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Last minute bookings - online only offer!
Butlins Skegness is simply one of the best holiday locations in the UK. Located just two miles north of Skegness on the East Coast of Lincolnshire Butlins is the perfect location to enjoy the Best of British holidays. You will find all that you need to entertain you on site, but you can also use Butlins as a base for you holiday. The site is located along the beach line and only a short walk from Ingoldmells and Fantasy Island. Either buy car or public transport you are just minutes away from Skegness with all it's attractions, not forgetting Gibraltar Point Nature reserve. Click Here to go to Butlins Web Site Click Here to Book Online Now ! Extract from Butlins Memories:
The camp which started it all,
Skegness was the first venture by Billy Butlin into the new and uncharted
waters of British holiday camps. Sitting on 200 acres of a former turnip
field, the camp has deservedly earned it's place in the hearts and minds of
British holiday folklore.
Construction began in
September 1935 and work progressed throughout the harsh winter. Many
problems were encountered, including a distinct lack of funds at one point.
Butlin designed the camp himself with many of his sketches and ideas
appearing on the backs of cigarette packets. He said "my plans were for
1,000 people in 600 chalets with electricity, running water, 250 bathrooms,
dining and recreational halls. A theatre, a gymnasium, a rhododendron
bordered swimming pool with cascades at both ends and a boating lake. In
landscaped grounds, there were to be tennis courts, bowling and putting
greens and cricket pitches".
The camp opened it's doors on
11th April 1936 and was an immediate success, despite many early teething
troubles. This was to be luxury camp, at prices that working people could
afford. Three meals a day, and free entertainment from 35 shillings a week
(£1.75). The capacity was increased from 500 to around 1200 during the first
season, and at the end of the year another £40,000 was invested to build a
dining room, theatre and gymnasium and to increase the capacity to 2000. The
camp eventually went on to accommodate close to 10,000 holiday makers.
On the outbreak of war in 1939 the campers were immediately sent home and the site was taken over by the Royal Navy. The camp became a training establishment and was known as HMS Royal Arthur. The beer garden became the sick bay, the Fortune Teller's Parlour was the dentist's office and the Viennese Dance Hall became the armoury with stacks of rifles. Air raid shelters occupied the former rose gardens and the brightly coloured paintwork disappeared under a dull military scheme. However the camp was respected and looked after by the Navy, despite constant attacks from the Luftwaffe - some 52 bombs landed on it!
At the end of the war the site
was handed back to Butlin's and work soon commenced on bringing the camp
back into life as a holiday resort. It reopened on 11th May 1946, only 6
weeks after leaving the Navy's ownership. In 1948 Billy Butlin opened his
own airport next door which dealt with passenger and freight charters, along
with local pleasure and sightseeing trips. A hotel (the Ingoldmells Hotel)
and a theatre (the Butlin Theatre, later renamed the Gaiety) were also built
adjacent to the main road and were both open to holidaymakers and the
general public alike.
The chairlift was opened in
1962 and ran from the south side of the camp right up to the north, it was
the longest in the Butlin's empire. The first commercial monorail in the UK
opened here in 1965.
Also in 1962, Ringo Starr and
his group Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, arrived to play the summer season
at Skegness after two successful years at Pwllheli. During that summer John
Lennon and Paul McCartney visited the Skegness camp and met with Ringo to
discuss future possibilities. This eventually led to a request to join their
band, conveyed in a phone call to the camp from Lennon on Tuesday 14th
August. Despite having two weeks left on his contract, Ringo gave his group
three days notice and on 18th August 1962 sat down behind the drum-kit of
the Beatles. On that night the Fab Four were born.
The camp continued to prosper
and in 1987 benefitted from a £14 million investment and improvement scheme,
including a change of name to Funcoast World. It was refurbished again in
1999 which included the construction of over 1,000 brand new apartments
including some very attractive 'New England' style buildings. The centre now
has 7,500 beds and employs 300 full time and 1,000 seasonal staff. It also
has its own caravan park which contains over 500 privately owned static
vans. One of the original 1936 chalets is now preserved as a Grade 2 listed
building. The centre looks set for a long and secure future.
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