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| Type | Private |
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| Founded | Skegness (1936) |
| Headquarters | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England |
| Number of locations | Three resorts - Skegness, Bognor Regis & Minehead |
| Area served | England |
| Industry | Leisure |
| Parent | Bourne Leisure |
| Website | www.butlins.com |
Butlin's Holiday Camps, currently known by the (non-possessive) trademark Butlins, 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. The sites are now owned by Bourne Leisure which operates other leisure brands in the UK including Warner and Haven.
Butlins is noted for the famous "Redcoats" who provide entertainment and organisation at every level.
Billy Butlin's inspiration for his holiday camp empire came from an unhappy holiday on Barry Island in his youth, when he'd been locked out of his B&B all day by his landlady, which was quite normal practice until relatively recently.[1] 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. 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. Butlin's 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 nine 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 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 is under redevelopment into flats (2007) and the hotels at Cliftonville have both been demolished.
The remaining resorts returned to the Butlins name in 1998, and the company was sold 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 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 TVs, DVD players and en-suite facilities, some also include sea-views, telescopes and balconies. A second hotel called "The Ocean" is due to open at Bognor in 2009 styled again to a very high standard.
Sorted alphabetically
| Location | Opened | Closed | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr | 1947 | 1998 | Known as Wonderwest World 1988–1998; operated as Haven since 1999. |
| Barry Island | 1966 | 1986 | Operated independently until closure in 1996. |
| Bognor Regis | 1960 | Current | Known as Southcoast World 1987–1998. |
| 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. |
| Minehead | 1962 | Current | Known as Somerwest World 1986–1998. |
| Mosney | 1948 | 1980 | Operated independently until closure and conversion into an Irish Government refugee centre for asylum seekers in 2000. |
| Pwllheli | 1947 | 1998 | Known as Starcoast World 1990–1998; operated as Haven since 1999. |
| Skegness | 1936 | Current | Known as Funcoast World 1987–1998. |
Accommodation comes in a variety of standard levels:
Activities specifically for children
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.
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.
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.
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. Autumn 2009 saw their latest hotel opened, named Ocean Hotel, upon which £20 million was spent. Another four hotels are being planned as part of Bognor Regis Regeneration.
The camp was opened on the 26 May 1962.
Butlins Minehead underwent its first set of improvements during the 1980s, when problems with flooding were fixed and a miniature railway, chairlift and monorail were added to the camp in 1984, 1985 and 1987 respectively.
Butlins Minehead developed the Exmoor Adventures which include a climbing wall, diving courses, horse riding, Land Rover safari, fly fishing and sea fishing, sailing, canoeing and coasteering, some of which are held at Exmoor National Park.
In 2007, further work in the Minehead resort has been undertaken with the creation of new timeshare apartments.[2]
From December 2006, the Minehead resort has hosted the All Tomorrow's Parties music festivals which are held 2 or 3 times over the year. It is also the venue used for the electronic music festival Bloc Weekend.
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.
In 1987 the camp underwent refurbishment and was renamed Funcoast World.
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.
In 2004 'The Spa' opened at Butlins Skegness with a swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, fitness suite, spa, sauna, and steam room. This adults-only facility offers a range of treatments including manicures, pedicures, facials and massages.
Butlins Barry Island was the last of Billy Butlin's 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 and was rebranded Haven Holidays in 1999.
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.
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.
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 preachers, Christian musicians and dramatic artists. In Previous years, the events were also hosted at the Ayr, and Pwllheli camps as well.
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 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 208m wavelength of Radio Luxembourg.
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. 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.
The badges were issued every year from 1936 until 1967.
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 Butlin's badges: the camp didn't open that year as planned. The badges were manufactured but never issued; some examples survive.
Throughout most of its history, Butlins has regularly advertised using various media. Examples of slogans include:
In the 1970s an advertising campaign featured two visiting blue-skinned characters from another planet called 'Toot and Ploot'. They featured in television advertisements and on various Butlins items such as holiday brochures and carrier bags.
During the 1980s the BBC produced a satirical sitcom called Hi-de-Hi! set in "Maplin's", a Butlins-style holiday camp. More recently a documentary series called Redcoats followed Redcoats through their seasons at Butlins.
In the film version of The Who's "Tommy" there is a "Bernie's Holiday Camp" where Tommy's mother meets her new husband.
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