Parkour before parkour

Parkour has risen in popularity over the last decade or so but as many know it’s not really a new art form. Before the tun of the last century John Higgins was a professional jumper bringing breathtaking jumps to the masses. In this video Mr. Higgins (54 years old at the time) shows of some of his skills and inventive stunts.

You can read a full article about Mr Higgins entitled ‘The Champion Jumper of the World’ by Oswald North first published in The Strand Magazine and reprinted in Charlie Holland‘s book ‘ Strange Feats & Cleaver Turns‘.

There is also some information about Higgins here (including reports of him jumping over a car and even hourse and cab).