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:
Business Records Concerning Animal Cruelty, 1965 - 1974
Includes leaflets from the Association of Circus Proprietors of Great Britain, and R.S.P.C.A; House of Lords official reports regarding Performing Animals Bill.
Business Records Concerning Artist Running Orders, 1996 - 1998
Includes hand written and typescript notes on the artists running order, single page flyers/programmes for the show, dates and times of shows, and correspondence.
Business Records Concerning Customs and Excise, 28 June 1973
Correspondence about the Customs and Excise Act 1952, two copies of the Customs and Excise Act 1952.
Business Records Concerning Press Releases, c1900 - 2000
Various press releases for the Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Concerning Southsea Marineland, c1900 - 2000
Includes press releases; information about the project; two folders that are drafts for a Southsea Marineland programme.
Business Records Concerning Televised Christmas Performances, 1971 - 1979
Includes typed correspondence regarding the circus tent, Christmas Eve TV schedule, sales distribution and tax rates for Christmas shows.
Business Records Concerning the 1998 Season, 1998
Includes typescript correspondence regarding working visas/permits and other immigration matters, photocopies of contracts, typescript correspondence with the Billy F. Arata Agency regarding the 1998 season.
Business Records Concerning the 1998 Season, 1998
Includes hand written notes, correspondence regarding the 1998 circus season, a few colour print outs for acts and adverts.
Business Records Concerning the Airey Neave Charity Show, 1980 - 1982
Includes typed and hand written correspondence, press releases, newspaper clippings, a newspaper, programmes, and the First Airey Neave Memorial Lecture given by PM Margaret Thatcher.
Business Records Concerning the Big Top Show in Bristol and Blackheath, 1996
Includes show leaflets, pricing information, times of shows, programme/leaflet coloured designs.
Business Records Concerning the Richmond Show, 1993 - 1995
Includes hand written notes, typescript notes about circus performance times and orders, programme details, running order details.
Business Records Concerning Theme Parks, Amusement parks and Attractions, 1959 - 1970
Includes books, posters, leaflets, and newspapers.
Business Records Concerning Towns and Tour Routes, 1998 - 1999
Includes photocopies and hand written notes of the towns and tour routes for the 1998-1999 circus season.
Business Records Concerning Various Business Items, 1968 - 1986
Includes leaflets; newspaper clipping; business cards and special invitation cards; travel plans; circus programmes/poster list; circus poster plans; seating information and lay out.
Business Records Concerning Various Business Items, 1945 - 1991
Includes photocopy of Kay Smart's first contract with Billy Smart's first season, letter from David Smart to D. Chipperfield Senior regarding a group of lions and spotted horses.
Business Records Concerning Various Smart Business Enterprises, c1980 - 1989
Includes photographs, correspondence, ring staff rules and other employment papers, First Leisure annual report, a folder of records relating to the Circus Proprietors of Great Britain, folder of Noel Gay Artist Limited material including photographs of performers and invoices, documents relating to the sale of the Rainbow caravan, fire safety tests, sale of Smart circus equipment, Windsor Safari Park transparencies for leaflet design.
Business Records Concerning Vehicles, 1993 - 2004
Includes originals and photocopies of Goods Vehicle Test certificates; Vehicle Inspectorate documents; Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency correspondence; Vehicle Registration Documents V5; Vehicle Licence Application.
Business Records Concerning VSO Big Tops and Ghost Town, 1962 - 1998
Two magazines about the Voilerie du Sud-Ouest (VSO) Big Top circus tents, mailed brochure from Ghost Town Album.
Business Records from Anceschi Carlo & C S.N.C and King Pole, 1992 - 1998
Includes plans, photographs, faxes, letters, receipts and statements of account.
Business Records from Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show, 1996 - 1998
Includes artists’ salaries and timings.