ELEPHANTS drew large crowds when they were paraded through our towns.
The ban on performing animals and strict health and safety laws would prevent such walkabouts today.
But in the 1950s and 1960s, circus owners lost no opportunity to drum up business and tell everyone that the Big Top had arrived.
The elephants would be unloaded from railway trucks at local goods yards and taken on a circuitous route to their destination to gain maximum publicity.
- SHADES OF GREY: Top, Sir Robert Fossett’s elephants at Banbury Cross in 1961. Below, Chipperfield’s elephants are led through Chipping Norton to their new winter quarters at Heythrop in 1958
Children and adults would follow the procession as it wound its way through the streets, and the pavements would be crammed with onlookers. Often, there would be a police escort.
These pictures from the Oxford Mail archives show elephants being paraded through Oxford, Banbury and Chipping Norton.
The pictures of the arrival of Billy Smart’s circus in Oxford in June 1963 perhaps produce the biggest surprises.
The one here, left, show the elephants being escorted through Queen Street, just yards from passing traffic and shoppers.
What’s more, untrained teenage girls are seen riding the elephants – without any form of headgear or body protection!
Fifteen elephants, including five babies, took part in the parade from the station through the city centre to Oxpens recreation ground, where the circus was based.
Girls had been invited earlier to apply to ride the five baby elephants – and the response had been overwhelming.
Peter Wheatley, Billy Smart’s public relations officer, said: “We had far more applicants than we expected, but we could only take girls who were over 15.”
Fortunately, and perhaps miraculously, none of the riders appears to have suffered any mishap.
The other pictures show elephants belonging to Sir Robert Fossett’s circus on parade around Banbury Cross in 1961, and animals owned by Chipperfield’s circus being led through Chipping Norton on their way to new winter quarters at Heythrop in 1958.
Chipperfields had bought a 10-acre site and buildings, formerly occupied by a timber company, to house 140 animals.
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