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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 New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1900 - 2019

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 51: Series 178H21; Series 178M17; Series 178R7
Reference code: 178R7.30
Scope and Contents St George's Stables, Winkfield, Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 June. Named acts include: The Flying Algevols, trapeze act; Charivari, clown; The Miers, equestrian act; Billy Smart's bears from Siberia; The Scotts, equestrian act, Cowboy Billy and his pony; The Rays, acrobatic act; Sam Linfield & Co, comedy act; David & Goliath, equestrian act; Whimsical Walker & Co, comedy act; Billy Smart's Liberty horses; The Lancings, balancing act; The Vinickies, equestrian act; African lions...
Dates: c1900 - 2019

Billy Smart's new World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 24 - 29 May 1954

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.81
Scope and Contents

Edinburgh, Murray Fields. Colour illustration of acts grouped around the poster with highland cattle, a white face clown's face and an elephant behind a wheel of death on the top section, horses, chimpanzees and cebras on the centre and lions, clown faces, polar bears and an elephant in a police hat riding a motorcycle on the bottom section. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.

Dates: 24 - 29 May 1954

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 16 November - 5 December 1953

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.82
Scope and Contents Birmingham, Greyhound stadium car park. 10 baby elephants, The Rhors balancing act, 6 Palominos horses, Highland bulls, The Puhlmanns jet plane acrobatics, The Davron Himalayan bears, baby zebras, chimpanzees, The Gutis comedy act, The Minivers motor cycle aerial act, The Highwayman and his black steeds, bareback riders, 10 lions, 9 Moroccan tumblers. Yellow, red, white green and black type on blue, white, red, green and yellow background, in the centre black and white illustration of...
Dates: 16 November - 5 December 1953

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 16 November - 5 December 1953

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.91
Scope and Contents

Birmigham, Greyhound Stadium car park. Colour illustration of chimpanzees sat around a table drinking tea and eating cake, wearing bibs with their names on. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.

Dates: 16 November - 5 December 1953

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 24 - 29 May 1954

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.105
Scope and Contents

Edinburgh, Murray Fields. Colour illustration of polar bears on steps above brown bears and animal trainer on the right hand side. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.

Dates: 24 - 29 May 1954

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 16 November - 5 December 1953

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.108
Scope and Contents

Birmingham, Greyhound stadium car park. Colour illustration of elephant wearing a police hat and riding a motorbyke on a stripey blue and green background with yellow circles containing text around them.

Dates: 16 November - 5 December 1953

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 16 - 18 July 1953

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.111
Scope and Contents Leaming Spa, Victoria Park. Joan baby elephant riding a tricycle, The Rhors balancing act, Billy Smart Junior presents The Highway Man and eight black steeds, The Minivers motor cycle aerial act, 10 baby elephants, bareback riders, Highland bulls, chimpanzee family, The Puhlmanns, Davron, Himalayan bears, 9 Moroccan tumblers, Baby zebras, 6 Palominos horses, The Gutis comedy act, 10 lions presented by Nicolai. Mainly black and white type on blue, red, yellow and green blocks of colour...
Dates: 16 - 18 July 1953

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 30 March - 11 April 1951

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.112
Scope and Contents

Nottingham Goose Fair site. The Sensational Puhlmanns aeroplane aerialist, over 150 animals. Colour illustration of acrobatic aerial act showing a woman hanging by the feet and a man hunging by the mouth from an aeroplane. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.

Dates: 30 March - 11 April 1951

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 24 - 29 May 1954

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.114
Scope and Contents

Edinburgh, Murray Fields. Colour illustration of chimpanzees in stripey clothes on bycicle and swinging bar on top section and elephant parade on bottom section on a green a yellow background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.

Dates: 24 - 29 May 1954

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1946 - 1999

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.126
Scope and Contents

Edinburgh, Murray Fields, 24-29 May. See our 10 famous baby elephants walk from the station to the circus ground. Red and blue type on white background with blue border.

Dates: c1946 - 1999

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 16 November - 5 December 1953

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.129
Scope and Contents

Birmingham, Greyhound Stadium, car park. Red and blue type on white background with red border. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd, Nesfield Printing Works, Bradford.

Dates: 16 November - 5 December 1953

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Programme, 1956

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.173
Scope and Contents

Colour illustration of laughing clown's face on a blue background and type on bottom section on a yellow background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of patrons, owners, performers and acts with text and programme in the centre, 12p.p.

Dates: 1956

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Programme, 1955

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.175
Scope and Contents

Colour illustration of man in blue jacket riding a white horse out of a grey square and holding a gun up in the air, also a clown and a man in a coat inside the box, green and blue type on red and yellow background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of patrons, owners, performers and acts with text and programme in the centre, also commercial advertising on last page, 11p.p.

Dates: 1955

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Programme, c1954

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.176
Scope and Contents

Colour illustration of elephant riding a tricycle wearing a police hat on a green a blue stripey background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of patrons, owners, performers and acts with text and programme in the centre, also commercial advertising on last page, 12p.p.

Dates: c1954

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Programme, c1954

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.177
Scope and Contents

Colour illustration of elephant riding a tricycle wearing a police hat on a green a blue stripey background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of patrons, owners, performers and acts with text and programme in the centre, also commercial advertising on last page, 12p.p.

Dates: c1954

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Programme, 1954

 Item
Reference code: 178K43.178
Scope and Contents

Colour illustration of elephant riding a tricycle wearing a police hat on a green a blue stripey background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of patrons, owners, performers and acts with text and programme in the centre, also commercial advertising on last page, contains two sets of covers, 14p.p.

Dates: 1954

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Programme, 1952

 Item — Box Smart Family Collection Box 45: Series 178K44
Reference code: 178K44.71
Scope and Contents Front cover: photo of a circus clown sitting on a chair with a little girl standing behind him looking over his left shoulder, the curtain is drawn back a little and it reveals four men on horseback in the circus ring. Inside: programme in the centre, photos of behind the scenes of the circus, review blurbs of the circus, information about the Native American performers, photos of the flying elephants, photos of the acts with a blurb. Back cover: advertisement for Wall's ice cream. 8...
Dates: 1952

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 1955

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.65
Scope and Contents

Tagora the human volcano, over 200 animals. Colour illustration of bare chested man wearing a turbant, spitting fire on the bottom right and his face on centre left on a blue, red and orange background, also yellow and red and white, black and yellow type. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.

Dates: 1955

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 3 - 8 September 1956

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.72
Scope and Contents

Preston, Queens Road site. Great Western spectacle featuring Davy Crockett. Colour illustration of wild west act in circus ring with man in traditional costume holding a riffle stood on the left hand side.

Dates: 3 - 8 September 1956

Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 3 - 4 June 1955

 Item
Reference code: 178R47.79
Scope and Contents

Cheltenham, Sandford Park. Colour illustration of wild animals running on grass including elephants, lions, bears, polar bears, camels, llamas and cebras in a circle on the centre of the poster. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.

Dates: 3 - 4 June 1955