The day elephants marched down London Road

Elephants march along London Road, Derby, when the circus came to town in the early 1960s. This excellent photograph of a scene never likely to be witnessed again in Derby was taken by Joe Toone, of Little Steeping, Lincolnshire

This photograph was taken around 1962 on London Road, as a circus headed towards the town centre, in close proximity to Derbyshire Royal Infirmary and Florence Nightingale’s statue.

On this occasion, the elephants had disembarked from their special train at the West End Dock, adjacent to Platform One, at Derby’s Midland Station.

They moved off towards the Midland Hotel in a very orderly fashion, probably due to the trunk and tail connection and the occasional crack of the whip.

Passing the main entrance to the Midland Hotel, I noticed several departing guests had a rather surprised expression on their faces.

Just beyond the hotel, the procession turned left on to Midland Road and marched to its junction with London Road. Then it made a right turn and headed towards town.

At the roundabout beyond the DRI, a right turn was made again on to Bradshaw Way. The elephants processed down to the roundabout, known by most people as the Ice Factory Island before turning on to Siddals Road and then left to Bass’s Rec, where the circus pitched its tents for the next week.

The photo clearly shows, in the background, the long since demolished St Andrew’s Church, known as the Railwaymen’s Church. In the middle distance is a Derby Corporation trolleybus, probably operating on route 41 or 43.

Which circus was this? Do you know? Do you remember when elephants walked through the streets of Derby? Leave your comments or add your memories by going to the Discussion link at the top of the page.

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