Smart, Billy (William), 1894 - 1966
Biography
William 'Billy' Smart was one of twenty-three children born into a fairground family from London. Born in 1894, Smart worked with his family on the fairgrounds of London and the South East from an early age up until his marriage to Dolly in 1925, after which he branched out with his brothers to set up his own fair. Billy and Dolly had thirteen children.
By the 1930s he was an established member of the fairground community in the South East and London area and travelled with up to ten rides, with some of his rides featuring alongside Bertram Mills' Circus at Olympia in 1939. More success followed in the war years when he operated some of London's largest morale-boosting Holiday at Home Fairs, supplying entertainment to a war-weary public.
Although always interested in horses, and interested in circuses for some time, it was not until 1946 that Smart came across Cody's Circus and bought the big top. By the time he opened his New World Circus in 1946 he was fifty-two years old, following P.T. Barnum's example in taking on a second career as a circus proprietor.
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. The circus which he had purchased from Cody was run in conjunction with a travelling fun fair and at first he was seen as an interloper by other more established circus showmen. By 1952, the fun fair, which had been increasingly overshadowed by the circus, disappeared to leave room for a bona fide menagerie. Three years later, the two-poler was replaced by a giant 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.
His greatest innovation was his relationship with the newly established television networks when he agreed for Billy Smart's Circus to be broadcast live by 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'. 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, shortly after conducting the Romford Boys' Band in front of his mammoth circus tent at Ipswich, which had been set up that morning for a two-week stand. With his large Stetson hat, inevitable cigar and unique flair for self-promotion and publicity, Billy Smart was a showman of the highest order. One of his greatest stunts was when he rode an elephant through the streets of Mayfair and parked it at a meter before inserting a shilling.
Billy Smart was such a colourful character that on his death his lifelong friend Sir Billy Butlin described him as the greatest showman of our time and probably the last of the great showmen.
In the 1990s, the Smart circus toured again with Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show and most recently Billy Smart's Circus has been presented by Tony Hopkins and is frequently on tour across the UK.
Found in 837 Collections and/or Records:
Billy Smart's Personal Correspondence, 1958 - 1964
Correspondence between Billy Smart and Bolton, Colby & Co., Chartered Accountants, regarding tax returns transactions and invoices, the Christmas Circus at Queen's Hall in Leeds.
Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Colour illustration of harlequin on a multicolour background with circles and lines, multicolour type for title. Poster left blank for date and location.
Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show Handbill, 22 October - 20 November 1994
Front side: title, drawing of a clown face, location, dates, purple background. Back side: blank. 1 page.
Billy Smarts Quality Big Top Show Handbill, c1900 - 2000
Front side: title, colourful drawing of a clown. Back side: seating plan, seat prices, location - Cheltenham Cox's Meadow, dates, performance times, and ticket booking information. 1 page.
Billy Smarts Quality Big Top Show Handbill, 1998
Two handbills for Billy Smarts Quality Big Top Show, one for Bristol Durdham Downs and one for Portsmouth Southsea Common. The handbills feature a colour illustration of a harlequin clown on the front and performance dates, seating plan, ticket prices and how to book on the back.
Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show Handbill, 1994
Handbill for Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show in Richmond, Old Deer Park, October 22 - November 20 1994. The front features a photograph of a clown in a balloon; the inside features photographs of the circus tent and performers; the back features performance dates and times, ticket prices, seating plan, map of circus site and information on how to book tickets.
Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show Programme, c1900 - 2000
Front cover: black and white programme of the circus performers in order, head office address, telephone, and fax. Back cover, Pizza hut advertisement. 1 page.
Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show Programme, c1900 - 2000
Front cover: jester clown looking up at viewer and smiling. Inside: two page centre spread of the circus being erected, timeline of Smart Family circus, commercial advertisements, photographs of the acts. 6 pages. One Page Programme: Front: blue and white programme of the circus performers in order, head office address, telephone, and fax. Back: thank you list. 1 page.
Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show Programme, c1900 - 2000
Front cover: jester clown looking up at viewer and smiling. Inside: two page centre spread of the circus being erected, timeline of Smart Family circus, commercial advertisements, photographs of the acts. 6 pages. One page programme- front: blue and white programme of the circus performers in order, head office address, telephone and fax. Back: thank you list.
Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show Promotional Material, 1993
Contains colour photographs of the performers and their names; timeline of Smart family circus; photographs of setting up the Big Top; black and white photographs of the Smart family. 6 pages.
Billy Smart's Road Show and New World Circus Programme, 1946
Kings Park, Boscombe Bournemouth. A photocopy of the programme, laughing clown head with six circles above it, each circle has a different circus act inside on the front cover. Inside: introduction by Billy Smart, black and white photographs of acts, programme in the centre, and commercial advertising. 6 pages. Printed by Crowland Press Ltd London N.15.
Billy Smart's Show Poster [MISSING], 1994
Richmond Old Deer Park, from 15th Oct, 1994. Clown face illustration.
Billy Smart's Show Poster [MISSING], 1994
Richmond Old Deer Park, from 15th Oct, 1994. Clown face illustration.
Billy Smart's Summer Circus Film, c1975 - 1976
VHS PAL. BBC Enterprises. Tape number 917174.
Billy Smart's the Quality Big Top Show Handbill, 1993
Front side: title, drawing of trapeze artists, date, and location. Back side: circus infromation, seating chart, seat prices, and schedule. 1 page.
Billy Smart's the Quality Big Top Show Handbill, 1993
Front side: title, drawing of a clown face, location, dates, and booking phone number. Back side: circus information, seating chart, seat prices, and schedule. 1 page.
Billy Smart's the Quality Big Top Show Handbill, 1993
Front side: title, draing of a clown face, location, dates, and 'Exclusive offer to NSE Travellers'. Back side: circus information, seating chart, seat prices, special offer information, and schedule. 1 page.
Billy Smart’s The Quality Show Circus Poster, 1993
Fragile. Richmond Old Deer Park, 22 October to 20 November 1993. Colour illustration of circus performers coming out of a large white and red Smart’s Circus tent and a large harlequin clown leaning over the tent on the top right section, on a blue background.
Billy Smart's The Quality Show Handbill, c1900 - 2000
Two handbills for Billy Smarts The Quality Show, one for London Clapham Common and one for Cambridge. The front features a colour illustration of a clown balancing on a ball. The back features performance dates and times, seating plan, ticket prices and how to book.
Billy Smart's The Quality Show Promotional Material, 1998
Contains colour photographs of the performers and their names; timeline of Smart family circus; photographs of setting up the Big Top; old Black and white photographs of the Smart family.