Billy Smart

BILLY SMART d1966. British showman, fairground and circus proprietor. The founder and owner of Billy Smart's Circus. His 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 King Pole magazine) with a permanent base in Berkshire. Billy Smart himself took part in his shows and led many stunts to publicise the circus. Around 1961, he offered £1 million to buy Blackpool Tower and also headed a consortium hoping to involve Disney in what would have become the first Disney amusement park in Europe, however the venture did not proceed. He then decided upon a novel concept, a Safari Park and after years of searching for a suitable site bought a property near Windsor for this purpose. The Windsor Safari Park was born and later 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. He died in Suffolk aged 72 on September 25th 1966