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 1051 Collections and/or Records:
Billy Smart's New World Circus, Star Gala Performance Programme, 1960
Golden cover with red heart and type on bottom right, inside programme with colour illustration of show girl in green outfit and large feather head dress standing on an elephant's leg while the elephant is balancing on a circus platform on a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, report on royal visit, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 18p.p
Billy Smart's New World Circus, Star Gala Performance Programme, 1961
Golden cover with red heart and type on bottom right, inside programme with colour illustration of show girl in green outfit and large feather head dress standing on an elephant's leg while the elephant is balancing on a circus platform on a blue background on the front cover, inside introduction, report on royal visit, black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 18p.p
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 Programme, 1996
Colour illustration of harlequin on the front cover, inside introduction, colour and black and white photographs of acts and performers, commercial advertising and insert programme, 11p.p
Billy Smart's Programme, c1900 - 1999
Colour illustration of large harlequin behind a circus tent holding the entrance open and performers emerging from it on the front cover, inside introduction, colour and black and white photographs of acts and performers, commercial advertising and insert programme, 9p.p
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 Poster, c1946 - 1999
Richmond Old Deer Park, Friday 15 October. Colour illustration showing a clown's face on centre right, over a Smart circus tent opening the entrace curtains and letting all the performers come out, over a blue background. Signed by Chris Pavely.
Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show Programme, 1993
Richmond. Colour illustration of harlequin's torso holding a batton with a harlequin's head shape handle on a white background with red and golden type on the front cover, inside introduction, colour and black and white photographs of the Smart family members and some stories, programme on a blue insert and commercial advertising, 8p.p.
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.