 Astley's Amphitheatre in London circa 1808. | |
 | |
| Former names | Astley's Royal Amphitheatre |
|---|---|
| Location | London, England |
| Coordinates | 51°30′1″N 0°7′6″W / 51.50028°N 0.11833°W |
| Type | Amphitheatre |
| Opened | 1773 |
Astley's Amphitheatre was a performance venue in London opened by Philip Astley in 1773, considered the first modern circus ring.[1] It was burned and rebuilt several times, and went through many owners and managers. Despite no trace of the theatre remaining today, a memorial plaque was unveiled in 1951 at its site at 225 Westminster Bridge Road.[2] That wooden plaque, attached to a wall on the Thames Embankment, has long since disappeared. On 14 September 2018, on the initiative of Martin 'Zippo' Burton of Zippo's Circus, a commemorative 'paver' or flagstone was inaugurated in the garden of St Thomas's Hospital, a reminder that Astley's once stood on that spot.
- ^ "Philip Astley | British circus manager". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ^ "Theatre Database / Theatre Architecture - database, projects". www.theatre-architecture.eu. Retrieved 21 October 2019.