An elephant's tale

This photo of one of the display cases in the Museum tells a tragic tale. On my first day at work in the Museum, back in February 2003, I arrived to find an unusual object on my desk. It was a hollowed out elephant's foot, recently donated to the collection. I knew the story of the Bakewell elephant, but I hadn't expected to get so close to its remains. The museum also has one of its teeth, which can also be seen in the display case. Elephant teeth continue to grow, like rabbits' teeth, and are constantly worn down by feeding. I was told that the museum had also been offered a knife that was used to cut off pieces of the poor elephant's hide for souvenirs. Good taste prevailed and this donation was declined! The local story has a twist. This is said to be the only five footed elephant in existence, as those were the number of feet claimed to have come from this unlucky creature. I have also seen an old family photo of one of its tusks, found on the local tip where its body was buried. Newspaper articles of the time and information from the National Fairground Archive (based at Sheffield University) tell a confused story. Travelling circuses were a feature of the 20th century, and Sangers Circus visited Bakewell annually. In 1905 the circus came to town. Their star elephant was a bull, confusingly known as Old Paul or Phylis. Elephants are incredible creatures,intelligent and thoughtful. One version of events describes the bull elephant as being 'in must' and therefore difficult to handle, desperate for a female of the species. Another version describes how the elephant would take sweets from the audience. A cruel person put a carpet tack in a toffee and as the elephant picked it up with his sensitive trunk, he was maddened by the pain. One version has him breaking out of the circus tent and rampaging down Haddon Road towards Pickory Corner and the turning to Youlgreave. Another has him injuring the ringmaster (confirmed by a family eye witness account) and being too dangerous to handle. Local soldiers were on manoeuvres nearby and were called in to help.The elephant was shot dead. But this isn't the end of the story. His body was left on the recreation ground whilst arrangements were made to dispose of it. On the Sunday morning children in their Sunday best climbed on him, including their dog, and had their photograph taken. You can see it in the museum display. A local family story describes how the elephant appeared to come to life. As the climbing children pressed on his stomach full of gases he trumpeted! The timber wagon from the local wood yard had to be brought in to move the body to the local tip. The body was hung in chains from the feet, an ignominious end for a magnificent creature. Again you can see the photo in the museum. A hundred years later the tip where he was buried was prepared for redevelopment, and I was told that his skeleton had broken up and moved down through the culvert at one end of the site. What will archaeologists of the future make of this exotic find ? I worked for an organisation based in the new offices there. We had to create a new address and as it was a nature conservation organisation some of us voted for ' Elephant's Graveyard' in honour of Old Paul.It wasn't taken up. This elephant's story is however celebrated in the museum. If you visit the co-op supermarket in Bakewell, take a minute to look up at the tiled picture on the clock tower at its main entrance. There among the animal market scenes depicted, commemorating the sheep and cattle that used to be sold there, you will see an elephant in a pen. Spare a thought for Old Paul.