Warners Woodside Bay Holiday Camp

The Warners Woodside Bay holiday camp on the Isle of Wight opened in 1964 and was set in 30 acres of attractive woodland which sloped down to a private sandy beach and slipway. It was only a short walk from the rival Pontins camp at Little Canada. Upon opening it could accomodate 650 campers but this was gradually increased to 900 with a selection of single, double and family chalets, most with private bathrooms. On-site facilities included indoor and outdoor pools, a dance hall, a couple of bars, dining hall (seperate rooms for adults and children), a nursery and a selection of sports such as tennis, putting, snooker and football.

Unfortunately the camp had a very short existence and seems to have closed in the early 1980s. The whole place was left intact and the gates were locked up. The camp suffered a number of fires after closure including a major one which destroyed the main two-storey entertainment building in April 1985. A couple of months later another fire destroyed the catering staff quarters followed in 1987 by yet another in the main staff quarters which was actually located in a 300-year old listed building. The camp was bought by the Rotch Brothers sometime in the 1980's with the view of opening a new camp on the site. As yet, nothing has happened. What was left of the camp remained until recently, albeit heavily overgrown and vandalised. However, in order to comply with the Isle of Wight Council's orders, all buildings have now been bulldozed and the crushed material taken away, even the beach is no longer what it once was. The following photos were taken in April 2003.

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