The Brothers Sanger—First Appearance in London—Vicissitudes of Astley’s—Batty and Cooke—Purchase of the Theatre by the Brothers Sanger—Their Travelling Circus—The Tenting System—Barnum and the Sangers.

An impenetrable mist hangs over the early history of the industrious and enterprising gentlemen who now own the ‘home of the equestrian drama’ in the Westminster Road. The names of Hengler, and Cooke, and Adams have been, to our fathers and grandfathers, as well as to the present generation, ‘familiar in their mouths as household words;’ but circus records, and even circus traditions, are silent concerning the progenitors of John and George Sanger. There is a whisper floating about circus dressing-rooms that the latter gentleman might have been seen, many years ago, doing a conjuring trick on the narrow ‘parade’ of a little show at fairs; but the Brothers Sanger are most reticent concerning their antecedents, and all that can be said of them with certainty is that they were travelling with a well-appointed circus, and a numerous company and stud, many years before they became known as public entertainers in the metropolis.

They first became known to a London audience by their successful series of performances at the Agricultural Hall, which place of amusement they occupied for several seasons.

During their tenancy they produced several equestrian spectacles, all mounted in a costly and elaborate manner. The first was entitled ‘The Congress of Monarchs,’ and, nothing of a similar character having been previously produced in London, it attracted an immense concourse of persons to the Hall. To give some idea of the vast number who attended, I am enabled to state, on authority, that on several occasions upwards of 37,000 persons witnessed the performances in one day.

Their last season in this place was in 1872, in which year they also acquired possession of Astley’s, which had, since the earlier days of Batty, gradually sunk to the lowest grade in the estimation of the pleasure-seeking portion of the public, all Batty’s successors, with the exception of William Cooke, having signally failed. Upon the termination of Cooke’s lease, Batty wished to raise the rental, or sell the property, and as Cooke declined paying more than he had hitherto done, he retired from Astley’s and the profession, and Batty, not finding a purchaser or a suitable tenant, after keeping the place closed for some time, opened it himself, having Hughes, a once celebrated equestrian proprietor, as acting manager, and William West as stage director. The military spectacle with which the theatre was re-opened, entitled The Story of a Flag, was a failure; and after lingering for a few months the theatre was closed.

Mr E. T. Smith then obtained possession on very advantageous terms, and in a short time was fortunate enough to find a tenant in Mr Nation, who paid £5000 for the unexpired term of the lease. This not proving a profitable investment, the theatre was again in the market, when Mr Boucicault, with the same view of ‘regenerating the National Drama,’ which he subsequently essayed at Covent Garden with Babil and Bijou, obtained a lease, made great alterations, and renamed the building the Royal Westminster Theatre, advertising it as ‘the nearest theatre to the West End, through the parks, which extend to the foot of Westminster Bridge, close to which the theatre is situate.’ The inhabitants of Lambeth laughed, and the dwellers in Belgravia wondered; but the Royal Westminster was not frequented by the play-goers of either quarter, and after an unsuccessful season the theatre was again closed.

Mr Batty again trying to dispose of the property, but without effect, it remained closed for a considerable period, until the present proprietors obtained possession of it, and opened it for the Christmas holidays. The experiment of keeping both Astley’s and the Agricultural Hall open at the same time did not, however, answer their expectations, and they ultimately concentrated their forces at Astley’s, having purchased the property upon extremely advantageous terms.

They expended a large sum of money in having the interior almost entirely remodelled, the well-known theatrical architect, Mr Robinson, being employed for the purpose. Under the present arrangement the building is adapted for the accommodation of nearly 4000 persons. During the winter season the Brothers Sanger remain in London; the other portion of the year is passed in visiting the principal provincial towns, where the extent and splendour of their parade invariably attracts large audiences. The performances are given, sometimes in a huge tent, and sometimes in the open air, in a large field near the town. Their stay in one place is usually from one to four days, according to the population. Their expenses are necessarily very heavy, and their takings, as a rule, enormous.

It may be interesting to some persons to know how an affair of this description is managed. The proprietors themselves are most industrious and indefatigable, and they have in their service, as acting manager, a very clever and experienced gentleman named Twigg, late lieutenant in one of Her Majesty’s regiments. Mr Twigg engages several persons, whose duty it is to make arrangements in advance for the numerous company and stud. They hire ground suitable for the purpose, and engage bill-posters, who placard the town with large and brilliantly-coloured pictorial representations of the performances, and distribute printed bills, containing the names of the performers, also giving a description of the procession, and the route it will take in parading the town. These are distributed in all the villages within a radius of fifteen miles. Lengthened advertisements are also inserted in all the local newspapers, and thus the public curiosity is excited, and it is no uncommon thing for a general holiday to be held upon the day of their grand procession through the town.

Previous to the company arriving, the tent-men, with the baggage-waggons, proceed to the field, erect the tent, make the ring, and prepare for the various performances,—fixing the hurdles, gates, etc. When the company arrives everything is prepared. The horses are stabled, groomed, and fed; the ‘Tableaux Carriages’ (as they are termed) are washed, and everything made ready for the grand parade, which usually starts from the tent about an hour and a half previous to the first performance. After the parade the show commences—the first one occupying about two hours. After this is over the performers dine and rest until the evening—the second performance commencing about seven, and terminating about ten o’clock.

Immediately after the last act, the whole of the company are advised at what hour they will be required to start in the morning for the next place; this, of course, depends in a great measure upon the length of the journey and the state of the roads; the usual time for starting is about five o’clock, and they travel at the rate of five or six miles an hour. The tent and baggage men leave earlier. Many of the principal members of the company have their own ‘living carriages,’ which are fitted up with every convenience, and a very jolly and healthy life the occupants lead. Two performances are invariably given each day, consisting of the usual equestrian and gymnastic feats, horse and pony racing, hurdle-leaping, and Roman chariot races.

The stud of the Brothers Sanger comprises upwards of 200 horses, the greater number of which are used for drawing their show-cars, conveying the performers and paraphernalia, etc. The trained animals used in their entertainments are very numerous, however, and they have also no fewer than 11 elephants. The company is, necessarily, a very numerous one, consisting of male and female performers, band, grooms, stable-helpers, tent-men, etc.; seldom less than 200 persons altogether. It would surprise most people to see how easily all the arrangements are carried out; when once started on its tour the whole affair moves on like clock-work. The advent of the circus in each town at the time announced may be regarded as an absolute certainty, so complete is the organization in every respect.

This immense establishment has grown to its present gigantic dimensions from very small beginnings, the Brothers Sanger being proud to acknowledge that they commenced their career at the lowest rung of the ladder.

In addition to his share in Astley’s Amphitheatre, Mr John Sanger is also proprietor of the ‘Hall by the Sea’ at Margate, which is managed by his son-in-law, Mr Reeves, and is highly popular as a place of recreation with the thousands of persons who visit that salubrious watering-place during the summer.

The fame of the Brothers Sanger having reached the United States, Mr P. T. Barnum, the world-renowned American showman, came to England in 1873 expressly to purchase from them the whole of the dresses and material used in the grand spectacle of ‘The Congress of Monarchs’ (produced by them, as before stated, at the Agricultural Hall), at a cost (as advertised) of £30,000. This has been an immense attraction in New York, and has added considerably to the fortunes of the ‘prince of showmen,’ as Barnum calls himself.

The Christmas entertainment of the present season has been, as everybody knows, a pantomime entitled—Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, and the Forty Thieves, and the Flying Horses of Lambeth—a strange and rather peculiar conglomeration of titles. It has been produced and placed on the stage regardless of cost, the scenic effects being very beautiful, the costumes magnificent and elaborate, and one scene, in which all the company appear, forming a brilliant combination of colour, certainly deserving of the highest praise, and reflecting the greatest credit upon all concerned.

The eleven elephants are here introduced, the ‘white’ one especially attracting much attention, and Mr George Sanger’s address previous to its introduction being not the least amusing part of the performance. These elephants play a very conspicuous part in the tableaux, and the general effect far surpasses anything of a similar description ever produced by the Brothers Sanger, who certainly deserve the fame and fortune which their industry and enterprise have acquired for them.

Until within the last few years it was supposed that the circus-loving portion of the metropolitan population was not numerous enough to support more than one equestrian establishment; but the contrary may now be regarded as proven, and, though it may still be doubted whether London would support as many circuses as the much less populous city of Paris, we trust to see the company and stud of Mr Hengler at his most comfortable cirque in Argyle Street, and those of the Brothers Sanger at Astley’s, for many years to come, and to be assured that with each recurring season the proprietors of both establishments are augmenting the fame and fortune which they have so deservedly won.