BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)<br /> Pic: AmberleyBooks/BNPS<br /> <br /> Shakespeare Richard III performed at Astley's<br /> <br /> The extraordinary story of Britain's 'first showman' who swapped the battlefield for the circus ring is celebrated in a new book.<br /> <br /> Philip Astley served as a sergeant major in the British army in the mid 18th century, seeing action in the Seven Years War of 1756 to 1763.<br /> <br /> While in the military, he honed his horse riding skills, which would come in very handy for his second career.<br /> <br /> After his service ended, he became a celebrated 'trick rider', astounding audiences with his acrobatics - before founding the groundbreaking Astley Amphitheatre in Lambeth, south London, in 1773.
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