The updated FAQ requested for the Butlins Memories website. I have revised some of the answers to reflect more current information and fill in missing gaps, in the hope that this will assist with your research.
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Ballrooms were an essential part of life at Butlin’s, and each camp offered a wide range of venues. Dancers could choose from Modern, Old Time, and Jive, with a dedicated facility for each style. Every ballroom had its own resident band, and competitions took place throughout the summer, culminating in grand finals at the end of the season, usually at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The largest event was the Butlin’s Dance Festival, recognised as the world’s biggest. Held as an exclusive end-of-season booking, it took over an entire camp for a week and attracted up to 10,000 dancers, supporters, and officials. Different dance styles took place simultaneously in the camp’s ballrooms and theatres. Other contests included Highland Dancing, Modern, Old Time, Novice, the Veleta Trophy, and even Tap Dancing.
Every camp and hotel had an extensive loudspeaker network supplied by London-based Tannoy Ltd. Staff from Radio Butlin operated the system, using it to broadcast announcements and music. Its most memorable role, however, was waking campers each morning. At a set time, the loudspeakers would suddenly come alive with the famous “wakey-wakey” call, followed by music announcing that the first breakfast sitting was approaching. Early campers at Ayr may have had the worst of it, waking to the sound of a local bagpiper! The Tannoy system was scaled back in the 1970s and eventually scrapped altogether.
This service was operated by the nursery department, allowing parents to spend the evening out while their children slept in the chalets. Staff teams patrolled the chalets, sometimes using bicycles, and noted anywhere babies or children could be heard crying. They then relayed this information over the Tannoy or to the main entertainment buildings, where a sign would flash to alert the parents. This service would be removed from Butlins as the rules of child welfare have greatly changed.
Billy Butlin introduced hotels to the Butlins brand at a site in Borehamwood, Elstree. The hotel bore the logo for only a short time before it was requisitioned for wartime use. After the war, Billy Butlin chose not to proceed with his plans for the site. His hotel plans did, however, move forward at Skegness (Ingoldmells Hotels) and the Ayr camp (Heads of Ayr). The company subsequently purchased hotels in Brighton, Blackpool, and several in Cliftonville. This expansion continued after Sir Billy Butlin retired, and the last hotel opened in London.
A major change came in 1998, when the hotel division was sold by its owner at the time, the Rank Organisation. Later, Bourne Leisure Ltd, the new owners, restored the Butlins name to the hotels at Bognor Regis. Three remain on the site: the Shoreline Hotel, the Wave Hotel, and the Ocean Hotel. These are the only hotels that carry the Butlins name, and all are situated on the resort grounds.
The small, attractive metal pin badges were originally introduced as proof that a holidaymaker had paid for their stay. Guests wore them throughout their holiday, and the badges also admitted them to the various entertainment venues. First appearing in 1936, they were produced in different designs for every camp and hotel each year, except during the war. Their colours varied from week to week. On the 1958 Pwllheli badge shown, for example, the outer ring might be red, blue, green, black or yellow. Over five weeks, each incoming group received a colour that differed from the badge worn by the previous week’s guests.
This made it easier for security staff to detect holidaymakers who had overstayed, and allowed bar staff to refuse service to anyone not wearing the correct colour, helping meet licensing requirements. Badges were also made for many other events and groups, including children’s clubs, winter reunions, sports festivals and Christmas. They were issued as well to day visitors, those staying for a second week, and members of the various social clubs and committees. Production came to an end in late 1967. No one knows the exact number of designs, though estimates suggest around 1,700. Most are still relatively affordable, while a few rare examples sell for considerably more. Pin badges were reintroduced in 2004 and you can buy them and attach them to a lanyard worn around the neck. The badges feature a range of designs, including Butlins characters and vintage logos. Special designs include annual “Premier Club” badges for guests who visit Butlins more than a specified number of times. “Eat Well” and “Discovery” badges are also offered to guests who have their cards stamped for choosing certain healthy foods or completing specific activities.
By the late 1960s, the camps had enjoyed several years of growth, and the future looked promising. Billy Butlin retired in 1968 and moved to Jersey for tax reasons, leaving the company in the hands of his son, Bobby. In 1972, the company was sold to Rank for £43 million, though Bobby remained in control. However, the British holiday industry was about to face serious competition from overseas destinations. As record numbers of people began travelling abroad, the golden age of the British seaside resort started to fade. Like most holiday companies, Butlins began to experience a significant decline in bookings.
What had suited the post-war years now seemed distinctly out of date. The rows of chalets, blaring loudspeakers, barbed-wire fences, shared bathrooms and overall sense of strict order made the camps feel more like military bases than holiday destinations. Butlins began to lose some of its loyal family visitors, replaced by crowds of unruly teenagers. The camps also grew shabby, and descriptions of them as the “stag-party capital of the world” did little to improve their reputation. Butlins’ family-friendly image had been seriously damaged.
The camps were rebranded as “centres,” and a series of changes followed: single-sex bookings were banned, the Tannoy system was removed, the strict routines were relaxed, and self-catering facilities were expanded. The company also moved into other holiday markets, acquiring several smaller holiday camps and caravan parks that it operated under the Freshfield Holidays name. In an effort to benefit from the growing popularity of overseas holidays, it even purchased a large hotel with 400 rooms in Torremolinos, Spain.
However, low booking numbers led to limited investment. Reports described chalets with leaks and damp, cold swimming pools, peeling paint, closed facilities, poor food, and indifferent staff. Although £3 million was invested in 1978, it was not enough to stop the decline. The company made the major decision to reduce its empire and concentrate on fewer sites. From 1982 to 1986, four camps—Mosney, Clacton, Filey, and Barry Island—were closed, leaving just five remain, Minehead, Bognor Regis, Skegness, Ayr and Pwllheli.
