red a re-
cord of censure to be made against the police. Bror.ii
waw
twenty-seven years of age, and has left a widow rni• three
children. Inkin, from injuries, is in a dangerous state;' is unmarried, and about twenty-one.— If/Ws Standarri.
(From a Correspondent .)—‘4 Englar",
he as great and powerfal, and L!! :41 y,ould
be ifs rich as they are, though one ruin
should engulf all
the manufacturing towns and districts of Great Britain."---
Standard, June 5, 1841, What will the ConservcOive de-
mocracy of our manufacturing towns say to this?