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track around the ring, and a grand entrance hall allowing spectacular parades to take place. Smart pioneered centrally-heated dark blue rather than light coloured tents, which had compromised lighting effects.
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on 5 April 1946. At first, the circus ran in conjunction with the existing funfair, but the latter was phased out by 1952, and Smart's circus toured with a full
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was brought to fruition by his sons, Ronald, David and
Stanley (known as Billy Jr), after his death, and grew to attract up to 2.5 million visitors per year.
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in what would have become the first Disney amusement park in Europe; however, the venture did not proceed. Smart then decided upon a novel concept, a
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The circus grew to become one of the largest in the world. It was the world's largest travelling circus under canvas in the 1960s, according to
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Billy Smart died in 1966, in his caravan shortly after conducting a band in front of his circus tent at
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Born in London, Billy Smart was one of 23 children in a family that worked on fairgrounds in London and
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described him as "the greatest showman of our time and probably the last of the great showmen."
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of animals. In 1954, the existing big top was replaced by one with a capacity of 6,000 seats, a
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Kate Dodd, "50 years since final curtain came down on legendary showman Billy Smart’s life",
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shows on the BBC, including the 1977 Royal
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of Cody's Circus, and opened his own New World Circus. Its first show was in
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Smart arranged for the televising of his circus from 1947, as the first
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488:"Billy Smart: The Guv'nor", National Fairground and Circus Archive
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The
Playful Crowd: Pleasure Places in the Twentieth Century
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proprietor, the founder and owner of Billy Smart's Circus.
528:"Spinners of the Big Top" by Pamela Macgregor-Morris
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48:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
243:(25 April 1894 – 25 September 1966) was a British
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267:Grave of Billy Smart Sr. at St Peter's Church,
355:Around 1961, Smart offered £1 million to buy
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517:. Buntingford, Aardvark Publishing, 2004. (
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317:location live TV show. This led to regular
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515:Billy Smart's Circus, A Pictorial History
108:Learn how and when to remove this message
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548:Billy Smart's Circus in Glasgow, 1954
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46:adding citations to reliable sources
344:magazine, with a permanent base at
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504:, Columbia University Press, 2005
384:in 1956 when he was surprised by
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500:Gary S. Cross, John K. Walton,
33:needs additional citations for
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490:. Retrieved 14 February 2017
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293:In 1946, he purchased the
136:Statue of Billy Smart at
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286:in 1939 and, during the
241:William George Smart Sr.
218:pioneer, philanthropist
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371:for this purpose. The
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577:British circus owners
280:Bertram Mills' Circus
269:Cranbourne, Berkshire
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234:Billy Smart's Circus
153:William George Smart
42:improve this article
543:, 27 September 2016
403:. His friend Sir
373:Windsor Safari Park
276:South East England
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381:This Is Your Life
331:Duke of Edinburgh
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223:Years active
175:25 September 1966
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57:"Billy Smart Sr."
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163:25 April 1894
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31:This article
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437:Pyllis Smart
427:Ronnie Smart
405:Billy Butlin
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214:proprietor,
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177:(1966-09-25)
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40:Please help
35:verification
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572:1966 deaths
567:1894 births
462:Rosie Smart
457:Hazel Smart
447:David Smart
442:Dolly Smart
432:Hazel Smart
417:Peggy Smart
394:Hammersmith
365:safari park
323:David Smart
216:safari park
195:Nationality
561:Categories
468:References
396:, London.
307:hippodrome
249:fairground
208:fairground
159:1894-04-25
68:newspapers
422:Ena Smart
350:Berkshire
346:Winkfield
342:King Pole
319:Christmas
303:menagerie
259:Biography
226:1920-1966
206:Showman,
189:, England
329:and the
299:Southall
401:Ipswich
388:at the
369:Windsor
295:big top
284:Olympia
245:showman
198:British
187:Suffolk
183:Ipswich
82:scholar
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411:Family
361:Disney
253:circus
212:circus
142:Sussex
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89:JSTOR
75:books
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172:Died
149:Born
61:news
335:ITV
315:BBC
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