Ayr | Barry Island | Bognor Regis | Clacton | Filey | Minehead | Mosney | Pwllheli | Skegness
I used to live in Clacton in the mid sixties and my parents both worked at Butlins in Clacton. My Mum was the manager of the Sportswear/General shop and my Dad worked on the maintenance team. I have many fond memories of running completely free aged five around the whole camp for weeks on end. I only found out later that my mother had told people to look out for me so wherever I went there was always a friendly staff face. It was so different in the 60's!
I in fact later went on to work for Warners in Dovercourt (where they actually filmed Hi De Hi) in the mid 70's, another site now completely gone.
Anyway, cut forward to the mid 80's and I was a musician living in London with some contacts in Clacton. Having played a gig in Clacton on the Saturday night, my then girlfriend, now wife, took a walk down the seafront and came across the Butlins site in a state of demolition. The main gates were open so as there was no-one around we just wandered in and took a few pictures (me in a state of complete fond nostalgia of course!). We were only there for about ten minutes before a policeman and a workman asked us to leave. Anyway, here are the results.
Just by way of explanation. I'm sure you'll recognise the main entrance even though it has the Atlas sign up. The picture taken in the 'hanger' was the site of my Mum's old shop and if you look carefully you can see the remains of the old Regency bar in the upstairs part. The cafe picture, I think, is the old cafe where they had the viewing windows for the indoor pool. The chalet lines are on what is called the South Camp in the 1960 map and of course you'll recognise the outdoor pool with prominent Crazy Horse sign!
