Butlins Timeline Back
Additions/corrections most welcome!
For more details relating to a particular camp, please follow the links above
| 1899 | Billy Butlin is born in South Africa |
|---|---|
| 1921 | Billy Butlin arrives in the UK |
| 1927 | Billy Butlin opens an amusement park in Skegness |
| 1928 | Billy Butlin opens an amusement park in Mablethorpe |
| 1930 | Billy Butlin opens an amusement park in Bognor Regis |
| 1931 | Billy Butlin opens amusement parks in Hayling Island, Felixstowe & Southsea Harry Warner opens his first holiday camp |
| 1932 | Billy Butlin opens an amusement park in Littlehampton |
| 1936 | Skegness camp opened with 600 chalets. Redcoats make their first appearance. |
| 1937 | Billy Butlin opens an amusement park in Clacton Skegness - camp doubled in size |
| 1938 | Billy Butlin opens an amusement park at the Glasgow Empire Exhibition Clacton camp opened Skegness - Turkish baths destroyed by fire |
| 1939 | Filey - construction of camp begins. Not completed due to outbreak of war Skegness - Butlin Theatre opens (later known as the Gaiety Theatre). Duchess of Gloucester visits the camp to open the new Gloucester Dining Hall. Skegness & Clacton taken over for wartime use |
| 1941 | Ayr, Filey & Pwllheli completed and opened as military camps |
| 1944 | Billy Butlin awarded the MBE |
| 1945 | Billy Butlin buys Sheerness amusement park Filey opens as a holiday camp |
| 1946 | Skegness & Clacton reopen as holiday camps First Holiday Princess contest held First Butlins Reunion held at the Royal Albert Hall Billy Butlin takes over Dreamland Amusement Park in Margate Fred Pontin opens his first holiday camp |
| 1947 | Ayr & Pwllheli open as holiday camps Butlins Nursery service begins Laurel & Hardy play a week at the Gaiety Theatre at Skegness, week commencing 23 June |
| 1948 | Ayr - Heads of Ayr Hotel opens Mosney camp opened Skegness - Butlins airport opened next door. Billy Butlin acquires two hotels in the Bahamas |
| 1950s | The following (probably) occured in the 1950s. Confirmation of year/s welcome Ayr - indoor pool & amusement park opened Clacton - indoor pool opened Pwllheli - indoor pool & amusement park opened. Empire Theatre built. Skegness - indoor pool & amusement park opened |
| 1950 | Butlins Bahamas opens Bobby Butlin (Billy's son) works at Ayr for a season as a redcoat |
| 1951 | Butlins Beaver club started |
| 1953 | Filey - miniature railway Pwllheli - miniature railway and Peter Pan railway added Skegness - major flood hits the camp Ocean Hotel Saltdean acquired Butlins Bahamas put into liquidation |
| 1955 | Clacton - camp enlarged. 600 new chalets added (later known as Blue camp) St Georges, Queens, Norfolk & Florence hotels in Cliftonville acquired Metropole Hotel Blackpool acquired First Glamorous Grandmother contest held |
| 1956 | Ayr - miniature railway opened Grand & Princes hotels in Cliftonville acquired along with four other nearby hotels bringing the total up to ten in Cliftonville. (anyone know the rest?) First Miss She contest held |
| 1957 | Filey - Charlie the elephant arrives and indoor pool added |
| 1958 | Cliff Richard appears at Clacton |
| 1959 | Sheerness amusement park sold Ayr - chairlift opened Billy Butlin appears on 'This is your Life' |
| 1960s | The following (probably) occured in the 1960s. Confirmation of year/s welcome Ayr - various new buildings (Gaiety (Burns), Bruce, Arran, Nursery and Bingo Theatre) Clacton - various new buildings (Reception, Nursery, Junior Showplace, Dining Halls) Filey - Red & White camps converted to self-catering Skegness - new Queens Building, Sports Stadium closes |
| 1960 | Duke of Edinburgh Scheme launched at the camps Bognor camp opened Pwllheli - chairlift opened. First 'Puffing Billy' road train arrives. Ringo Starr makes his first Butlins appearance. |
| 1961 | Filey - chairlift opened |
| 1962 | Filey - Gaiety Theatre opens. Minehead camp opened Skegness - miniature railway and chairlift opened |
| 1963 | One million people visit the camps & hotels this year Pwllheli - Gaiety Building opens. Queen & Prince Philip visit the camp First show jumping contest held |
| 1964 | Billy Butlin receives knighthood Ayr - Stuart building opened. New train for miniature railway Filey - new Reception building opened Minehead - miniature railway opened. Full size steam locos arrive Pwllheli - new Nursery building opened Skegness - Princes building opens |
| 1965 | Ayr - Full size steam locos arrive Filey - Beachcomber building opens Minehead - chairlift opened Pwllheli - busiest season ever, camp filled to capacity for several weeks Skegness - monorail opened |
| 1966 | Barry Island opened Butlins annual reunion finishes Uncle Boko dies |
| 1967 | Barry Island - chairlift opened Minehead - monorail opened Butlins badges discontinued |
| 1968 | Ayr - mainline railway station closes Barry Island - Beachcomber building burns down Billy Butlin retires. Son Bobby takes over Single sex bookings banned |
| 1969 | Filey - Blue Camp self-catering chalets built |
| 1970s | The following (probably) occured in the 1970s. Confirmation of year/s welcome Ayr - Heads of Ayr hotel closes Minehead - Dry ski slope removed Pwllheli - New Gaiety Theatre. Red Camp Flatlets built. Major self-catering conversions to remaining chalets Skegness - Red Camp Flatlets built. South swimming pool filled in |
| 1970 | Last year for Duke of Edinburgh Scheme Steam locos removed from Ayr & Skegness |
| 1971 | Major chalet refurbishment at several camps Minehead - Playhouse Theatre burns down |
| 1972 | Company sold to Rank for £43 million |
| 1973 | Pwllheli - Gaiety Building burns down |
| 1974 | Minehead - Steam locos removed Skegness - Princes & Reception buildings burn down on Wednesday 5th June - see this site for a personal account of the fire Prior to the fire, the Ingoldmells Hotel was outside the camp fence, used mainly as a watering hole by staff at this stage. Immediately after the fire, the fence was moved and the Ingoldmells building was used to make up for the buildings lost in the fire Radio Butlin toned down |
| 1975 | Skegness - new train for miniature railway |
| 1976 | Filey - new train for miniature railway Minehead - new Flatlets built on site of old sports field |
| 1977 | Ayr - new train for miniature railway Clacton - new train for miniature railway Filey - mainline railway station closes Radio Butlin scrapped |
| 1978 | Bognor - new Blue camp Flatlets built Pwllheli - new train for miniature railway Grand Hotel Scarborough acquired |
| 1979 | El Griego hotel in Torremolinos Spain acquired |
| 1980s | The following occured in the 1980s. Confirmation of year/s welcome Ayr - 'Looping Star' roller coaster added Bognor - Nursery building demolished Minehead - Oasis indoor pool built. |
| 1980 | Sir Billy Butlin dies Ayr - £1.8 million invested Mosney - Advertised for sale Miss Lovely Legs contest first held Record year as 1.2 million people visit the camps & hotels |
| 1981 | Minehead - more new Flatlets built as part of £1 million investment Grand Hotel Llandudno acquired |
| 1982 | Mosney camp sold to new owner. Remains open Last year for show jumping contest |
| 1983 | Clacton and Filey close Bognor - new chalets built Minehead - new chalets built Pwllheli - outdoor pool converted into funpool |
| 1984 | Clacton sold & reopens briefly as 'Atlas Park'. Closes down soon after Bobby Butlin retires Minehead - new outdoor funpool Skegness - new outdoor funpool |
| 1985 | Bognor - dining rooms refurbished Clacton - camp contents auctioneed Minehead - new miniature railway running from Reception to Flatlets Filey sold to new owner. Most of White & Yellow camps demolished. 40 acres of land sold to caravan park next door. |
| 1986 | Barry Island sold to Majestic Holidays. Remains open Filey reopens briefly as 'Amtree Park'. Closes down soon after Minehead - renamed 'Somerwest World'. £10 million invested. Indoor pool converted into 'Sunsplash' funpool, nearly 500 new apartments built with remaining buildings and accomodation refurbished. New indoor funpool built for Cliftonville hotels 'Hi-de-Hi' catchphrase officially banned by company |
| 1987 | Bognor - renamed 'Southcoast World'. £16.5 million invested. Old Regency building demolished and replaced with new indoor funpool, new and upgraded accomodation and new miniature steam railway Clacton - all buildings demolished Pwllheli - Boomerang coaster opens Skegness - renamed 'Funcoast World'. £13.5 million invested. New indoor funpool along with new and upgraded accomodation and buildings |
| 1988 | Ayr - renamed 'Wonderwest World'. £25 million invested over next 5 years. New indoor funpool, new food plaza, new & upgraded accomodation including caravans. Miniature railway removed and old shopping centre building demolished. Filey - camp contents auctioned |
| 1989 | Barry Island - chairlift closes Filey - demolition begins Minehead - miniature railway removed and replaced by road train Pwllheli - tornado hits camp and causes £2 million worth of damage Skegness - chairlift removed Last year for Miss Lovely Legs contest Redcoat uniform redesigned by Zandra Rhodes |
| 1990s | The following occured in the 1990s. Confirmation of year/s welcome Ayr - Indoor & outdoor pools close Minehead - Windsor building demolished |
| 1990 | Pwllheli - renamed 'Starcoast World'. £27 million invested. New indoor funpool, new foodcourt, new & upgraded accomodation including apartments, caravans and lodges. |
| 1991 | Bognor - miniature railway removed |
| 1993 | Minehead - part of boating lake filled in to provide new site for fairground Skegness - new monorail trains |
| 1994 | Grand Hotel London opens |
| 1996 | Barry Island closes Minehead - monorail closes Pwllheli - miniature railway removed |
| 1997 | Barry Island sold to local council Minehead - chairlift removed. Beachcomber bar closes Pwllheli - Boomerang coaster removed Last year for Glamorous Grandmother & Holiday Princess contests |
| 1998 | Barry Island - all 800 chalets demolished along with the Princes building. Regency & Gaiety buildings survive. Ayr closes as a Butlins centre. Several attractions removed/demolished including chairlift, Burns building, Stuart building, Arran building, most of the chalets and the fairground. Regency & Bruce buildings survive along with the 1980s food plaza. Pwllheli closes as a Butlins centre. Several attractions removed including chairlift and amusement park. Most buildings demolished including remainder of Yellow & Red camps, rest of buildings & chalets retained and refurbished. All Butlin hotels sold Major upgrading begins at Bognor, Minehead & Skegness New indoor funpool opens at Minehead |
| 1999 | Ayr & Pwllheli reopen as Haven caravan parks. £25 million invested Remaining three centres rebranded. £139 million invested. Skyline Pavilions added Minehead - Windsor Building demolished |
| 2000 | Company sold to Bourne Leisure Further investment continues at remaining centres |
| 2001 | Mosney closes as a holiday camp |
| 2002 | Skegness - monorail removed |
| 2003 | Bognor - Part of York building demolished. New hotel announced |
