Billy Smart's Circus (c1946 - 2006)
Biography
Billly Smart's Circus was established by William 'Billy' Smart (1894-1966). Billy came from a fairground family from London with an interest in horses and circuses. In 1946 Billy came across Cody's Circus and bought the big top.
Billy Smart's New World Circus made its debut at Southall Park, Middlesex, on 5 April 1946, for the first full season after the end of the war. Initially, Billy run his circus in conjunction with his fun fair, which was being run by his children, but by 1952 the fun fair, which was overshadowed by the circus, disappeared. The success of the circus side of the business however continued to increase and in 1955, Billy Smart's Circus grew from its two-pole tentto a 6,000 seat, four-pole round big top with a hippodrome track around the ring, and a vast entrance tent, thus enabling the staging of spectacular parades, which became a Billy Smart's Circus trademark.
Billy's greatest innovation, however, was his relationship with the newly established television networks when he agreed to broadcast his circus live on the BBC in 1947. Over the years, Billy Smart's Christmas Spectacular became a BBC holiday tradition, which ITV took over in 1979 and carried on until 1982. The BBC's first-ever colour broadcast was a 'Tribute to Billy Smart', while Royal Performances took place in London, raising thousands of pounds for charity.
A large part of the success of the circus was the showmanship that Billy brought to the operation of the circus, the large family he could draw upon to run the shows and his ability as a showman to market and capture opportunities to advertise. Whilst other circus proprietors were threatened by the rise in popularity of television and shunned the cameras, Billy Smart embraced them. Smart's Circus grew to be one of the largest in the world, touring every part of the British Isles, and with permanent quarters and an associated zoo at Winkfield, Berkshire, not far from where Smart began his fairground career. His success took the circus through twenty-six tenting tours, winter seasons, frequent TV appearances and the provision of animal acts to other circuses.
Billy died in his caravan on 25 September 1966 and the circus passed onto his sons Ronnie, David and Billy Jr. who continued travelling Billy Smart's New World Circus until around 1971.
In the 1990s Ronnie and his sons Gary and Lord revived the Smart Circus and started to tour a smaller scale version of the original circus. However, the Smart Circus was never the same after the dead of Billy and soon after, the Smart name was rented out to other circus operators until it stopped operating in the early 2000s.
Found in 1058 Collections and/or Records:
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Porstmouth, Southsea Common, Friday 1 - Sunday 17 May. Colour illustration of harlequin on a multicolour background with circles and lines.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Clapham Common, South Side, Friday 17 October - Sunday 9 November. Colour illustration of harlequin on a multicolour background with circles and lines.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Portsmouth, Southsea Common, Friday 1 - Sunday 17 May. Yellow and red combination colour type on title on blue background and black, read and white type on white and red backgrounds in centre.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Richmond, Old Deer Park, from Friday 15 October. Colour illustration of large clown's head and hands opening the entrance to the big top and circus performers, horses and poodles coming out of it on a blue background and yellow and red combination type on title.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Gosport, Walpole Park, Tuesday 8 - Monday 14 August. Colour photograph of clown's torso on a starry blue background and Billy Smart's portait on top left in a circle.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1998
Richmond, Old Deer Park, Friday 25 September - Sunday 11 October. Colour illustration of harlequin on a multicolour background with circles and lines, multicolour type for title and black type on white background on bottom section.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster [MISSING], c1900 - 2019
Framed. Image of Billy Smart.
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1962 - 1963
Colour illustration of a white face and a red nose clown on profile looking at each other from each edge of the page and pink and blue stripey background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p.
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1963
Colour illustration of a white face and a red nose clown on profile looking at each other from each edge of the page and pink and blue stripey background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, page featuring royal visit, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p.
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1968
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a stripey blue and yellow apron bathing a baby elephant, which is holding an umbrella, bubbles and blue background on front cover, inside introduction, article on the late Billy Smart, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p.
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1969
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a stripey blue and yellow apron bathing a baby elephant, which is holding an umbrella, bubbles and blue background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1969
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a stripey blue and yellow apron bathing a baby elephant, which is holding an umbrella, bubbles and blue background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1968
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a stripey blue and yellow apron bathing a baby elephant, which is holding an umbrella, bubbles and blue background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1968
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a stripey blue and yellow apron bathing a baby elephant, which is holding an umbrella, bubbles and blue background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1968
Colour illustration of elephant wearing a stripey blue and yellow apron bathing a baby elephant, which is holding an umbrella, bubbles and blue background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1950
colour illustration of white face clown's head shouting and pointing on a pink and yellow background on the front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers and text, programme in the centre, 6p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1969
Colour illustration of baby elephant wearing a pointy hat and a tutu, standing on its hinds with its back to the viewer and the head turned on a marron background with white stars, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1970
Colour illustration of baby elephant wearing a pointy hat and a tutu, standing on its hinds with its back to the viewer and the head turned on a marron background with white stars, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1970
Colour illustration of baby elephant wearing a pointy hat and a tutu, standing on its hinds with its back to the viewer and the head turned on a marron background with white stars, inside introduction, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, also inside one loose ticket, 14p.p
Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1966
Colour photograph of clown's face with red nose and black hat on the front cover, inside introduction, report on royal visit, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p