This article is an overview of the Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum’s exhibition The Amazing Chang: The magic of Whittington-Wickes (17 October 2009 – 10 January 2010).
Roy Davenport
Davenports owned the magazine Abracadabra at this point. This Abracadabra poster was used by Bill and Roy Davenport to advertise their show at the 1985 Edinburgh Fringe.
The bill includes Roy Davenport.
This was a 50th anniversary year show of Club des Magiciens de Bruxelles. The bill includes Roy Davenport.
This show was put on by the British Ring of the I.B.M. during their convention in Great Yarmouth in 2012. The bill included Roy Davenport.
This show was arranged by Roy Davenport who also appeared on the bill.
This show was part of the Davenport family’s celebration of 100 years in magic. The bill included Roy Davenport.
This show was part of the Davenport family’s celebration of 100 years in magic. The bill included Roy Davenport.
This was once on display in Davenport’s retail shop. The demon on the unicycle rides up and down on the wire, as a result of one end of the wire slowly moving up and down driven by an electric motor. It was renovated by engineer and magician Tony Middleton of Cambridge with help from John Davenport in 2014/2015. Tony Middleton is on the right of the photograph and Roy Davenport on the left.
This automaton in the Davenport Collection was in very poor condition and Tony Middleton repaired it in 2016. The automaton does not, and according to Betty Davenport never did, make a laughing noise. Nevertheless, when switched on, the sailor rocks from side to side as though something very funny has got to him. Davenports used to hire out this sailor to TV and theatre companies. In the photograph Roy Davenport is on the left and Tony Middleton on the right.
When a penny is placed in the slot, the rope rises up in the air and a small boy climbs up the rope, before vanishing at the top. It operates on the principle of Pepper’s Ghost. This machine, part of the Davenport Collection, was in extremely poor condition. It was renovated by engineer and magician Tony Middleton of Cambridge, with help from John Davenport and other friends in 2015. The body of the cabinet has a label saying Samson Novelty Co Ltd, London. They were manufacturers of coin operated machines. Tony Middleton is on the right of the photograph and Roy Davenport on the left.
Binkie has been in the Davenport family, probably since the 1930s or 1940s. Binkie lived at Ivydene, Lewis and Wynne Davenport’s family home. The photograph shows him sitting on the piano (which came from Maskelyne’s) at Ivydene in 1971 when Wynne Davenport was playing the piano for a young Roy Davenport in the drawing room. Binkie’s arms and legs are jointed and, in his youth, he used to growl. As a young child John Davenport was frightened of him – he was too loud and scary!