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:
Billy Smart's Circus and Davy Crockett Western Spectacle Programme, 1956
Front cover: Davy Crockett overlooking a wild west setting of Native Americans fighting frontier men. Inside: programme in the centre, information and pictures on the various acts, the winter quarters, royal visits, some commercial advertising. Back cover: advertisement for Billy Smart's mammoth zoo. 10 pages.
Billy Smart’s Circus and Menagerie, c1960 - 1969
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1900 - 2019
Yellow and white type on blue border and white in the centre for printing location and date, signed 'To Dorothy and Arnold, Billy Smart'.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, 1966 - 1967
Liverpool, Walton Hall Park. July 20 to August 1.
Billy Smart’s Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1958
Slough Salthill Playing Fields, 27 October - 1st November. 10 Baby Elephants, 10 Ifni Sahara Tumblers, direct from Morocco. Printed: W.E.Berry Ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart’s Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1958
Framed. Bournemouth, Kings Park, Boscombe 11 - 23 August. Black and white image of elephants in a circle in the centre with all the acts printed in colour radiating from them. Named acts include: The Andersons, fun makers; Nellan Sisters, aerial act; Tscheng der Dsai troupe, Chinese wonders; Vinicky Haute Ecole, master trainer; Coco Jnr, Michael, Tamara and Sasha. Printed: W.E. Berry Ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, 18 - 28 March 1959
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1946 - 1999
Rhyl, Brooks' Farm field, 27 August to 1 September. Yellow, white and blue type on blue, pink and white background.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, 26 October - 14 November 1959
Clapham Common. White, yellow, red and blue type on blue background and white on the bottom section.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, 26 October - 14 November 1959
Clapham Common. White and red type on blue and white background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1946 - 1999
Gloucester, The Oxleaze, 1-6 May. White, yellow and red type on blue and white background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1946 - 1999
Worcester, The Pitchcroft, 10-12 September. Plus Fairyland Fantasy. Yellow, white and blue type on dark blue, pink and white background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1946 - 1999
Clampham Common, 28 October to 23 November. White, yellow and red type on dark blue and white background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1946 - 1999
Porstmouth, Southsea Common, 27 July to 8 August. White, yellow and red type on dark blue and white background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Menagerie Poster, c1946 - 1999
Britain's largest circus. Produced by master showmen. White and yellow and red combined type on dark blue and red background with red and white border. Left blank to add location and date. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Wild West Show Poster, c1946 - 1999
Porstmouth, Southsea Common, 11-16 August. Yellow and orange type and white type on dark blue background with illustration of clown's face and arm in green bowler hat on top section. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Wild West Show Poster, c1946 - 1999
Brighton, The Level, 18-30 August. Produced by Master Showmen. Black, white and yellow and red combined type on white and dark blue background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus and Wild West Show Programme, 1958
Colour illustration of Billy Smart wearing a black hat and holding a cigar with white clowns around him on a purple and green background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of owners, performers and acts with text and programme in the centre, also commercial advertising, 12p.p.
Billy Smart's Circus and Wild West Show Programme, 1959
Colour illustration of Billy Smart wearing a black hat and holding a cigar with white clowns around him on a purple and green background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of owners, performers and acts with text and programme in the centre, also commercial advertising, 14p.p.
Billy Smart's Circus Anniversary Show Scripts, 28 October 1958
Business records related to the Smart family and Smart circus.