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 Poster, 12 - 17 August 1968
Bridlington, Sewerby Heads site. Yellow and white type on blue background with smiling clown face wearing a small, black and white checked top hat on centre left, text on bottom in blue type over white.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 27 October 1969
Clapham Common. Colour illustration of baby tiger playing a drum on a green background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 5 - 10 August 1957
Inverness, Bught Park. The Flying Hungarian Lunasz. Colour illustration of trapeze act showing two men a woman in mid air and a clown on a blue background and a pink circus ring below. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 27 October 1969 for a short season
Clapham Common. Colour illustration of baby tiger playing a drum on a green starry background. Signed Thomas. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 25 March - 17 April 1971
Birmigham, Hay Mills. Colour illustration of three clowns, one of which is throwing a bucket of water to the viewer on a darnk blue background with yellow type above. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Bridlington, Sewerby Heads site, 12-17 August. Colour illustration of baby elephant stood on its back legs, wearing a tutu and a pointy hat with a bauble, resting its right front leg on a notice reading 'The World's Greatest Circus, thrils, spectacle, beauty' on a brown background, also yellow, blue and red type. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 28 October - 23 November 1968
Clapham Common, South Side. Colour illustration of elephant wearing a tutu and a pointy hat with a bauble stood on a circus platform and a mouse dressed as an elephant trainer holding a whip on blue background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Bridlington, Sewerby Heads site, 12-17 August. Colour illustration of smiley clown's face wearing a small checked top hat and the outline of a circus tent on the right in white with fireworks on the side on a blue background and yellow, white and red type. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 20 October - 1 November 1958
Slough, Twinches Lane, Bath Road. Colour illustration of Bartschelly, plate spinner wearing a white suite and black bow tie and spinning plates on an orange, red and blue background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 18 - 28 March 1959
Cardiff, Sophia Gardens. Colour illustration of elephant foot hovering over a woman's head, who is laid on the floor. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 15 - 20 April 1957
York, The Knavesmire. Presenting the new circorama plus great western spectacle featuring Davy Crockett. Colour illustration of western scene in ladscape showing native Americans and settlers in battle, a larger figure of a native American stood on a hill with his right arm raise and opposite Davy Crockett hodling a riffle. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 6 - 11 July 1957
Preston, Moor Park. Featuring for the first time two super spectacles, The Wild West Show and the Arabian Nights Review. Colour illustration of a man in a turbant and a woman riding a black, winged horse in the centre, a man on a flying carpet on top left, belly dancers on bottom left and elephants with colour covers on. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1958
Featuring for the first time anywhere two super spectacles. The Wild West Show and the Arabian Nights Review. Colour illustration of wild west scene showing a settlers' caravan being chased by native Americans and a black and white scene on bottom right corner of the gun fighters. Poster left blank for location and dates.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 13 - 15 September 1962
Hereford, The Race course. Featuring for the first time anywhere two super spectacles, The Wild West Show plus a new production, Fairyland Fantasy. Colour illustration of wild west scene showing a settlers' caravan being chased by native Americans. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946-1999
Worcester, The Pitchcroft, 10-12 September. A great new super spectacle, The Fairyland Fantasy. Colour illustration of woman in sparkling light blue gown holding a long stick with a star on the top end a castle on top left and two green witches over a cauldron on bottom left. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Leeds, Queen's Hall, 26 December to 23 January. Colour illustration of baby elephant on blue background, wearing a pointy hat with a bauble and a green bowtie, seated on a circus platform in front of a small woman in circus band uniform wearing a tall red hat and black shorts, holding a poster with his trunk with the location and time of the circus. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Nesfield Printing Works Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Clapham Common, South Side, open until 20 November. Colour illustration of baby elephant on blue background, wearing a pointy hat with a bauble and a green bowtie, seated on a circus platform in front of a small woman in circus band uniform wearing a tall red hat and black shorts, holding a poster with his trunk reading Wold's Largest Circus.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 23 October - 18 November 1967
Clapham Common. Yellow and white type on blue background with smiling clown face wearing a small, brown and white checked top hat on centre left and white outline of circus tent and fireworks, also blue and red type on white background on bottom section.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Bridlington, Sewerby Heads site, 12-17 August. Colour illustration of elephant wearing a tutu and a pointy hat with a bauble stood on a circus platform and a mouse dressed as an elephant trainer holding a whip on blue background.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 23 October - 18 November 1967
Clapham Common. Yellow and white type on blue background with smiling clown face wearing a small, brown and white checked top hat on centre left and white outline of circus tent and fireworks, also blue and red type on white background on bottom section.