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 Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Colour illustration of harlequin clown. Poster Left blank for overprinting of dates. Printed by: Harbour Park Ltd
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Blackpool 20 July - 8 August. Wild West Show and the Arabian Nights Review. Colour lithograph showing scenes from the Arabian nights. Printed by: W.E. Berry Ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1970 - 1971
Poster left Blank for overprinting 1970/71. Colour illustration of tigers and acts.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1959
Framed. Peterborough Agricultural Show Ground, 1 - 6 October. Colour illustration of tigers and acts. Red, yellow and green border. Printed: W.E. Berry, Ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1966 - 1967
Walton Hall Park, Liverpool 20 July - 1 August. Colour illustration of cartoon elephant in a tutu wearing a party hat. Printed by: W.E. Berry, ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1950 - 1959
Bristol, 2 - 14 June. Colour illustration of a pink elephant and grey mouse. Printed: W.E. Berry, ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1966 - 1967
Framed. Colour illustration of cartoon baby elephant wearing a tutu and a party hat with 'BOOK HERE' at the bottom. Printed: W.E. Berry, ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1994
Richmond Old Deer Park, 22 October - 20 November. Colour illustration of a clown face.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Framed. Murrayfield, Edinburgh, 23 May - 4 June. Wild West Show and the Arabian Nights Review. Special Gala Performance on May 25th in aid of Iona Appeal Trust. Colour lithograph showing Billy Smart’s bust portrait, holding a cigar on his right hand. Printed by: W.E. Berry Ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1970
Framed. Colour illustration of two tigers leaping towards the centre on the foreground, rearing horses on the left, elephants on top right, a clown’s face and a male and a female performer. Printer’s proof. Left blank for adding location and date.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1960 - 1969
Waterloo Road car park, Blackpool, 13 - 25 August. White, green and blue type on white and green background and black, white and green illustration of a woman in a kilt dancing with an elephant wearing a Scottish hat and a kilt cover.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2000
Very large poster left blank for overprinting. Harlequin Clown illustration which features the Pepsi logo.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1959
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 18 - 28 March 1959. Printed by W.E. Berry, Ltd., Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Porstmouth, Southsea Common, Friday 1 - Sunday 17 May. Colour illustration of harlequin on a multicolour background with circles and lines.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Clapham Common, South Side, Friday 17 October - Sunday 9 November. Colour illustration of harlequin on a multicolour background with circles and lines.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Portsmouth, Southsea Common, Friday 1 - Sunday 17 May. Yellow and red combination colour type on title on blue background and black, read and white type on white and red backgrounds in centre.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Richmond, Old Deer Park, from Friday 15 October. Colour illustration of large clown's head and hands opening the entrance to the big top and circus performers, horses and poodles coming out of it on a blue background and yellow and red combination type on title.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1900 - 2019
Gosport, Walpole Park, Tuesday 8 - Monday 14 August. Colour photograph of clown's torso on a starry blue background and Billy Smart's portait on top left in a circle.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1998
Richmond, Old Deer Park, Friday 25 September - Sunday 11 October. Colour illustration of harlequin on a multicolour background with circles and lines, multicolour type for title and black type on white background on bottom section.
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 with the location and time of the circus, also yellow and white type. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Nesfield Printing Works Bradford.