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A "circus" is a circular arena surrounded by tiers of seats in which public entertainments are held. In ancient Rome a circus was a large, usually oblong or oval, roofless enclosure, surrounded by tiers of seats rising one above another, usually for chariot races. Rome has the Circus Maximus. London has Piccadilly Circus.
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So here we have Arthur's Circus. Yes, it is the same Arthur who established the penal settlement that bears his name. The same Arthur who tried to erect a warming wall around the Botanical Gardens. Sir George Arthur, Governor of Van Dieman's Land from 1824 to 1836.
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This area in the suburb of Battery Point was purchased by Arthur in 1829 from the Reverend Robert Knopwood.
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When Arthur sold the land almost 20 years later, the auction advertisement described "delectable building sites in a neighbourhood that will inevitably become The Resort of the Beau Monde".
Politicians haven't changed much, have they?
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