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:
Cottle Sisters New Generation Circus Handbill, 27 September - Sunday 9 October
Front side: photos of circus acts, title, 1/2 price promotion. Back side: message from Gerry Cottle, information on show times and prices, circus held at Guildford. 1 page.
Crand Cirque de France Programme, 1960
Front cover: drawing of a man holding a radio microphone standing atop of a lion. Inside: programme in the centre, photos and brief description of the acts, commercial advertisements, information on the circus. Back cover: drawing of a horse holding a clown and a lion cub perched on a stool. 20 pages.
Crand Cirque de France Programme, 1960
Front cover: drawing of a man holding a radio microphone standing atop of a lion. Inside: programme in the centre, photos and brief description of the acts, commercial advertisements, information on the circus. Back cover: drawing of a horse holding a clown and a lion cub perched on a stool. 20 pages.
Cut It Out Paper Toy of Gerry Cottle's Circus, c1900 - 2000
Various items of ephemera.
Cyril Critchlow Collection
Cyrk Budapeszt Programme, c1900 - 2000
Front cover: drawing of a monkey with its face and ears in color. Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisement, photos and brief description of the acts. Back cover: drawings of an elephant, clown, tiger, and dancer that are partcially in colour. 8 pages.
Dasdie Live Programme, January 1995
Fold out programme. Front cover: photo of outside a white building. Inside: programme of the various acts in January, commercial advertisement, preview for shows in February. Back cover: contact and location information.
Dasdie Live Programme, March 1995
Fold out programme. Front cover: photo of outside a white building. Inside: programme of the various acts in March, commercial advertisement, preview for shows in April and May. Back cover: contact and location information.
David Smart Super Circus Programme, 1980
Battersea Park. Yasmine Smart Arabian Liberty Horses, Davida Smart and Dany Cesar Equilibrists, Robert Brothers’ elephants, Constantini Troupe tumblers, Flying Lantonys trapeze act, Paulsons motorcycle act, Mimi di Lello, Bubi and Juli clowns, Doreen Pedesen’s Penguins and Sea Lions, Los Castros high wire, Koziaks tumblers. Contains illustraion on cover and photos, 12p.p.
David Smart's Super Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Battersea Park. Colour illustration of female equestrian in long red gown and top hat riding a white horse, trapeze act on bottom left and clown and female face on centre right, also aerial act on crescent moon on top left corner, over a blue background. Printed in England by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.
Den Curtis' Photographic Albums, 1936 - 1969
Photographic albums put together by Den Curtis, containing black and white photographs of circuses, performers and animals with annotations, including Sanger, Chipprefields, Bertram Mills, Smarts, Hoxie Bros., Blackpool Tower, Belle Vue, Robert Bros., Fossett and Luckens Continental Circus and others, also some loose photographs removed from the albums.
Den Curtis' Photographic Albums, 1936 - 1969
Photographic albums put together by Den Curtis, containing black and white photographs of circuses, performers and animals with annotations, including Sanger, Chipprefields, Bertram Mills, Smarts, Hoxie Bros, Blackpool Tower, Belle Vue, Robert Bros, Fossett and Luckens Continental Circus and others, also some loose photographs removed from the albums.
Den Gamle Cirkus Miehe Programme, 1950
Front page: drawing of a large crowding walking into the circus tent. Inside: programme and show order. Back page: picture showing how the circus changed from 1869 to 1950. 2 pages.
Den Gamle Cirkus Miehe Programme, 1958
Front cover: pictures of the Miehe family. Inside: programme in the centre, welcome introduction, photos and names of the acts. Back cover: advertisement. 2 pages.
Digger Pugh Collection
Archive of the Digger Pugh family including newspaper cuttings, photographs, negatives, business records, programmes, research material, posters and films.
Display Board for Billy Smart Circus, c1900 - 2000
Contains three black and white photographs and a seating chart.
Drawings for a Speed Boat Design, c1900 - 2000
Pen and pencil on paper.
Easter Circus Film, 1979
VHS PAL. Note on tape reads 'Moima Anderson'.
Edited Master Betacam Tape for Billy Smart Circus of Dog and Horse Shows at Aberdeen Locations, c1900 - 2000
Sony Betacam SP. A Frame by Frame production.
Elephants Rock and Roll Film, c1900 - 2000
16mm. With titles.