Butlins

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Butlins' current logo
Butlins' current logo

Butlin's Holiday Camps were founded by (later Sir) Billy Butlin to provide economical holidays in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Between 1936 and 1966, nine camps were built. Three resorts remain in use by the Butlins company today in Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness.

Butlins are noted for their famous "Redcoats" who provide entertainment and organisation at every level.

There was a UK TV satirical sitcom during the 1980s based on a Butlins-style holiday camp called Hi-de-Hi!. More recently a fly on the wall documentary series called Redcoats followed redcoats through their seasons at Butlins.

The architecture seen in this 1985 photograph of Butlins in Ayr was typical of most camps before refurbishment. Note the rows of chalets in the distance.
The architecture seen in this 1985 photograph of Butlins in Ayr was typical of most camps before refurbishment. Note the rows of chalets in the distance.

Contents

[edit] History

Butlin's Holiday Camp, Mosney, County Meath, Ireland was the first camp to be built outside Great Britain. It was sold in 1982.
Butlin's Holiday Camp, Mosney, County Meath, Ireland was the first camp to be built outside Great Britain. It was sold in 1982.

The first of the Butlin's holiday camps was opened by Billy Butlin in 1936 in Skegness following his success in the development of amusement parks. A second camp quickly followed in Clacton (1938) and construction of a third began at Filey (1939). With the outbreak of World War II, building at Filey was postponed and the camps at Skegness and Clacton were given over for military use. Wartime use of Butlins camps continued with resorts at Ayr, Filey & Pwllheli being completed and opened as military camps.

Butlins in Ayr, seen during the mid-1980s, prior to refurbishment. This camp was later renamed Wonderwest World, and is now owned and run by Haven.
Butlins in Ayr, seen during the mid-1980s, prior to refurbishment. This camp was later renamed Wonderwest World, and is now owned and run by Haven.

In 1945, with war over, Filey opened as a holiday camp. The camps at Skegness & Clacton (1946), Ayr & Pwllheli (1947) followed and a new camp was built on the east coast of Ireland at Mosney (1948). Butlin's became popular in post-war Britain with family entertainment and activities available for the equivalent of a week's pay. Further post-war camps were opened in the 1960s at Bognor Regis (1960), Minehead (1962) and Barry (1966).

In 1948, Billy Butlin acquired two hotels in The Bahamas and in the 1950s, Butlins began opening hotels in the UK: Saltdean, Brighton (1953), Blackpool (1955) and five in Cliftonville (1955-1956). In later years, they were joined by further hotels in Scarborough (1978), Llandudno (1981), London (1993), a sixth hotel at Cliftonville and one in Spain (1983). The camps at Ayr and Skegness also had separate self-contained hotels within the grounds. In the 1960s and 1970s, the company also operated the Top of the Tower revolving restaurant at the then-named Post Office Tower in London.

All the Butlins hotels of the 1950s-1990s were sold in 1998 but the majority are still open today under different ownership, the art decor style Ocean hotel at Saltdean is under redevelopment into flats (2007) and the hotels at Cliftonville have both been demolished.

The camps at Clacton (now a housing estate) and Filey closed in 1983, and the camp at Barry closed in 1986. The lease on the Top of the Tower restaurant expired in 1980. In 1998 the camps at Ayr and Pwllheli were re-branded as Haven Park.

In 1968 Billy Butlin's son Bobby took over the management of Butlins and in 1972 the business was sold to the Rank Organisation for £43 million. The company was later sold off to Bourne Leisure in 2000.

In 2005, the new £10m Shoreline hotel was unveiled at the Bognor Regis resort to expand on the existing variety of apartments on resort. The hotel, styled with an Art Deco theme, aimed to offer luxury accommodation inconjunction with the entertainment and facilities at the resort. Each of the 160 rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows, king-size beds, leather chairs, widescreen TVs, DVD players and en-suite facilities, some also include sea-views, telescopes and balconies.

Butlin's Badges

Butlin's Badge Skegness 1938
Butlin's Badge Skegness 1938
Butlin's Badge Filey 1945
Butlin's Badge Filey 1945
Butlin's Badge Blackpool 1961
Butlin's Badge Blackpool 1961

When booking in on arrival at Butlin's (camp or hotel) each camper was issued with an enamel badge to wear for the duration of their holiday. The badge granted the camper readmission to the site should they take a trip out during their stay. Badges were worn with pride with campers keeping badges from previous holidays and wearing them all on a ribbon.

Each year a different badge was produced for each camp with the name of the camp and the year forming part of the design.

The badges were made of die-stamped metal (usually brass), highly polished or chrome plated with the brightly coloured design made of enamel using a process similar to Champlevé but the troughs being stamped in rather than carved.

Each camp had at least one badge each year with most of the larger camps having several colour variations throughout the season for improved security. Occasionally, two different designs would be used in one season.

The badges were issued every year from the first season in Skegness in 1936 up until 1967 when the badges were discontinued.

Each badge was hand-made by jewellery manufacturers in London, Dublin or in Birmingham's 'Jewellery Quarter'. The quality and beauty of the badges has ensured that many survive as heirlooms and are very collectable.

A collection of one badge per camp per year would total 192 badges. However, the myriad colour variations and additional 'special' badges would take the collection to over 1200 badges (although there is no definitive list of all variations).

Additional badges included 'Second Week' badges, Staff badges, 'Concessionaire' badges (for visiting tradesmen - these badges are distinguished by the absence of enamel), Committee badges, Christmas badges, Beaver Club badges, Reunion badges and many others. Badges were not issued during the war years of 1940 to 1945 as the camps were closed and used as accommodation for war service personnel.

Notable badges include 'Skegness 1936' (the first badge issued) and 'Filey 1945' which features the 'V for Victory' in its design and is an exception to the war year gap as the camp was the first to reopen after the war just in time for the end of the season in August 1945.

Barry Island 1965 is the 'Holy Grail' of Butlin's badges as the camp didn't open that year as planned. The badges were manufactured but never issued; some examples survive.

Toot and Ploot In the 1970's an advertising campaign was used that featured two fictional visiting blue skinned alien Characters from another planet called 'Toot and Ploot' they featured on a series of television advertisements. They also featured in various Butlins related items such as holiday brochures and carrier bags.

[edit] Locations

listed alphabetically

[edit] Current Butlins resorts

  • Bognor Regis (1960—) - known as Southcoast World from 1987 to 1998.
  • Minehead (1962—) - known as Somerwest World from 1986 to 1998.
  • Skegness (1936—) - known as Funcoast World from 1987 to 1998.

[edit] Previous Butlins resorts

[edit] Facilities

A Butlins ad from 1960
A Butlins ad from 1960
  • Splash Waterworld
    • master blaster
    • space bowl
    • sub-tropical climates
    • wave machines
  • entertainment
    • Centre Stage
    • Reds
    • ABC cinema
  • funfair
  • go-karts
  • Junior Driving School (Minehead only)
  • Shoreline Hotel (Bognor Regis only)
  • BlueSkies (Minehead only)
  • Ex-More Adventures (Minehead only)
  • The Spa (Skegness only)
  • Kids Clubs
  • sports courts
  • tennis courts
  • adventure play area
  • archery
  • hotshots
  • Green Baize (not available in Minehead)
  • restaurants
  • accommodation
    • gold rooms
    • gold apartments
    • deluxe rooms (not available in Skegness)
    • deluxe apartments (not available in Skegness)
    • silver rooms
    • silver apartments
    • silver bungalows
    • silver-plus suite
    • standard rooms
    • standard apartments

[edit] Bognor Regis Camp

Situated in the small seaside town of Bognor Regis, Butlins Bognor first opened on the 2 July 1960 at a cost of £2.5 million. The camp quickly became popular, accommodating around 5,000 campers and another 5,000 day visitors.

[edit] 1980s refurbishment

Butlins Bognor was refurbished through the 1980s. In 1987, the camp was renamed Southcoast World following a £16.5 million spend on new and updated accommodation, the addition of a new indoor water complex and a new miniature steam railway.

[edit] 1990s major redevelopment

In 1998, as one of Butlins three remaining camps, Bognor again underwent major refurbishment. The camp's Southcoast World identity was dropped, and £45 million was invested in redevelopment. A Skyline Pavilion was added to the resort, providing a huge undercover area for year-round, weather-protected facilities. The Skyline Pavilion contained new shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment areas. The refurbishment also included further updates to the chalet accommodation, a redesign for the Redcoat uniform and the provision of a resort police constable to improve security. Butlins Bognor was relaunched by pop star Ronan Keating in May 1999. The redeveloped resort had an increased capacity of 5,800 beds.

[edit] Shoreline Hotel

In 2005, further work was undertaken to update the camp with the introduction of the Shoreline Hotel. £10 million was spent on the hotel and its surrounding landscaped gardens. With big porthole windows, and a ship-like prow, the four-floor hotel was designed with a slightly nautical feel. The hotel provides 160 rooms of three different grades, each including hi-tech equipment and luxurious furniture. Guests staying at the hotel can enjoy the sea-views, room service, modern bistro restaurant and cocktail bar, in addition to the regular Butlins facilities. More Hotels are in the planning stage.

[edit] Minehead Camp

Chosen for its flat landscape and good rail links, Butlins Minehead is located on the Bristol Channel coast in Somerset. The camp was opened on the 26 May 1962 at a cost of around £2 million and was the largest of the Butlins post-war camps.

[edit] 1980s refurbishment

Butlins Minehead underwent its first set of improvements during the 1960s, when problems with flooding were fixed and a miniature railway, chairlift and monorail were added to the camp in 1964, 1965 and 1967 respectively.

[edit] 1990s major redevelopment

In 1986, Butlins Minehead was the first of the Butlins sites to undergo major redevelopment work as part of the 1980s investment programme. £10 million was spent and this renovation which saw the refurbishment of the indoor swimming pool as well as new chalets and flatlets. Following the redevelopment work, the camp was renamed Somerwest World.

Through the late 1980s to mid 1990s, the monorail, chairlift and miniature railway were removed from the park. In 1993, the amusement park was reopened by Lady Dolly Butlin following a move to the front of the camp.

In 1998, Butlins Minehead was selected as one of the three sites to remain open and again underwent major redevelopment. A Skyline Pavilion was added to the resort and the name Somerwest World was dropped. From 1999 further development work saw the modification of Minehead's chalet accommodation and the addition of Europe's largest high ropes course to the site.

[edit] Exmoor Adventures

Butlins Minehead developed the Exmoor Adventures which include a climbing wall, diving courses, horse riding, Land Rover Safari, fly & sea fishing, sailing, canoeing and coasteering. Some of which are held at Exmoor National Park.

[edit] BlueSkies apartment

In 2007, further work in the Minehead resort has been undertaken with the creation of new timeshare apartments. The website contains further information.

[edit] Music festival

From December 2006, the Minehead resort has hosted the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival.

[edit] Adult Party Weekends

The Adult Party Weekends at Butlins, is dedicated to over 18s only, spread across all of the three resorts, around 42 weekends in the year, are closed to families and children in the form of themed music weekends.

  • 80s Madness
  • Rock and Blues
  • Festival of the 60s
  • Disco Inferno

United Kingdom of Dance is in its second year at Butlins Bognor Regis, first being known as United Kingdom of Ibiza in 2006. Ibiza clubs, such as Eden and Miss Moneypennys, host club sessions with DJs such as Dave Pearce, Jeremy Healy and Judge Jules.

[edit] Skegness Camp

Butlins Skegness was the first of Billy Butlin's holiday camps. The camp opened in 1936 but was taken over for military use in 1939. The camp reopened in 1946.

[edit] 1980s refurbishment

In 1987 the camp underwent refurbishment and was renamed Funcoast World.

[edit] 1990s major redevelopment

In 1998, as with Bognor and Minehead, Butlins Skegness again underwent major refurbishment. The camp's Funcoast World identity was dropped and a new Skyline Pavilion was built.

[edit] The Spa

In 2004 'The Spa' opened at Butlins Skegness with a swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, fitness suite, spa, sauna, steam room. The adults-only facility offers a range of treatments including manicures, pedicures, facials and massages.

[edit] Spring Harvest

Spring Harvest, the largest Christian conference in Europe takes place at the Minehead and Skegness sites every Easter. The event attracts some 55,000 Christians from a range of denominations and plays host to many renowned preachers, Christian musicians and dramatic artists. While there, attendees can make the most of the Butlins facilities in addition to a range of activities for people of all ages put on by Spring Harvest.

[edit] Butlins and Dodgem Cars

Dodgem Cars, a brand of bumper cars, were manufactured in the USA by the Dodgem Cars Ltd. Billy Butlin saw them and obtained the UK franchise. As a result, a Skegness funfair owned by Billy prior to going into Holiday Camps saw the first Dodgems cars in the UK in 1923.

[edit] Butlin's Beaver Club on The Radio

In 1956 Butlin's Beaver Club - with Uncle Eric Winstrone was heard in the United Kingdom and much of continental Europe on Sunday nights at 6:00 PM over the famous 208 wavelength of Radio Luxembourg.


[edit] Slogans

Throughout most of its history, Butlins has regularly advertised using various media. Examples of slogans include:

  • Late 2007 "Altogether More Fun"
  • 2005 - 2007 "kids love it"
  • Approx 2004 - 2005 "Come to life. Come to Butlins"
  • Approx 2002 - 2003 "A million holidays. One Butlins"
  • Mid 1980s "Play Happy Families"
  • Early 1980s "Let's Go Butlin It" and "Butlin it, and you'll do it again!"
  • 1970s "Butlinland is Freedomland" and "Holidays are Jollydays"
  • Original slogan from 1930s "Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight", although his first slogan was "A weeks holiday for a weeks pay!"

[edit] See also

  • Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight: The John Hinde Butlin's Photographs edited by Martin Parr (London: Chris Boot Ltd., 2003), a collection of postcard images of Butlin's camps from the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Pontin's

[edit] External links