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Website produced and maintained for the Hungerford Historical Association by Hugh Pihlens.

Getting the most from Search...

The Search box is at the top-left (or top-right) corner of all pages.

Use it to find topics of your choice, wherever they occur in the Virtual Museum. You may search for names, places, dates - anything!

In addition to single words, this search now recognises phrases (in quotes), which can refine the matches found. Searching "6 High Street" in quotes finds only entries mentioning that address, whilst 6 High Street without quotes finds around 200 entries!

Entering this and that into the search form will return results containing both "this" and "that".

Entering this not that into the search form will return results containing "this" and not "that".

Entering this or that into the search form will return results containing either "this" or "that".

Entering "this and that" (with quotes) into the search form will return results containing the exact phrase "this and that".

Please note that many family names have a variety of spellings, such as Wodham and Woodham, Pearse and Pearce, Clisdel, Clisdale and Clidsdall.

Consider alternative spellings for everything! If you are looking for trades, note that you may find "plumber" often spelt "plummer", or "maltster" spelt "malster" in 18th century documents.

The search is very powerful, but because the Virtual Museum is so large, it can take a few seconds to display results.

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Sonya Allen with the Chimpanzees. She also worked with large snakes!
Lady of Lions

Sonya Allen with the Chimpanzees. She also worked with large snakes!

Detail
Sonya Allen with the Chimpanzees. She also worked with large snakes!
Tommy Allen's Show "Lady of Lions" at St Giles' Fair, Oxford, c1945. Sonya Allen used to swing out over the crowd on the trapeze.
Lady of Lions

Tommy Allen's Show "Lady of Lions" at St Giles' Fair, Oxford, c1945. Sonya Allen used to swing out over the crowd on the trapeze.

Detail
Tommy Allen's Show "Lady of Lions" at St Giles' Fair, Oxford, c1945. Sonya Allen used to swing out over the crowd on the trapeze.
Sonya Allen "The Lady of Lions"
Lady of Lions

Sonya Allen "The Lady of Lions"

Detail
Sonya Allen "The Lady of Lions"
Sonya Allen "The Lady of Lions"
Lady of Lions

Sonya Allen "The Lady of Lions"

Detail
Sonya Allen "The Lady of Lions"
Herbert and Annie Richards, Bertha Richards' parents aged 75 and 73 respectively, taken in their garden in Alveley, on the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary in 1953 (kindly sent by Ed Richards, Mar 2018)
Herbert and Annie Richards

Herbert and Annie Richards, Bertha Richards' parents aged 75 and 73 respectively, taken in their garden in Alveley, on the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary in 1953 (kindly sent by Ed Richards, Mar 2018)

Detail
Herbert and Annie Richards, Bertha Richards' parents aged 75 and 73 respectively, taken in their garden in Alveley, on the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary in 1953 (kindly sent by Ed Richards, Mar 2018)
he Thatched Cottage (possibly also known as "Lady of Lions Cottage"). L-R: Berta Richards (aka Sonya Allen), Annie Richards (Bertha's mother), Fred Weaver and his wife Gladys (Bertha's sister), on a visit to the thatched cottage) (kindly sent by Ed Richards, Mar 2018).
Lady of Lions Cottage

he Thatched Cottage (possibly also known as "Lady of Lions Cottage"). L-R: Berta Richards (aka Sonya Allen), Annie Richards (Bertha's mother), Fred Weaver and his wife Gladys (Bertha's sister), on a visit to the thatched cottage) (kindly sent by Ed Richards, Mar 2018).

Detail
he Thatched Cottage (possibly also known as "Lady of Lions Cottage"). L-R: Berta Richards (aka Sonya Allen), Annie Richards (Bertha's mother), Fred Weaver and his wife Gladys (Bertha's sister), on a visit to the thatched cottage) (kindly sent by Ed Richards, Mar 2018).
Press report in The Star, 1947 about Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
19470116 Daily Star Lady of Lions

Press report in The Star, 1947 about Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Press report in The Star, 1947 about Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Bertha (Sonya) Allen

Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Sonya Allen with a lion (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Bertha Allen, Lady of Lions with lions

Sonya Allen with a lion (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Sonya Allen with a lion (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Bertha (Sonya) Allen, with lions Ranee, Delia & Muzie (and Victor Allen) (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Bertha Allen, Lady of the Lions, with Ranee, Delia & Muzie 2 (& Victor Allen)

Bertha (Sonya) Allen, with lions Ranee, Delia & Muzie (and Victor Allen) (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Bertha (Sonya) Allen, with lions Ranee, Delia & Muzie (and Victor Allen) (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Betty Allen on Trapeze
Detail
Performing Animals Regulations Act (1938) Certificate for Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Certificate for Bertha Allen 1938, Lady of the Lions

Performing Animals Regulations Act (1938) Certificate for Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Performing Animals Regulations Act (1938) Certificate for Bertha (Sonya) Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Performing Animals Regulations Act (1925) Certificate for Thomas Allen, ?1955 (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Certificate for Thomas Allen

Performing Animals Regulations Act (1925) Certificate for Thomas Allen, ?1955 (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Performing Animals Regulations Act (1925) Certificate for Thomas Allen, ?1955 (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Cottage, Hungerford, Thomas Victor Allen, (b. 1892)
Detail
IMG_0001
Detail
The Lady of the Lions Circus, with Betty (Victor and Berta's daughter) on the trapeze (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Lady of the Lions Circus, Thomas Victor Allen left foreground

The Lady of the Lions Circus, with Betty (Victor and Berta's daughter) on the trapeze (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
The Lady of the Lions Circus, with Betty (Victor and Berta's daughter) on the trapeze (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Thomas and Betty Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Thomas and Betty Allen

Thomas and Betty Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Thomas and Betty Allen (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Thomas Victor Allen's Circus troupe on stage (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Thomas Victor Allen's Circus

Thomas Victor Allen's Circus troupe on stage (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Thomas Victor Allen's Circus troupe on stage (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Thomas Victor Allen, born 1892 (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Thomas Victor Allen, b. 1892

Thomas Victor Allen, born 1892 (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Thomas Victor Allen, born 1892 (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Victor as a child with his sister Ivy (?performing as Robert Stewart and Kathleen Susannah Bulmore Wedding) (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
Thomas Victor Allen and sister

Victor as a child with his sister Ivy (?performing as Robert Stewart and Kathleen Susannah Bulmore Wedding) (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)

Detail
Victor as a child with his sister Ivy (?performing as Robert Stewart and Kathleen Susannah Bulmore Wedding) (kindly sent by Diane Stewart, May 2022)
 
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The Canal Wharf, Apr 2011The Canal Wharf, 2011

Hungerford, England, is a market town of about 5,900 people at the Berkshire / Wiltshire border.
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