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Billy Smart's Circus (c1946 - 2006)

 Organisation

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 Programme, 1967

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.221
Scope and Contents

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

Dates: 1967

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1967

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.222
Scope and Contents

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

Dates: 1967

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1968

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.226
Scope and Contents

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 Billy Smart, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p

Dates: 1968

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, c1900 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.229
Scope and Contents

Photocopy of 1946 programme and a front cover and a back cover of Smart circus programme.

Dates: c1900 - 1999

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1969

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 44: Series 178K44
Reference code: 178K44.56
Scope and Contents

Front cover: drawing of a mother elephant bathing her young child. Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisements, photographs of the acts with a brief description. Back cover: advertisement. 12 pages.

Dates: 1969

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1968

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 45: Series 178K44
Reference code: 178K44.74
Scope and Contents

Front cover: close up photo of a clown's face. Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisement, photos and information about the various acts, a tribute to Billy Smart, information about circus history. Back cover: cigarette advertisement. 12 pages.

Dates: 1968

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1968

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 45: Series 178K44
Reference code: 178K44.75
Scope and Contents

Front cover, an adult elephant washing a baby elephant, bubbles all over. Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisement, photos and information about the various acts, a tribute to Billy Smart, information about circus history. Back cover: cigarette advertisement. 12 pages.

Dates: 1968

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1969

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 45: Series 178K44
Reference code: 178K44.76
Scope and Contents

Front cover, a baby elephant wearing a small party hat looking happy. Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisements, information and photos of the acts. Back cover: cigarette advertisement. 12 pages.

Dates: 1969

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1970

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 45: Series 178K44
Reference code: 178K44.77
Scope and Contents

Front cover: a baby elephant wearing a small party hat looking happy. Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisements, information and photos of the acts. Back cover: cigarette advertisement. 12 pages.

Dates: 1970

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, c1900 - 2000

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 45: Series 178K44
Reference code: 178K44.80
Scope and Contents

Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisements, photos of the acts with a blurb, information on the regal mobile home of Mr and Mrs Billy Smart. 8 pages.

Dates: c1900 - 2000

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, 1994

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 47: Series 178K44; Series 178T42
Reference code: 178K44.154
Scope and Contents

Front cover features a large harlequinn clown opening Smart's circus tent allowing circus acts to spill out into the foreground including horses, dogs and clowns. Programme has insert in the middle that lists the performers in the show.

Dates: 1994

Billy Smarts Circus Programme, c2005

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 47: Series 178K44; Series 178T42
Reference code: 178K44.162
Scope and Contents

New World Circus presents Billy Smarts Circus. Front cover is blue with illustration of harlequin clown and two other performers. Inside features information and photographs of the acts.

Dates: c2005

Billy Smarts Circus Programme, c2005

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 47: Series 178K44; Series 178T42
Reference code: 178K44.163
Scope and Contents

New World Circus presents Billy Smarts Circus. Front cover is blue with illustration of harlequin clown and two other performers. Inside features information and photographs of the acts.

Dates: c2005

Billy Smart's Circus Programme, c2008

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 47: Series 178K44; Series 178T42
Reference code: 178K44.164
Scope and Contents

Tony Hopking for New World Circus presents Billy Smart's Circus. Front cover is blue and features photograph of a male aerial artist hanging with silks. Programme contains information and photographs of the acts.

Dates: c2008

Billy Smart's Circus Promotional Material, 1999

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 42: Series 178I24
Reference code: 178I24.20
Scope and Contents

Contains colour photographs of the performers and their names; timeline of Smart family circus; photographs of setting up the Big Top; black and white photographs of the Smart family; colour and black and white photographs of star guests. 8 pages.

Dates: 1999

Billy Smart's Circus Stationary, c1900 - 2000

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 54: Series 178Z46
Reference code: 178Z46.21
Scope and Contents

Includes folders, envelopes and letter headed paper.

Dates: c1900 - 2000

Billy Smart's Circus The Quality Show Handbill, 15 October - 7 November 1993

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 47: Series 178K44; Series 178T42
Reference code: 178T42.9
Scope and Contents

Front side: title, drawing of a clown face, dates, location, booking information, blue background. Back side: blank. 1 page.

Dates: 15 October - 7 November 1993

Billy Smart's Circus This is My Life Poster, c1946 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.134
Scope and Contents

Colour illustration of Billy Smart in cowboy hat holding a cigar on his right hand, wearing his signature white shirt and stripey brown waistcoat. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.

Dates: c1946 - 1999

Billy Smart's Circus Watercolour by Laurence Burn, 1955

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 50: Series 178G41; Series 178V12
Reference code: 178V12.45
Scope and Contents

External view of Billy Smart’s Circus showing the ticket office, some transport and accommodation and a large circus tent on the background.

Dates: 1955

Billy Smart's Clapham Common Rehearsal Schedule, 1997

 File — Box Smart Family Collection Box 12: Series 178H21
Reference code: 178H21.79
Scope and Contents From the Series:

Business records related to the Smart family and Smart circus.

Dates: 1997