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Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin MBE (29 September 1899 – 12 June 1980) was an entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp. [n 1] [n 2] Although holiday camps such as Warner's existed in one form or another before Butlin opened his first in 1936, it was Butlin who turned holiday camps into a multimillion-pound industry and an important aspect of British culture.
Butlin's 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, Butlin's also operated numerous large hotels, including one in Spain, a number of smaller holiday parks in England and France ...
In the winter of 1961, Billy Butlin began work on creating a holiday camp in Minehead. The site was selected because of its flatness, good rail links, and proximity to the town and sea. The site was not without its problems, however, including flooding. In order to solve this, a trench was excavated around the site and an earth wall constructed.
One of Butlin's original chalets preserved and listed in Skegness. Construction began on 4 September 1935; the local paper reported the first sod had been turned. [notes 5] Butlin designed the camp himself and said of the camp, "my plans were for 1,000 people in 600 chalets with electricity, running water, 250 bathrooms, dining and recreational ...
Butlin's Bognor Regis is a holiday camp in the seaside resort of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England.It lies 55.5 miles (89 km) south southwest of London. Butlin's presence in the town began in 1932 with the opening of an amusement park; their operation soon expanded to take in a zoo as well.
Redcoats at Butlins Filey in 1947. All but the figure on second right are redcoats. The first Redcoat was Norman Bradford. When Sir Billy Butlin opened his first Butlin's in Skegness he realised that his guests were not engaging with activities in the way he had envisioned: most kept to themselves, and others looked bored.
Butlin (right) visiting the Filey camp in 1945. Filey Holiday Camp was being built for Billy Butlin in 1939. The outbreak of the Second World War led to an arrangement with the War Ministry whereby the ministry financed the camp's completion and used it as housing for military personnel as RAF Hunmanby Moor. [1] Butlin reclaimed the base in 1945.
The plaque, designed by former AEM, Steuart Kingsley-Inness and paid for by him and former Barry Redcoats, was dedicated to the late Entertainments Manager, John Wilson, it commemorates the Butlins Holiday Camp and its operator, showman and philanthropist Sir William 'Billy' Butlin. Sir Billy's widow, Sheila, Lady Butlin, sent a letter ...