Well of Death
Encyclopedia
The Wall of Death or motordrome is a carnival
sideshow
featuring a drum- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder, ranging from 20 to 36-feet in diameter, in which stunt motorcyclists (or automobile drivers) ride and carry out tricks.
amusement park (New York) in 1911. The following year portable tracks began to appear on traveling carnivals and in 1915, the first "silodromes" with perpendicular walls were seen. These motordromes with perfectly straight walls were soon dubbed the "Wall of Death." This carnival attraction became a staple in the US outdoor entertainment industry with the phenomenon reaching its zenith in the 1930s with more than 100 motordromes on traveling shows and in amusement parks. In 2004, six or seven of these motorcycle shows were still touring the US. The first known Wall of Death in the UK appeared in 1929 at Southend-on-Sea
and was operated by the Messham family.
The audience views from the top of the drum, looking down. The riders start at the bottom of the drum, in the center, and ascend an initial ramped section until they gain enough speed to drive horizontally to the floor, usually in a counter-clockwise direction (the physical explanation behind this act is found at Banked turn and The turning car.) This act is famous in the United Kingdom
, and often is seen at fairs. In the 2000s, there remain only a few tours of the wall of death; "The Wall of Death World Tour", created and run by the Fox family. This touring group uses the original American
Indian Motorcycles, which have been used since around the 1920s. For the most of the year, this group is based at Wilburton
but ride every year in the Great Dorset Steam Fair
. "Messhams Wall Of Death" is a Family run wall, with the fourth generation of the family now riding the wall. This group have several walls, and tour around the UK, Ireland and Europe with Carter's Steam Fair
. The Messhams have also ridden go-kart
s on their wall.
A similar act called the "Globe of Death
" has the riders looping inside a wire mesh sphere rather than a drum. This form of motorcycle entertainment had a separate and distinct evolution from carnival motordromes and derived from bicycle acts or "cycle whirls" in the early 1900s.
s (fairs) held across the country.
Apart from motorcycles, the act may also feature other vehicles such as cars. As of 2005, this act has been performed regularly in Adilabad
in India
using automobile
s instead of motorcycles.
The show involves a temporary cylindrical structure about 25 feet high and 30 feet in diameter (or sometimes even wider when cars are to be involved) assembled together by association of hardwood planks. The people who wish to see (audience) stand upon the platform build around the circumference of the structure and gaze down into the round hollow where motorcyclists or cars drive.
The vehicle remains in the orbit, because of the carefully-built perfect circlular structure. This leads to centrifugal forces, and the vehicle is able hold to its motion upon an almost vertical wall as easily and spontaneously as if it were on normal ground.
This is risky but accidents rarely happen so authorities have never been known to interfere. The only condition is that the moving body (bike or car) should not stop while it is on the "wall" of the so-called well for that will cut the centrifugal pressure and gravity will take its toll.
(2003), Spare a Copper
(1941), Roustabout (1964), Eat the Peach
(1986), There Is Another Sun
(1951; titled The Wall of Death in the US) and Scotland Yard: The Wall of Death (1956).
A short-length Greek documentary film on the practice in Greece, "Ο γύρος του θανάτου" ("The Spin of Death"), released in 2004, made the rounds of various film festivals in the country.
An earlier full-length feature Greek film of the same name, produced in 1983, features a protagonist who does the Wall of Death at the local carnival grounds; the film became a cult classic.
The song, "Wall of Death", by Richard and Linda Thompson
, can be found on their album Shoot Out the Lights
and is sometimes sung by Richard Thompson in his live performances. The song lyrics are about the singer's desire to "ride on the Wall of Death one more time," saying not to waste time on the other (carnival) rides, because the Wall of Death "is the nearest to being alive."
The Irish-American band Gaelic Storm
references the Wall of Death in their song "Cyclone McLusky" from the 2010 album Cabbage.
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
sideshow
Sideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
featuring a drum- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder, ranging from 20 to 36-feet in diameter, in which stunt motorcyclists (or automobile drivers) ride and carry out tricks.
Overview
Derived directly from US motorcycle boardtrack (motordrome) racing in the early 1900s, the very first carnival motordrome appeared at Coney IslandConey Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
amusement park (New York) in 1911. The following year portable tracks began to appear on traveling carnivals and in 1915, the first "silodromes" with perpendicular walls were seen. These motordromes with perfectly straight walls were soon dubbed the "Wall of Death." This carnival attraction became a staple in the US outdoor entertainment industry with the phenomenon reaching its zenith in the 1930s with more than 100 motordromes on traveling shows and in amusement parks. In 2004, six or seven of these motorcycle shows were still touring the US. The first known Wall of Death in the UK appeared in 1929 at Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
and was operated by the Messham family.
The audience views from the top of the drum, looking down. The riders start at the bottom of the drum, in the center, and ascend an initial ramped section until they gain enough speed to drive horizontally to the floor, usually in a counter-clockwise direction (the physical explanation behind this act is found at Banked turn and The turning car.) This act is famous in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and often is seen at fairs. In the 2000s, there remain only a few tours of the wall of death; "The Wall of Death World Tour", created and run by the Fox family. This touring group uses the original American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Indian Motorcycles, which have been used since around the 1920s. For the most of the year, this group is based at Wilburton
Wilburton
Wilburton is a small village of just over 1,000 inhabitants, situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is 6 miles south west of Ely.While nominally an agricultural village, many of the inhabitants work in Cambridge, Ely or London.-History:...
but ride every year in the Great Dorset Steam Fair
Great Dorset Steam Fair
The Great Dorset Steam Fair is an annual show featuring steam-powered vehicles and machinery. It now covers and runs for five days from the Wednesday after the UK August bank holiday...
. "Messhams Wall Of Death" is a Family run wall, with the fourth generation of the family now riding the wall. This group have several walls, and tour around the UK, Ireland and Europe with Carter's Steam Fair
Carter's Steam Fair
Carter's Royal Berkshire Steam Fair is a travelling fair based in south-east England. The fair is known for restoring old amusement rides and trucks, and has been featured on Antiques Roadshow. In addition, a limited edition Corgi die-cast toy model of some vehicles and rides has been produced...
. The Messhams have also ridden go-kart
Go-kart
thumb|A [[Kart racing|racing kart]] at the [[Commission Internationale de Karting|CIK-FIA]] European Championship 2008A go-kart is a small four-wheeled vehicle...
s on their wall.
A similar act called the "Globe of Death
Globe of death
The globe of death is a circus and carnival stunt where as many as seven performers ride motorcycles inside a mesh sphere simultaneously. It is similar to the wall of death, but in this act riders can loop vertically as well as horizontally. There have been three performance related deaths...
" has the riders looping inside a wire mesh sphere rather than a drum. This form of motorcycle entertainment had a separate and distinct evolution from carnival motordromes and derived from bicycle acts or "cycle whirls" in the early 1900s.
India
In India, the show is also known as the Well of Death and can be seen in the various melaMela
Mela is a Sanskrit word meaning 'gathering' or 'to meet' or a Fair. It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gathering and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sports. In rural traditions melas or village fairs were of great importance...
s (fairs) held across the country.
Apart from motorcycles, the act may also feature other vehicles such as cars. As of 2005, this act has been performed regularly in Adilabad
Adilabad
Adilabad , is a town and a municipality in Adilabad district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It has a population of 108,233 . It is the headquarters of the district of the same name.-History:...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
using automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s instead of motorcycles.
The show involves a temporary cylindrical structure about 25 feet high and 30 feet in diameter (or sometimes even wider when cars are to be involved) assembled together by association of hardwood planks. The people who wish to see (audience) stand upon the platform build around the circumference of the structure and gaze down into the round hollow where motorcyclists or cars drive.
The vehicle remains in the orbit, because of the carefully-built perfect circlular structure. This leads to centrifugal forces, and the vehicle is able hold to its motion upon an almost vertical wall as easily and spontaneously as if it were on normal ground.
This is risky but accidents rarely happen so authorities have never been known to interfere. The only condition is that the moving body (bike or car) should not stop while it is on the "wall" of the so-called well for that will cut the centrifugal pressure and gravity will take its toll.
In popular culture
Wall of Death performances have appeared in various films including My House in UmbriaMy House in Umbria
My House in Umbria is a 2003 HBO made-for-television movie, based on the novella of the same name by William Trevor and published along with another novella in the volume Two Lives. The film stars Maggie Smith and was directed by Richard Loncraine....
(2003), Spare a Copper
Spare a Copper
Spare a Copper is a 1940 British, black-and-white, musical comedy war film, directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Ronald Shiner, as the Piano Mover and Tuner, and George Formby. It was produced by Associated Talking Pictures...
(1941), Roustabout (1964), Eat the Peach
Eat the Peach
Eat the Peach is a 1986 British-Irish comedy film, directed by Peter Ormrod. The title derives from the T.S.Eliot poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. It was written by Peter Ormrod with John Kelleher...
(1986), There Is Another Sun
There Is Another Sun
There Is Another Sun is a 1951 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert.-Cast:* Maxwell Reed as Eddie 'Racer' Peskett* Laurence Harvey as Mag Maguire* Susan Shaw as Lillian* Leslie Dwyer as Mick Foley...
(1951; titled The Wall of Death in the US) and Scotland Yard: The Wall of Death (1956).
A short-length Greek documentary film on the practice in Greece, "Ο γύρος του θανάτου" ("The Spin of Death"), released in 2004, made the rounds of various film festivals in the country.
An earlier full-length feature Greek film of the same name, produced in 1983, features a protagonist who does the Wall of Death at the local carnival grounds; the film became a cult classic.
The song, "Wall of Death", by Richard and Linda Thompson
Linda Thompson (singer)
Linda Thompson is a British singer. Born Linda Pettifer in Hackney, Thompson became one of the most recognised names—and voices—in the British folk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, in collaboration with her former husband and fellow British folk rock musician, guitarist Richard...
, can be found on their album Shoot Out the Lights
Shoot Out the Lights
Shoot Out the Lights is the sixth and final album by British husband-and-wife folk rock duo Richard and Linda Thompson. It was produced by Joe Boyd and released in 1982 on his Hannibal label...
and is sometimes sung by Richard Thompson in his live performances. The song lyrics are about the singer's desire to "ride on the Wall of Death one more time," saying not to waste time on the other (carnival) rides, because the Wall of Death "is the nearest to being alive."
The Irish-American band Gaelic Storm
Gaelic Storm
Gaelic Storm is a Celtic band. Their music includes traditional Irish music, Scottish music, and original tunes in both the Celtic and Celtic rock genres...
references the Wall of Death in their song "Cyclone McLusky" from the 2010 album Cabbage.