MEMBERS of the Stroud-based Giffords Circus have been set the delicate task of restoring the iconic wagons.

A team of skilled painters, carpenters and sign writers are using traditional coach painting techniques to refurbish the wagons.

The aim is to get the wagons in top shape before the national tour begins in May.

Owner of Giffords Circus, Nell Gifford believes the wagons are hugely important to the show.

"One of the things that makes Giffords Circus so beautiful are the sixteen 1930’s vintage style showman’s wagons that we have either restored or built from scratch,” she said.

“To us the exterior of the circus – the tent, the wagons and the landscape – is as much a part of the circus as the show.”

However, painting the wagons is a very delicate process and can easily go wrong.

“There are about nine processes involved in the painting alone,” said Louisa Birkin, head of the art department at Giffords Circus.

“All the wagons are sanded down, then primed before being hand painted with special enamel paint blended by Bailey’s Paints in Stroud to our Giffords burgundy shade and sign written by hand here at Fennells Farm.

“It’s a traditional process that isn’t often used in this day of spray-painting.”

The wagons are all being painted ready for the new tour, My Beautiful Circus, which opens in Stroud on May 4, 2018.

For more information and to buy tickets please visit www.giffordscircus.com.

List of tour dates

Friday 4 May – Monday 14 May

Fennells Farm, Stroud

Thursday 17 May – Monday 21 May

Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe

Thursday 25 May – Monday 4 June

Daylesford Organic Farm, Kingham

Thursday 7 June – Monday 11 June

Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

Thursday 14 June – Monday 25 June

Oxford University Parks, Oxford

Thursday 28 June – Monday 9 July

Chiswick House & Gardens, London

Thursday 12 July – Monday 16 July

Windsor Great Park, Berkshire

Thursday 19 July – Monday 23 July

Stonor Park, Henley on Thames

Thursday 26 July – Monday 6 August

Barrington, Burford

Thursday 9 August – Monday 13 August

Village Green, Frampton on Severn

Thursday 16 August – Tuesday 28 August

Minchinhampton Common, Gloucestershire

Thursday 31 August – Monday 10 September

Marlborough Common, Wiltshire

Thursday 13 September – Monday 24 September

Stratton Meadows, Cirencester

Thursday 27 September- Sunday 30 September

Fennells Farm, Stroud

To purchase tickets across the tour please visit:

www.giffordscircus.com