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 Relating to Leif Hansen Artist Agency, 1997 - 1998
Includes work permits, contracts and correspondence between Smart's Circus and Leif Hansen Artist Agency regarding the acts the Argentinian Devils and Kim Kenneth for the 1997 season of Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Leonids Buko, 1996 - 1997
Includes correspondence with Leonids Buko regarding the acts Volkovi and the Vodianiks performing at Billy Smart's Circus in the 1997 season.
Business Records Relating to Les Fernandos Clowns, 1993 - 1998
Includes a contract and correspondence between Les Fernandos Clowns and Gary Smart for the 1993, 1997 and 1998 tours of Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Lioubov Gorbatcheva, 1997 - 1998
Includes work permit applications and permits, visas, travel documents, accommodation agreement, contracts for performer Lioubov Gorbatcheva for the 1997 and 1998 seasons of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Lord Delfont, 1993 - 1994
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Lord Delfont's secretary regarding his foreward to Smart's Circus' tour programmes in 1993 and 1994, photographs and information about Lord Delfont.
Business Records Relating to Lysenko Clowns, 1996 - 1998
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus, Youri Lysenko and A. Grimailo regarding Youri Lysenko, Leon Dudoitis (Lysenko Clowns) and Lioubov Gorbatcheva (Hoola Hoop Act) performing in the 1996, 1997 and 1998 tours of Smart's Circus. Also includes contracts, visas, work permits and travel documents.
Business Records Relating to Marina Ananieva, 1997 - 1998
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Marina Ananieva about Russian acts and artistes performing in Smart's Circus as well as immigration documentation, visa applications, travel schedules, contracts, work permits and payment information.
Business Records Relating to Miss Nives Bizzaro and Partner, 1997 - 1998
Includes correspondence and contracts for performer Miss Nives Bizzaro and Partner for the 1997 and 1998 seasons of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Natasha Jigalova, 1997
Includes contracts, work permit applications and permits, correspondence, invoices, travel and travel documents for the aerial trapeze artist Natasha Jigalova for the 1997 season of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Newcastle City Council, 1996 - 2000
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Newcastle City Council regarding using a site in Newcastle as part of Smart's Circus 1998 and 2000 tours.
Business Records Relating to Nigel Hogg Sound, 1996 - 1997
Includes correspondence and break down of costs for hiring Nigel Hogg Sound musiccal direction and production equipment.
Business Records Relating to Olga Sidorova, 1998
Includes work permit applications and permits, travel documents, visas, contracts, travel documentation and a photocopy of a passport for performer Olga Sidorova for the 1998 season of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Pete Cooper, 1993 - 1995
Includes correspondence and contracts for the performer Pete Cooper for the 1993 and 1994 seasons of Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Rene Alberto Alegria Servin, 1996
Includes contracts, correspondence, photographs, work permits and travel documents for juggler Rene Alberto Alegria Servin.
Business Records Relating to Ringling Brothers, 1997 - 1998
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows Inc. regarding the sale of Smart's Circus equipment and outfit.
Business Records Relating to Robin Cook, 1998
Robin Cook took notes and wrote about Billy Smart's Circus with the aim of compiling a book. These documents were created by or sent to Robin Cook to aid his research and writing about Billy Smart's Circus. Documents include invitations, tickets, press reviews and articles which mention Billy Smart's Circus, as well as correspondence between Cook and various newspapers, journalists, the BBC and Carol Vordeman.
Business Records Relating to Rosgoscirk Russian State Circus Company, 1996 - 2000
Includes invitations to Russian State Circus performances, correspondence about various Russian acts including The Chernievski Troupe, correspondence about a change in tax and correspondence about the change in General Director.
Business Records Relating to Safety Tests, Structural Calculations and Purchases of Equipment, 1991 - 1994
Business records related to the Smart family and Smart circus.
Business Records Relating to Sally Chipperfield's Samoyed Dogs, 1993 - 1994
Includes photographs, contracts and correspondence regarding the act Sally Chipperfield's Samoyed Dogs performing in the 1993 and 1994 seasons of Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Sarychev, 1998
Includes work permit applications and permits, travel documents, photocopies of passports and lists of props for the performers who make up the act Sarychev for the 1998 season of Billy Smart's Circus.