Filey after Closure Back

After the camp closed in 1983 it lay empty until reopening briefly as Amtree Park. During this period a strip of land along the north side was sold to the adjacent Primrose Valley caravan park. The buildings along this stretch were soon demolished, these included the York and Windsor dining halls, Regency ballroom and most of Yellow and White camps. After this project folded the remaining buildings lay empty until plans were announced for the demolition to begin.

Realising what was happening, Paul Wray made numerous visits to the site to carry out an extensive survey before it all disappeared forever. This resulted in an amazing collection of over 8,000 photographs along with numerous drawings and sketches. We are extremely grateful to Paul for having the foresight to record these scenes and for allowing us to display some of these now historic images on the site.

These images form the basis of the only comprehensive photographic survey ever carried out at Filey and we've included them for their historical importance. Although they do present a very sad sight we hope you'll be able to look past the neglect and to remember these scenes from happier times.

Filey was an incredible camp "the biggest and best in the Butlins empire" and gave many thousands of people some of the best times and memories of their lives. So think back to those wonderful days and try to remember the camp as it was.

Click on the images to view each album