| Type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Leisure |
| Founded | 1936 (first site, Skegness) 2000 (as present company) |
| Founder(s) | Billy Butlin |
| Headquarters | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England |
| Area served | Great Britain |
| Products | Holiday Camps |
| Revenue | £184.6m (2010)[1] |
| Operating income | £17.2m (2010) |
| Net income | £12.2m (2010) |
| Owner(s) | Bourne Leisure Holdings Ltd |
| Employees | 3,571 (average, 2010) |
| Parent | Bourne Leisure Ltd |
| Website | www.butlins.com |
Butlins (also Butlin's) is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families.
Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one in Ireland and one in The Bahamas. In the 1970s and 1980s Butlins also operated numerous large hotels including one in Spain, a number of smaller holiday parks in England and France, and a revolving restaurant in the Post Office Tower in London.[2]
Tough competition from overseas package holiday operators, rising operational costs, and rapidly changing demand forced many of these to close in the 1980s and 1990s. Three of the original camps remain open under the Butlins' brand in Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness. They are now owned and run by Butlins Skyline Ltd a subsidiary company of Bourne Leisure Ltd which also operates other leisure brands in the UK including Warner Leisure Hotels and Haven Holidays.
Butlins runs a variety of "family fun activities" and entertainments, many of which are included in the price of a holiday. Redcoats provide entertainment, organise activities, and act as hosts.
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Billy Butlin's inspiration for his holiday camp empire came from an unhappy holiday on Barry Island in his youth, when he had been locked out of his bed and breakfast accommodation all day by his landlady, which was normal practice at the time.[3] The first of the Butlins 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. This camp was later renamed Wonderwest World, and is now owned and run by Haven, part of Bourne Leisure who own both brands.
In 1945, with war over, Filey opened as a holiday camp. The camps at Skegness & Clacton opened in 1946, Ayr and Pwllheli in 1947 and Mosney on the east coast of Ireland in 1948. Butlins became popular in post-war Britain with family entertainment and activities available for the equivalent of a week's pay.
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). Further post-war camps were opened in the 1960s at Bognor Regis (1960), Minehead (1962) and Barry Island (1966).
The camps at Ayr and Skegness also had separate self-contained hotels within the grounds. 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). 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.
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 number of camps peaked at ten between 1966 and 1980, but the business experienced the problems of the British seaside holiday industry in general with the introduction of cheap package holidays to Mediterranean resorts from the 1960s onwards. It also had a specific image problem of providing regimented holidays, which caused it to all but abandon the Butlins name at its remaining resorts between 1987 and 1990.
The camps at Clacton 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. All the Butlins hotels of the 1950s–1990s were sold in 1998 but the majority are still open today under different ownership, the art deco style Ocean hotel at Saltdean has been redeveloped into apartments and the hotels at Cliftonville have both been demolished.
The remaining resorts were sold to Bourne Leisure in 2000, and the "Holiday Worlds" branding was dropped in favour of returning the emphasis to the core Butlins name. A new Butlins logo was also introduced at this time, which has subsequently undergone several modifications and was used until late 2010, when Butlins introduced a design similar to their original logo.
In 2005, the new £10 million Shoreline hotel was unveiled at the Bognor Regis resort to expand on the existing variety of apartments on the site. The hotel, styled with an Art Deco theme, aimed to offer luxury accommodation in conjunction with the entertainment and facilities at the resort. Each of the 160 rooms features floor-to-ceiling windows, king-size beds, leather chairs, widescreen televisions, DVD players and en-suite facilities. Some have sea views, telescopes and balconies. A second hotel, called "Ocean Hotel" opened at Bognor in 2009 styled to a high contemporary standard.
Sorted alphabetically
| Location | Opened | Closed | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr | 1947 | 1998 | Known as Wonderwest World 1988–1998; operated as Craig Tara by Haven since 1999. |
| Bahamas | 1950 | Late 1980s | The site is now occupied by a new hotel and marina complex known as Old Bahama Bay. |
| Barry Island | 1966 | 1986 | Operated independently until closure in 1996. Demolished in 2005. |
| Bognor Regis | 1960 | Current | Known as Southcoast World 1987–1998. Still open as Butlins Bognor. |
| Clacton | 1938 | 1983 | Demolished, now a housing estate. Small area yet to be redeveloped. |
| Filey | 1945 | 1983 | Operated independently for six weeks in 1986, but the venture failed and it closed. Gradually demolished between 1988 and 2003. The northern end of the site is now part of the Haven caravan park, Primrose Valley, and the southern end is being developed as The Bay Filey, comprising holiday homes, leisure and sports facilities and a hotel. |
| Minehead | 1962 | Current | Known as Somerwest World 1986–1998. Still open as Butlins Minehead. |
| Mosney | 1948 | 1980 | Operated independently until closure and conversion into an Irish Government refugee centre for asylum seekers in 2000. Most of the original camp buildings are still in use.[4] |
| Pwllheli | 1947 | 1998 | Known as Starcoast World 1990–1998; operated as Hafan Y Mor by Haven since 1999. |
| Skegness | 1936 | Current | Known as Funcoast World 1987–1998. Still open as Butlins Skegness. |
In addition to these main locations known at various times as "Holiday Camps", "Holiday Centres", "Holiday Villages", "Holiday Worlds" and more recently as "Resorts", Butlins also operated numerous smaller holiday parks in England and France for several years during the late 1970s. These were known as "Freshfields holidays" and were more basic parks with far fewer facilities and little or no entertainment. They were aimed at those wanting a quieter, more relaxed holiday.[5]
| Location | Opened | Closed | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duporth Holiday Village, St Austell | 1934 | 2006 | operated as Butlins from 1972; operated as Haven from 1985. |
| Seaview Holiday Village, Polperro | ? | Present | operated as Butlins from 1973; Currently operated as Hoeseasons. |
| Sunshine Holiday Centre, Hayling Island | ? | Present | operated as Butlins from 1973; Currently operating independently as "Mill Rythe Holiday Resort". |
| St Minver | ? | Present | operated as Butlins from 1971; Currently operated by Parkdean Holidays. |
| Tencreek Holiday Park, Looe | ? | Present | operated as Butlins from 1973; Currently operated by Dolphin Holidays. |
| Ayrville, St Ives | ? | Present | operated as Butlins from 1974; Currently operating as "Ayr Holiday Park". |
| Two Chimneys, Penzance | ? | Present | operated as Butlins from 1974; Currently operated by Rojo Leisure. |
| Location | Opened | Closed | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr | 1946 | Early 1970s | Demolished in the 1970s[8] |
| Bognor Regis – Ocean | 2009 | Present | Newly opened within Bognor resort[9] |
| Bognor Regis – Shoreline | 2007 | Present | Newly opened within Bognor resort[10] |
| Borehamwood | 1939 | 1942 | Demolished in the 1980s and replaced with modern Hotel[11] |
| Blackpool | 1955 | 1998 | Still open as Grand Metropole Hotel |
| Cliftonville | 1955 | 1999 | Partially demolished, remainder converted to flats. |
| Llandudno | 1981 | 1998 | Still open as Grand Hotel. |
| London | 1993 | 1998 | Still open as Grand Plaza Hotel. |
| Saltdean | 1952 | 1999 | Converted to flats. |
| Scarborough | 1978 | 1999 | Still open as Grand Hotel |
| Skegness | 1936 | 1974 | Building still standing and now used as an amusement arcade within the Butlins Skegness resort[12] |
| Torremolinos | 1983 | 1998 | Still open as Griego Mar Hotel. |
Butlins resorts offer various accommodation options to cater for different tastes and budgets. These range from "Standard" rooms and apartments to "Silver", "Gold", and "Deluxe" rooms and apartments for higher levels of luxury. There are also "BlueSkies" apartments available at Minehead, and luxury hotel rooms in the "Shoreline" and "Ocean" hotels at Bognor Resort.
Butlins is widely known for its iconic "chalet" accommodation, which was originally the only form of accommodation and consisted of many long lines of single bedrooms in blocks known as "chalet lines". These were arranged so that each line of chalets faced another line, with a grassed area in the middle. Originally there were no toilets in individual chalets (campers had to use communal toilet blocks located in the middle of every few chalet lines) and the furnishings were very basic. Many of these chalet lines are still in use today, but have been enlarged and significantly upgraded to modern standards. All chalets now have en-suite bathroom facilities.
One of the very first chalets is still standing at the Skegness resort, and is now heritage listed and a historical display only.[13]
The "Skyline Pavilion" is a large area within each resort that is enclosed under a white tensile fabric canopy. These were created in 1998 by linking together several pre-existing buildings so that space within those buildings could be used to provide all-weather facilities within the Skyline Pavilions.
Each Skyline Pavilion contains a stage (used mainly for daytime children's shows), a cafe and associated seating, a bar (known as Bar Rosso), restaurants such as Burger King, an amusement arcade, an information counter (termed "infunmation point"), and various shops selling novelties, souvenirs, and groceries. Many of the other venues and attractions in the resort can be accessed directly from within the Skyline Pavilion also.
Each resort features a large indoor waterpark known as Splash Waterworld. These contain several waterslides, spas, a wave pool, and a lazy river. There is also a shallow pool area for young children, and sometimes an area for "serious" swimming. Skegness and Minehead also have an outdoor toddlers pool that is open in the summer months. Guests and day visitors can use these facilities at no additional cost.
There are various entertainment venues within the resorts including two large showbars known as "Centre Stage" and "Reds". Additionally there are ABC cinemas, "Jaks" (an adults-only nightclub), "Crazy Horse" (an older style cabaret bar), "Hotshots" 10-pin bowling centre with bar and snooker tables, "Green Baize" snooker hall (originally at all camps but now at Skegness only), and several additional bars, pubs, and cafes which vary from one Butlins resort to another. Nearly all entertainment is included in the cost of the holiday or day visitor entry.
Butlins resorts offer a variety of sports sessions and coaching, for example Archery, Fencing, Tennis (Skegness only), Table Tennis, and Soccer. Most of these sessions are included in the cost of holiday or day visitor entry price.
For general recreation, facilities include Multi-Sports courts, Adventure Golf, Adventure playgrounds, Water Zorbing, High Ropes courses, Funfair, Inflatable castles / pillows, and Go-Karts. Minehead resort also offers Bumper Boats, donkey rides, use of the adjacent golf course, and "Exmoore Adventures" country leisure pursuits. An additional charge usually applies for most of these activities, although the funfair is free.
Skegness and Bognor resorts each have a Spa complex for massage, swimming, facials and other popular Spa treatments.
There are a number of attractions and facilities at each resort provided especially for younger children. These include playgrounds, a supervised arts & crafts room, "Bob's Yard" (miniature funfair), a "Junior driving school" with small go-karts for children, and a nursery which can care for children and keep them entertained whilst parents enjoy other activities in the resort.
Butlins Bognor opened in 1960. The camp later became known as Southcoast World until 1998 and is now known as Butlins Bognor Regis Resort. In 1999 it was renovated again with the construction of a Skyline Pavilion. In 2005, a new £10m hotel, called "The Shoreline" was unveiled at the Bognor Regis resort.[14] A second hotel "The Ocean" opened on the site in Summer 2009 and general landscaping and upgrading also took place. In May 2009 Butlins announced that they will be looking into adding a third hotel to the Bognor Regis site.[15]
Butlins Minehead was opened to the public on 26 May 1962. It underwent substantial renovation in the 1980s, being renamed Somerwest World. In 1998 it was renovated again with the construction of a Skyline Pavilion. Since 1999 the Minehead resort has undergone further aesthetic upgrades. However, most of the original buildings remain, including almost all the original chalets. As such Minehead is now the last remaining Butlins camp that is still largely as Sir Billy designed it.
Mosney was the first Butlins camp outside the UK. The camp opened in 1948, occupying some 200 acres (0.81 km2) of a former country estate. In 1982, Butlins sold the camp, which was renamed Mosney Holiday Centre. The camp continued without substantive changes, however the last season for Mosney was 2000. Dwindling visitor numbers and problems finding staff for the short 12-week season eventually led to the camp's closure.n December 2000, a five year deal was signed with the government to turn Mosney into a refugee centre. Mosney is now home to 700 refugees from over 20 different countries. Like Minehead, most of the original buildings remain, including all the original chalets. Mosney is the only camp that has changed little since it was opened.
Butlins Skegness was the first of Billy Butlins holiday camps. The camp opened in 1936 but was taken over for military use in 1939, and known as HMS Royal Arthur. The camp reopened to holidaymakers in 1946. In 1987 the site underwent renovation with the construction of a modern fun pool and modernised accommodation, at this time the site was renamed Funcoast World. In 1998 it was renovated again with the construction of a Skyline Pavilion and since that time has undergone further improvements and maintenance.
Butlins Barry Island was the last of Billy Butlins holiday camps. The camp opened in 1966 and was sold to Majestic Holidays in 1987.
Butlins Ayr was built by Billy Butlin as a naval training camp in 1940. The camp opened to the public in 1946.
In 1948 Butlin also opened a hotel on the site and a railway station serving the camp. In 1987 a refurbishment saw the camp re-branded Wonderwest World and the creation of a new indoor fun-pool along with modernised accommodation.
The site was re-branded to sister company Haven Holidays in 1999 and renames Craig Tara, since then the focus has moved to replacing the original chalets with static caravans.
Butlins Pwllheli was built by Billy Butlin as a naval training camp in 1940. After the war, the camp opened to the public in 1947. In 1987 a refurbishment saw the camp renamed Starcoast World and the creation of a new indoor fun-pool along with modernised accommodation. In 1999 the site was re-branded to sister company Haven Holidays and renamed Hafan Y Môr..
The Big Weekends at Butlins, are open to over 18s only and are offered regularly across all of the three resorts. Each weekend has a different musical theme, usually based on a particular decade of the late 1900s.[16]
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 Moneypenny's, host club sessions with DJs such as Dave Pearce, Jeremy Healy and Judge Jules. This wasn't held in 2008 or 2009.
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 preachers, Christian musicians and dramatic artists. In previous years, the event has also been hosted at the Ayr and Pwllheli camps.
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Minehead.[17] Named after the song "All Tomorrow's Parties" by the Velvet Underground, it is an alternative to larger mainstream festivals and is presented in a more intimate environment than a giant stadium or huge country field. All Tomorrow's Partiesis a sponsorship-free festival where the organisers and artists stay in the same accommodation as the fans.[18]
Bloc Weekend is an annual music festival, devoted to electronic music of several genres, and incorporates both DJ sets and live shows. The first two Bloc events took place at Pontin's holiday camp in Norfolk. The 2009 event, which took place during 13–15 March, was moved to the larger Minehead resort. The 5,000 capacity event still sold out before the festival began. In 2010 and 2011, Bloc returned to Minehead for another sold-out show.
Dodgem Cars, a brand of bumper cars, were manufactured in the USA by Dodgem Cars Ltd. Billy Butlin saw them and obtained the UK franchise. As a result, a Skegness funfair owned by Billy Butlin saw the first Dodgems cars in the UK in 1923.
In 1956 Butlins 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 208 m wavelength of Radio Luxembourg.
The origins of the in-house TV system began in 1995 when Butlins decided to make use of the, then, 'empty' fifth channel (Channel 5 was still two years away from their launch). A teletext system was installed, together with a backing of incidental music, overseen by Redcoat/Stage Manager Tony Filer – and piped through to the guests' chalets to provide first an alternative, then an accompaniment to the printed programme of events. Filer (now a successful radio producer) installed a video camera in the new 'studio' to enable visiting celebrity interviews and 'Know your Redcoats' discussions to be shown. The Butlins 'Channel 5' name was changed to 'BTV' a year before the new fifth terrestrial TV channel emerged – and later became known as 'Reds TV'.
When booking in on arrival at Butlins (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. Campers kept badges from previous holidays and wore 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 vitreous 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.
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 Second World War years of 1940 to 1945 as the camps were taken over by the government 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 gap of the war years 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 Butlins badges: the camp didn't open that year as planned. The badges were manufactured but never issued; some examples survive.
The original badges were issued every year from 1936 until 1967. In recent years Butlins has again begun selling similar style badges in their on-resort souvenir shops. Some of these are of a more modern design, whilst some are close or exact replicas of badges from Butlins earlier days. The current badges however serve no purpose in identifying guests and are available purely as nostalgic souvenirs. Many regular guests like to swap badges with Butlins staff, who often have special badges to swap which are not otherwise available to guests. The badge collection ribbons are also sold in Butlins shops and may be used to pin multiple badges to.
Members of the Premier Club (Butlins loyalty club for regular guests) receive a free badge each time they visit, with a new design given each year.[19]
Throughout most of its history, Butlins has regularly advertised using various media. Examples of slogans include:
Due to its immense popularity and cultural significance as a major force in improving the standard of holidays for the British public, Butlins has appeared in popular culture too many times to list here. However, below are a few notable examples.
The 1947 film Holiday Camp was filmed mainly on location at Butlins Filey, although the establishing shot was of Butlins Skegness.
During the 1980s the BBC produced a satirical sitcom called Hi-de-Hi! set in "Maplin's", a farcical holiday camp loosely styled on Butlins in its early days. Its producers and writers (Jimmy Perry and David Croft) had themselves been redcoats at Butlins. More recently a documentary series called Redcoats followed Redcoats through their seasons at Butlins.
In the film version of The Who's Tommy (1975) there is a 'Bernie's Holiday Camp' where Tommy's mother meets her new husband.
In the television show LOST the character of Charlie Pace learns to swim with his father at a Butlins camp.
Many books have been written about Butlins and its history, and about the life of Sir Billy Butlin. Some of the best known of these are:
Read, Sue (1986). Hello Campers!. Bantam Press. ISBN 0-593-01039-6.
Butlin, Sir Billy (1993). The Billy Butlin Story - A Showman To The End. Robson Books. ISBN 0-86051-864-7.
North, Rex (1962). The Butlin Story. Jarrolds. ISBN Unknown.
May, James (2010). How to Land an Airbus A330 In his book, James May describes how one would go about escaping from a Butlins Holiday Camp. Hodder Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0340994580.
There have also been a number of children's fiction books which include Butlins as a location or an integral part of the story. For example:
Richards, Frank (1961). Billy Bunter at Butlins. Cassell. ISBN unknown.[20]
Creasey, John (1954). The Toff at Butlins. London, Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN unknown.[21]
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