Blondin At The Botanical Gardens - A Talk By JP Bean

It was the biggest event Sheffield had ever known.

When Blondin the tightrope walker - the first man to walk across Niagara Falls - came to Sheffield in 1861, more than 30,000 people paid to see him perform his stunts in the Botanical Gardens. Twice as many were locked out. Many attended expecting to see him fall to his death.

Blondin was a fearless showman, considered by many to be mad. He walked the tightrope blindfolded, in a sack, pushing a wheelbarrow, backwards and on stilts. He stood on his head, cooked an omelette halfway across and did somersaults. Gamblers tried to sabotage his act, royalty commanded special performances. The authorities would have liked to ban him but the public loved him. JP Bean tells this amazing story of danger and drama, controversy and comedy.