Exploring old Butlins sites...

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Exploring old Butlins sites...

Postby gap74 » Wed Jun 16, 2004 1:09 am

Found this website a while ago, but thought a fair few people on here might enjoy perusing the contents - it's basically a history of Butlins, with sections on each of the individual camps, including many pictures of them in both their heyday and during and after demolition. The remains of Filey and Barry Island I find particularly interesting, there's something quite emotive about a ruined holiday camp, especially one I have distant and vague memories of - a few family trips to Butlins in Filey in the late 70s/early 80s are enough to bring a lump to my throat when I see the broken remains of the once bustling camp complex!

Anyways, it's at http://www.butlinsmemories.com and I warn you, I lost hours exploring this site!

Gary
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Postby turbozutek » Wed Jun 16, 2004 3:14 am

Woah!

That is a really good site, like it a lot..

Thanks Gap!

Chris...
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Postby AMcD » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:13 am

Good find Gary... I can just about remember staying at Filey when I was wee, the cable-cars and the swimming pools. Strange seeing the pools in the photographs now.

I remember it being used in filming for an ITV drama, cannae remember the name, but it was something to do with people being trapped in suspended animation in a train tunnel (with the aid of some chemical thing) whilst the rest of the country was dying and then emerging years later... not bad story, but shockingly bad acting.
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Postby mrpattersonsir » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:15 am

i went to the mosney one in the republic of ireland when i was about 6. i remember being very confused by the fact that mosney was a butlins, but there was absolutely nothing to do there - the rides were crap, there was no entertainment, and everyone was old. it was so unlike the one in ayr - which was brilliant. i dont remember much else, except eating some chicken that was "on the turn", and being sick as a pike as a result.
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Postby DMcNay » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:25 am

amcd wrote:Good find Gary... I can just about remember staying at Filey when I was wee, the cable-cars and the swimming pools. Strange seeing the pools in the photographs now.

I remember it being used in filming for an ITV drama, cannae remember the name, but it was something to do with people being trapped in suspended animation in a train tunnel (with the aid of some chemical thing) whilst the rest of the country was dying and then emerging years later... not bad story, but shockingly bad acting.


"The Last Train". It was pish.
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Postby AMcD » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:44 am

That's the bugger... and pish it was.

Having read more on the butlins site, I know now why they all had a miltary feel to them. They were all either build to be miltary bases or were taken over by the miltary during war time. That could explain the huge iron gates and fences that used to run along the beaches.
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Postby Targer » Wed Jun 16, 2004 5:57 pm

In the early 50's I used to enjoy reading "The News of the World" about the goings on in the Butlins holiday camps, most entertaining.
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Postby gridrunner » Wed Jun 16, 2004 6:14 pm

I also went to the camp at Mosney and can verify mrpattersonsir's account plus it was filthy-a major let down allround.
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Postby Pgcc93 » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:56 pm

Targer wrote:In the early 50's I used to enjoy reading "The News of the World" about the goings on in the Butlins holiday camps, most entertaining.


::): ::): That's the best post i've read all day ::): ::): Cheers Targer
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Postby Smartalex » Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:30 pm

I just found this in an old Photo Album.

Beachcombers in the Stuart Building I believe.
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Postby The_Clincher » Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:55 pm

That'll be the "Beachcomber Bar" with it's "river" running through it on that brochure...i was there in 83 & 84if i'm brave enough i'll post a pic of me & friend from there in 1980's ::):
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Re: Exploring old Butlins sites...

Postby mmd » Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:04 am

gap74 wrote:Found this website a while ago, but thought a fair few people on here might enjoy perusing the contents - it's basically a history of Butlins, with sections on each of the individual camps, including many pictures of them in both their heyday and during and after demolition. The remains of Filey and Barry Island I find particularly interesting, there's something quite emotive about a ruined holiday camp, especially one I have distant and vague memories of - a few family trips to Butlins in Filey in the late 70s/early 80s are enough to bring a lump to my throat when I see the broken remains of the once bustling camp complex!

Anyways, it's at http://www.butlinsmemories.com and I warn you, I lost hours exploring this site!

Gary


Saw that site a while back too - great stuff. You could also try:

http://pontins_jersey.tripod.com/pontins/
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Postby Gazzathecoigne » Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:13 pm

Good find indeed. Honestly, I knew Butlins Ayr like it was my own street I was there that often.
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Re: Exploring old Butlins sites...

Postby Toby Dammit » Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:55 pm

I’ve got almost nothing but great memories of Butlins. We used to go every year when I was little. I think the sheer oddness of the look of the place, its utter apartness from everything else I saw in Scotland growing up gave me my love of folly architecture, though obviously that’s not something you think of as a child.

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I’ve bought a few postcards on e-bay in recent years, as well as some other Butlins items. There’s some great family photos too that my dad took, but all that stuff’s back home so I can’t scan any of them at the moment. My oldest postcard is this one of the “Rope Railway over Gardens” (chairlifts to us), dated 22 August 1962, sent to a lady in Carlisle.

It notes “the place is lovely and clean, plenty of good food too” though I must admit the food is one thing I don’t have such good memories of myself.

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My next oldest is this one of “The Princess Ballroom”. This part of the camp was closed to visitors by the time we started going, it was by then a semi-derelict building near the entrance gate where the two steam trains once sat. One afternoon though we sneaked in there with my Uncle Jimmy. I can still remember the forlorn sight of this abandoned giant pink sea shell. My Uncle started climbing the grand staircase which made such an alarming creaking and groaning sound we all rushed out of the building convinced the whole thing would collapse on our heads.

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The classic cards though are from the John Hinde Studios, with their heavily saturated look (did the Firth of Clyde ever look so blue again?). This one was sent by my Auntie Agnes to my granny and she notes “we want for nothing, all our meals left on for us, it’s a big change”. She usually had to cook for six people at home, so I guess the was what she appreciated the most, no cooking or washing up.

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The outdoor pool, captioned as “Heated” on the card was in fact bloody freezing all the year round and filled with dead beetles, great fun though.

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This one of the “Boating Lake and Miniature Train” was sent by the splendidly named Mrs. Scotland in August 1978 who wrote THE WEATHER HAS BEE (sic) GLORIOUS EVERY DAY. JAMES AND THE GIRLS DO NOT WANT TO COME HOME.

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This one of the “Quiet Lounge” was sent in the sixties (can’t make out the postmark quite) by “Mary” who cautiously wrote “Feel better about the camp now that we’ve settled in” but later mentions the terrible weather, “its pouring down this morning.”

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Fun Fair and Heads of Ayr

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The Beachcomber Bar, probably my favourite place in Butlins, though weren’t often allowed in (maybe that was part of the mystique). Full of cheeky tiki furnishings, the attraction for us kids were the spooky wooden idols and caiman lurking in the “river” (though of course we called them crocodiles). The highlight was spectacular tropical downpours accompanied by storm sounds, a volcano glowing and the lights going out on the distant tromp l’oeil island. Really magical stuff.

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And finally, little Dammit winning the fancy dress contest. I’ve still got the certificate too, so I know this was shot on July 11 1969.
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Re: Exploring old Butlins sites...

Postby rabmania » Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:29 pm

Another great post Mr Dammit. However, am less likely to want to visit Ayr as a result, than I am to follow you to Staglieno and that fab cemetery in Milan. Ever been to Naples?
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