'When you see it performed in front of you, it is absolutely mind-blowing': Northern Magic Circle celebrates 70 years

The original magicians – hailing from Derbyshire through Yorkshire and up to County Durham and Northumberland – managed to secure the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland and grew the organisation into a flourishing society with around 200 members across the North and its own junior section.

Last month, the current members of the NMC held a special platinum lunch at the very location where the organisation was founded.

Current president Robert Moss, a former structural engineer and keen amateur magician based in Chesterfield, says the founding members had decided there was a gap for a regional society because at the time there were a combination of local clubs and national organisations but nothing in between.

“There were a couple of big organisations at the time – the Magic Circle in London and the International Brotherhood of Magicians, which is an international organisation, but they have what they call the British Ring, which is the British group of magicians.

“Then around the country there were lots of small clubs like the Sheffield Magicians and the York Society of Magicians, but they were small groups. A few of the members from each of those groups decided that there should be an organisation in the North that linked them up a bit.

“They met up at Scotch Corner, had a discussion on it, and decided it would be a very good idea, so they formed the Northern Magic Circle. Within a year they got 100 members, and it went from there.”

They settled on the motto ‘Amicitia Per Artem Magicae’, which translates as ‘Friendship Through The Art of Magic’. The NMC boasts Debbie McGee as an honorary vice-president, publishes a magazine called Northern Lights and holds several meet-ups a year, with its annual convention in Harrogate.

Moss, who recently took over as president from fellow member Alan Clarke, explains: “At that, there’s a dinner and cabaret, and then there are lectures. We’re teaching tricks; there’s stagecraft, lighting, and the history of magic. We exchange ideas and all get together. Also at the convention we have magic competitions with prizes.

“There’s also the president’s dinner. My dinner will be in October, and again, we’ve got a cabaret, and everybody will come for a social evening.”

Moss says the organisation certainly lives up to its motto.

“I’ve been interested in magic since I was a teenager really. A friend of mine mentioned there was a convention on in Harrogate, and so I decided I’d go and see what it was about. I had such a lovely time; the thing about the Northern Magic Circle is that the members are just so friendly, so helpful, so welcoming. You’re almost a family member the moment you walk through the door. That must have been about 15 years ago.

“I’m not a professional magician; I'm a bit of an amateur, and I do tricks for family and friends. But I don’t perform professionally; I’m more interested in the history and the artistry of it and just enjoying it.”

He says magic has had an enduring appeal throughout his life.

“I was interested in science, actually, and what you couldn’t explain with science suddenly became magic. I think it’s that wonder, even as an adult, when somebody shows you something that is just so unbelievable and it’s right there in front of you and you have no idea how they’ve done it.

“With people like Derren Brown, you really would believe he could read minds. It is just the entertainment value, the artistry, the manipulations people do to make cards and billiard balls appear out of nowhere.

“Magic has grown phenomenally since the days of producing cards and billiard balls, and there are obviously big international competitions where magicians meet.

“We try and get members who have performed in the World Championships, which are the Olympics of magic really, to come and perform for us.”

He believes there are many parallels between magic and his career in structural engineering.

“There are a lot of similarities, actually; I think one helps the other. As an engineer you are always looking to solve problems, and I think magicians solve problems. They think of an impossible act or event and say, ‘Right, how can I do that?’ ‘I’m going to have someone floating in the middle of the garden – now I need a solution’.”

Moss says magic has evolved greatly since the society was first founded.

“Back in the 1950s, you had big boxes and people jumping in and out of them, and dove acts, and rabbits out of hats. By the 1980s, you had Paul Daniels, who was our honorary vice president, doing TV magic and people like David Copperfield doing these fantastic illusions and really entertaining shows.

“Then you got people like Dynamo doing street magic, which made it much more personal, and Derren Brown doing amazing things with mind-reading and hypnosis.

“It has evolved so much. When it is someone being sawn in half or David Copperfield running an electric circular saw through himself. It almost looks like camera trickery, as it looks so unreal. But when you go to a theatre or convention and see it performed in front of you, it is absolutely mind-blowing.”

He says an increasing number of up-and-coming magicians are promoting themselves via YouTube. “It is getting people interested, and we are starting to see a resurgence of interest in magic again.”

Moss says that for him, the Northern Magic Circle stands out amongst other societies for its friendliness.

“I don’t mean other ones aren’t friendly, but everyone seems to know everybody. We’ve got 200 members, and most of them will come to the convention, dinners and other events.”

There have already been plenty of memorable moments during his ongoing year as president. “We had a call from a chap in Manchester who was doing up an old theatre and found an old scrapbook with Frank Baumforth’s name on it. He was one of the original seven magicians, and he looked us up on the website and got in touch. I was able to meet him and take this scrapbook back into ownership of the Northern Magic Circle.”

He says the organisation’s motto is still borne out to this day.

“We’re all different. There are professional magicians, and there are people like me who are just amateurs. There are people who just like doing card tricks, and there are people that love doing stage illusions.

"There are people that love the history of magic and arts like ventriloquism, or juggling, or mind reading – all these different things. Everybody gets together and has total respect for what everybody does. We’re always looking for new members, so if anybody’s interested, they can find us through our website.”

For more information, visit https://www.northernmagiccircle.org.uk/