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:
Business Records Relating to Department for Education and Employment, 1998
Correspondence between Smart's Circus, the Department for Education and Employment and the Immigration Nationality Directorate regarding work permit applications for various acts including Lysenko Clowns, the Argentinian Devils, Moiseeva, Sarychev and many others.
Business Records Relating to Draft Documents, c1990 - 2000
Draft documents for an Autumn tour of Billy Smart's Big Top at Richmond Old Deer Park, Surrey, including press releases, draft tour guide programme, draft idea and information about Little Billy's Club, research
Business Records Relating to Duo Glavatsky, 1994 - 1996
Includes correspondence, contracts, work permit applications, work permits, travel documents and photocopied passports for the Duo Glavatsky aerial artists for the 1994, 1995 and 1996 seasons of Billy Smart's Circus. 'Glavatsky' sometimes spelled 'Glavatsiky'.
Business Records Relating to Duo Rudnik, 1997 - 1998
Includes work permits, accommodation agreements and correspondence for the performers Jacek and Aneta Rudnik (Duo Rudnik) for the 1998 season of Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Ealing Council, 1993 - 2000
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Ealing Council regarding using Ealing as a site for Smart's Circus 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Business Records Relating to Erection of Billy Smart's Circus Big Top, 1997
Includes ground rules for artistes and staff, photocopies of plans, directions for assembling of the poles.
Business Records Relating to Eugeni Chamarlovski, 1997 - 1998
Includes correspondence and a contract for juggler Eugeni Chamarlovski for the 1997 and 1998 seasons of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Falco's Luigi Family and Falco Clowns, 1997
Includes contracts and correspondence relating to Falco Clowns for the 1997 season of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Faltyny Family, 1993 - 1997
Includes contracts, work permit applications and permits and correspondence relating to the Faltyny family for the 1993, 1996 and 1997 seasons of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Gandey's and Smart's Circus, 1996 - 1999
Includes correspondence with acts and artistes, performance schedules for various tours, correspondence with costume and equipment suppliers, invoices, marketing material and documents about the sale of circus equipment.
Business Records Relating to Gary Smart's Election as Councillor, 1983
Includes newspaper articles, posters, invoices and campaign material of Gary Smart's Election as Councillor for the Ward of Littlehampton River, Arun.
Business Records Relating to Guildford Borough Council, 1992 - 2000
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Guildford Borough Council regarding using Guildford as a site for Smart's Circus 1992, 1998, 1999 and 2001 tours.
Business Records Relating to Harold and Mary Wilson, 1965 - 1966
Includes correspondence between Ronald Smart and Mary Wilson (wife of UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson), cards, event invitations and photographs of Ronald Smart and Mary Wilson.
Business Records Relating to IMS Travel and Aeroflot, 1996 - 1998
Includes correspondence and travel documentation for various acts between Smart's Circus, travel company IMS Travel and airline Aeroflot.
Business Records Relating to Jay Miller's Circus, 1996 - 1998
Includes correspondence relating to Smart's Circus working with Jay Miller's Circus in 1997 and 1998.
Business Records Relating to Johnny Palmer, 1998
Includes correspondence and a contract for wardrobe master Johnny Palmer for the 1998 season of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Judy Tarlo, 1997 - 1998
Includes correspondence, press releases, press reviews and administrative documents relating to Judy Tarlo Associates, the public relations company hired by Billy Smart's Circus to manage the public relations and publicity of the circus for the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
Business Records Relating to Kim Kenneth and Partner, 1997
Includes correspondence and contracts for performer Kim Kenneth and Partner for the 1997 season of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Leicester City Council, 1999 - 2000
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Leicester City Council regarding using Leicester as a site for Smart's Circus 2000 and 2001 tours.
Business Records Relating to Leif Hansen Artist Agency, 1997 - 1998
Includes work permits, contracts and correspondence between Smart's Circus and Leif Hansen Artist Agency regarding the acts the Argentinian Devils and Kim Kenneth for the 1997 season of Smart's Circus.