Moonlit Trains and Waterways

The circus travels in a number of ways. One is by a series of cars trailing large caravans cleverly concealed as dark painted trailers that house everything from scrolls of canvas that spread into tents, to flameless hoops and black glass platforms.

There is no car for the Ghost Grove or the Winter Forest.

For crossing the Atlantic from Europe to Canada and America, the circus takes a ship. It is a large ship, ebony decks and bright white sails, plenty of rooms aboard for the company and the paraphernalia that accompanies it.

The most popular way to travel is by train. The train is a moonlight grey that matches the smoke billowing from its engine. The windows are tinted where they appear, though there are also coal black curtains inside. Trains provide the most luxury for the circus folk, who bedeck their spaces with satin pillows and paper screens and lush carpets of many colours. They enjoy the warm lanterns and small chandeliers with teardrop or bubble shaped crystals swaying to and fro with the motion of the train. Often many of the circus members will leave their furniture on the train, unwilling to move it from transport to transport while the circus tours and their belongings are distributed between the vehicles. 

Art by Kirsty Mitchell

Text by Lucie MacAulay