George Wombwell and Travelling Menageries

There are several references to George Wombwell having premises in Commercial Road in London's East End. Indeed, Wombwell writes in his last will in testament being 'of Commercial Road'. It is not, however, known to have been documented exactly where Wombwell would have been based on that road.

The Commercial Road, started in 1803, runs from Whitechapel in the east and provided the main East/West thoroughfare from London to Tilbury.

There are various reports of animals including lions and tigers escaping from Wombwell's menagerie during its travels up and down the countryside of Britain. Some of these escapees went on to maim or even kill the local population before being captured and returned to their cages. At least this is what is reported many times over quite a long period. One such event, possibly during 1835, it is reported that Wombwell's menagerie was on the way to a fair when a lion and tigress escaped the keeper's clutches and went on an escapade that could only be compared with a scene from a Roman Gladiator movie. Under the headlines:

Fearful Accident Four Lives Lost is the following sub-line

''A Full and Particular Account of a most dreadful circumstance which happened on Tuesday the 18th February instant, in consequence of the escape, from Wombwell's Menagerie, of the celebrated Lion, Wallace, and a large Tigress, by which melancholy accident, Four Human Beings were destroyed!!!