Butlins 75th Birthday slideshow

Bultins 75th Anniversary

Anniversary Year 2011

The first 75 years
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Billy Butlin arrived in England in 1921 with just £5 in his pocket. His resorts brought him fame, fortune and, in 1964, a knighthood. Perhaps surprisingly, this was for services to the church - the original resorts had their own chapels, and open-air church services were held.

The opening of the first
Butlins resort in 1936 helped turn Skegness into one of the UK’s leading
seaside resorts. Billy was always careful to choose sites with good transport
links. For holidaymakers in the Midlands, Skegness was just a short train ride
away.

The facilities at Butlins holiday camps were unlike anywhere else and proved very popular with holidaymakers. In this holiday poster from the 1950s, showing the luxurious outdoor pool at Butlins Clacton, the whole camp is bustling with happy Butlins customers. <br />

The Redcoats’ role can be summed up very simply: to put a smile on guests’ faces. As one old recruitment ad put it, “A Redcoat is a member of a Happy Gang whose aim is to make sure that Butlins holidaymakers have the greatest vacation of their lives.”

A number of Butlins resorts featured underground bars and coffee lounges with windows on to the pool. Sometimes, spectators got more than they bargained for. “Every so often someone lost their swimsuit, to the great hilarity of those watching!” recalls former Redcoat Jane Leslie.

Both Minehead and Skegness had their own monorails, which guests used for pleasure rides. The trains could travel at up to 15mph and gave a bird's eye view of the resort. The monorail at Skegness ran until 2002.

The putting green at Butlins Bognor Regis, complete with giant tee and ball. Billy’s aim was that there should always be something to do at Butlins, come rain or shine. It’s appropriate, then, that this area now houses the Skyline Pavilion with its all-weather attractions.

The chance to make new friends was all part of the magic of Butlins. The bright colours of this vintage publicity poster promise a week of sun and wholesome outdoor fun - and maybe a little romance!

The range of activities on offer at Butlins was unrivalled. Guests at Minehead in the 1960s could even try water-skiiing on the boating lake. “Until the driver got the hang of the corners, a few campers did end up skiiing on the grass!” recalls Butlins archivist Roger Billington.

As this 1950s poster shows, Butlins has always appealed to the whole family. Billy’s vision including “dining and recreation halls, a theatre, a gym, a rhododendron-bordered swimming-pool and a boating lake... tennis courts, bowling and putting greens.”

The great British seaside
has always been an important part of any Butlins holiday, with all our resorts
just a pebble’s throw from a fine sandy beach. This picture shows the promenade
at Clacton-on-Sea. Billy opened the funfair in 1937, and the camp itself
followed in 1938.<br />

Having Fun

Families Together

Butlin's VIP

Competition

Which is your favourite beach game?

Volleyball

Bat & Ball

Frisbee

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