It was voted the UK's Number One Venue in the hospitality industry's Top 20 UK Venues poll 2008. Since 1998, The Magic Circle building in central London near Euston Station in Camden has been available for meetings and corporate entertainment. ' Houdini's Cabinet' at The Magic Circle Museum, London
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Anyone breaking this or any other rule may be expelled. Members give their word not to wilfully disclose magic secrets other than to bona fide students of magic. The motto of the society is the Latin indocilis privata loqui, which roughly translated means "not apt to disclose secrets". In September 2021 she was elected as The Magic Circle's first female, and youngest ever, president, using her working name Megan Swann. In 2014, Megan Knowles-Bacon became the first female officer in The Magic Circle, as well as the youngest person to be elected as an officer she was elected as secretary. As of 2010 there were around eighty female members of The Magic Circle, including Paul Daniels' wife, Debbie McGee. The club was male-only until 1991, when more than 75% of members voted to admit women. The Magic Circular claims to be the longest-running regular magic magazine in conjuring history. ĭevant became the first president of The Magic Circle, and in 1906, Maskelyne edited the first issue of The Magic Circular magazine, a regular feature for members ever since. The first official meeting was at the Green Man public house in Soho, but meetings were later in a room at St George's Hall in Langham Place, where David Devant and John Nevil Maskelyne were regularly seen performing. However, it was finally agreed that the name "Magic Circle", which shares the same initials as those of Martin Chapender, would be more appropriate. At this founders meeting, chaired by Servais Le Roy, those present decided upon the name of the Society: it was initially felt that the name of the Society should be the Martin Chapender Club, in memory of the performer and founding member who had recently died at the age of 25.
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Today the headquarters can be found in the Braunstone Civic Centre, but still going strong.The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's Pinoli's Restaurant.
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When the war began in 1939, the Circle was forced to move again, eventually settling for a spell at the Bell Hotel and then the Grand Hotel. A final first for the Circle in 1936 was their charity performances at hospitals and other venues, an activity which continues to this very day. Inspired members produced another first, a big show for the public, at Leicester’s Little Theatre, the first of many, which were to showcase famous performers like Rex Reader, Billy Wilson and Cliff Townsend. Another move, and the Circle found itself in the Victory Hotel, celebrating with a July visit to the Great Levante’s show at the Opera House, with Circle officials presenting him with a special Leicester Magic Circle badge. 1935 saw the first Annual Dinner, well attended and a taste of things to come.ġ936 was a year of firsts, with the Midland Magical Society’s visit marking the first by another society, and with the Leicester Circle making their own first away trip to the Northampton Magician’s Club. Until 1999 this was held in Stanford Hall, Sir Julien’s home, where he had a fully equipped 352 seat theatre built so that he could perform whenever he wanted. Sir Julien’s name is still important to members, to this day the Circle holds a stage magic competition for the Sir Julien Cup. This meant new officials, a new location, the White Hart hotel, and a new President, Sir Julien Cahn. As the new chair, Cyril Gibbons realised that the reformed Circle could only survive if it ran itself on business principles.
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Eventually with growing numbers, they were forced to book a series of ever larger rooms to hold meetings, eventually finding themselves at the YMCA for some ten years.įor a short while waning interest forced the group to stop meetings but the opening of Wilf Hubbard’s Magic Shop in 1935 drew more newcomers, with meetings resuming in the King Richard pub.
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In 1924 some half dozen keen magicians began to meet every Saturday afternoon, with Will Sutton as an informal Chairman.
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The Leicester Magic Circle is one of the oldest magical societies in the world.