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42-411: Filey Holiday Camp was a Butlin's holiday camp near Filey , North Yorkshire, England, built for Billy Butlin 's holiday organisation. Construction of the camp began in 1939. From 1939 to 1945, the camp was used as a military training base, as RAF Hunmanby Moor . The camp closed in 1983. The camp was served by its own railway branch and station ( Filey Holiday Camp railway station ) from 1947, however

84-557: A Scandinavian market and music. Benny Andersson , formerly of ABBA , was invited to perform at the festival, and to judge an ABBA tribute band competition. Hemsby received further attention from the media and from politicians when plans were announced for an "Eden of the East" project involving an eco-tourism park based on the old Pontins' site. The project, designed to be environmentally friendly, will provide revolutionary 'open air' camping all-year-round inside giant geodesic domes . Hemsby

126-470: A camp would serve over 200,000 meals per week, all cooked on site. In a typical year in the early 1960s, Butlins would cook: It was Billy Butlin 's idea that frontline staff should wear red blazers to identify themselves, and rival companies adopted different colours. Butlin's staff were called Redcoats , Pontins' staff were Bluecoats, and Warner's staff were Greencoats. Their duties ranged from adult entertainer or children's entertainer to stewarding. With

168-486: A fee was charged: bars , restaurants , amusement arcades . Holidaymakers would pay a fee for their accommodation and decide whether to go full board (all meals would also be included in the price), half board (only the main meal would be included) or self-catering (no meals provided). At the larger camps, it was not impossible for up to 10,000 people to need to be catered for. These camps would have two sittings for each meal, usually an hour apart. This could mean that

210-524: A focus on caravan accommodation and branded them under sister company Haven – Pwllheli becoming Hafan y Mor and Ayr becoming Craig Tara. The number of Pontins camps was reduced to 8 with several sold off or redeveloped for housing estates. Meanwhile, Warner's had experimented with "Adult Only" camps in the 1980s and gone on to develop hotels (usually in historic buildings) providing hotel-type comfort mixed with holiday-camp-style entertainment. The camps have attempted to improve their status by changing away from

252-427: A play area; an entertainment hall seating 1,700; smaller hall accommodating 800 and a shop; an indoor swimming pool; a pub; and snooker rooms. Outside facilities included tennis courts, an adventure playground and go-karting track. In January 2009, following five years of declining bookings and after a review from Pontins' new owners Ocean Parks, Pontins gave staff 48 hours notice of closure of the site. Sold together with

294-457: Is mainly the residential area, about a mile inland. Kingsway is an area of the village which includes a Co-op shop, hairdressers and a Chinese restaurant. This is also the main location for buses into Great Yarmouth and Martham . St Mary the Virgin Church was built in the 12th century and is a landmark in the village. The Scroby Sands wind farm was built in 2003 and is clearly visible from

336-408: Is now the last surviving of those early pioneering family sites that is still privately owned and run by fourth generation John Potter. In the 1930s, camps took on a larger scale with the establishment of large chains. The first of these was Warners , founded by Harry Warner who opened his first site on Hayling Island in 1931, with another three opening before the outbreak of World War II . During

378-576: The Blackpool camp to developer Northern Trust , it has been subject to multiple development proposals in the period since, none of which have progressed to planning. Seven cliff-top homes were destroyed when cliffs collapsed in a storm surge caused by Cyclone Bodil . Following Pontins' closure in 2009, Hemsby's traders started a fight-back to prosperity by engaging brand expert Simon Middleton, known as "the Brand Strategy Guru", to re-invigorate

420-674: The Freshfields name. In the 1980s, many camps were shut down, as holidaymakers increasingly turned to package holidays and individually tailored breaks. The holiday camp was seen as run-of-the-mill or dated. 1983 saw the Butlins camps closed in Filey and Clacton. Through the 1990s, substantial investment was made in the remaining camps as operators attempted to concentrate their resources. They also attempted to concentrate on specific market sectors. Butlins substantially rebuilt two of its main camps with

462-650: The 1 and 1a serves the village. all stop at the Kingsway bus stop. Hemsby is home to the Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service (better known as Hemsby Lifeboat), an independent and voluntary lifeboat service that operates within the nearby coastal areas and the broads. The institution is independent of the RNLI , relying entirely upon public donations in order to operate. Each year two fund-raising days are held, Hemsby Lifeboat Day and Hemsby Herring Festival, they are held on

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504-452: The 1960s onward, many camps also added static caravan accommodation, and today, many static caravans are also termed holiday camps. Cunningham's Young Men's Holiday Camp at Groudle (1894–1903) then Douglas (1904–1939) on the Isle of Man is sometimes regarded as the first holiday camp, but it differed from the definition (above), especially as accommodation was still in tents . Cunningham's

546-413: The 1970s and 1980s, the market declined as people began to holiday overseas, taking advantage of the new, cheap package holidays . Pontins was least affected, partly as they were already providing package holidays and partly because their smaller camps meant they had fewer beds to fill. Butlins attempted to diversify into this same market, purchasing smaller camps and caravan parks and marketing them under

588-556: The 2011 census it had increased to 3,275. Hemsby borders the villages of Winterton-on-Sea and Scratby . For the purpose of local government, the parish is in the district of Great Yarmouth . Coastal erosion is destroying a number of homes and others are threatened. A Norfolk county map dated around 1610 shows a headland, called Winterton Ness , extending into the sea north-east of Hemsby. This headland has now almost entirely disappeared through erosion. The village's name means 'Hemer's farm/settlement'. Hemsby, along with much of

630-583: The Norfolk coast, was targeted by the Vikings , who initially raided the area in search of precious materials and slaves . The village was founded at some point during this time. The settlement grew steadily and is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the name of Haimesbei with a description of "a hamlet covering 43 meadow acres with 50 households, 3 slaves, 2 salt pans and 160 sheep". In late February 2023,

672-521: The Virgin dates from the early 14th century. The (Primitive) Methodist Church is located at 6 Waters Lane. It was built in 1879, and has a regular Sunday service at 11.00am. The Congregationalist Church was founded in 1862 and is located on Yarmouth Rd. It was quietly sold off, but the graveyard is still accessible to the public. Hemsby's only school is Hemsby Primary School, a mixed-sex school for pupils aged 4 to 12. The school buildings date back to 1904. Due to

714-582: The beach, and a concrete bunker, left over from the World War II coastline defences. These were cast by the Royal Engineers as tank defences; the platoon sergeant was Owen (Tom) Hanbury who settled in Hemsby. Erosion is a major problem in the surrounding villages of Winterton-on-Sea and Caister where sandy cliffs are being destroyed by the forces of the sea. Hemsby's dunes are also being eroded; previously

756-404: The beach, with a variety of stalls and booths to attract visitors. Save Hemsby Coastline is a registered charity, its sole purpose to raise awareness of the coastal erosion issues, and to gain protection for Hemsby Beach in the form of a rock berm. This is to be 1500 km, and planning permission has been granted, now we need the funds to secure Hemsby's future. The Grade II listed church of St Mary

798-409: The beaches experienced another bout of severe erosion. Access has become so limited that as of 27 February, the lifeboat cannot launch. The beaches were one of the major tourist draws in the village, with miles of sandy coastline. Large sand dunes form a natural barrier between the beach and the village behind it. One of the more unusual features of the beach is a scattering of anti-tank blocks across

840-402: The coast to Hopton-on-Sea in 1924, and the original site was sold. The largest of the accommodation parks was a branch of Pontins , but this closed in 2009. For many years, there were two holiday camps, Seacroft holiday camp on the north side of Beach Road and Maddisons Camp on the south side of Beach Road. There was friendly rivalry and football matches held and overall brought prosperity to

882-524: The country rather than building purpose-built camps for training, stationing troops, internment, and for housing refugees and workers. After the war, most holiday camps in Britain had been damaged by troop occupation; the situation was so bad that questions were raised in Parliament. The war was not bad for all camp owners. Butlin did a deal with the war minister to sell his unfinished Filey camp and to complete

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924-456: The country were beginning to include hut-based accommodation. Inspired by visits to Caister Camp, 'Pa' Potter opened the first holiday camp with all wooden huts and permanent main buildings in 1920 at a site in Hemsby , Norfolk called Potters Camp . Potters Camp moved to Hopton-on-Sea in 1924 and moved again to a seaside location within that village in 1933. Potters Resort , as it is known today,

966-563: The country, Butlin opened his 10th camp in 1966, and Pontin had expanded into providing trips to Mediterranean locations in 1963. Not all ideas took off. Butlin attempted to expand into the Caribbean in the late 1940s, and hoped to expand the market for his camps in the United States , but by 1950 the venture was wound up, and Butlin admitted defeat and focused his efforts back in Europe . Through

1008-620: The early 1930s, Warner asked funfair entrepreneur Billy Butlin to join the board of his company and, in 1935, Butlin observed the construction of Warner's holiday camp in Seaton, Devon . Butlin learned from the experience of Warner, and employed the workers who had constructed the Seaton camp to build his first camp under the Butlins name at Skegness , Lincolnshire in 1936. By the outbreak of World War II , Butlin had opened another camp at Clacton-on-Sea , and

1050-531: The following: Most camps were by the seaside but some, like "California in England" near Wokingham, Berkshire were beside a lake and catered for a modest 300 guests. "California in England" also had the only glass-floored ballroom in the country. There were usually extensive childcare facilities such as a crèche and various clubs to keep young children occupied, enabling parents to follow their own pursuits. In addition, there were usually other facilities for which

1092-544: The growth of caravan parks in the 1970s and 1980s, the entertainment teams adopted more modern names, such as the HavenMates or the FunStars. Bibliography Hemsby Hemsby is a village, seaside resort and civil parish in the county of Norfolk , England. It is situated some 8 mi (13 km) north of the town of Great Yarmouth . In the 2001 census Hemsby had a population of 2,973 in 1,221 households; by

1134-405: The holiday camp identity and identifying themselves as holiday centres, resorts, holiday villages, coastal villages, or holiday parks. In 2004, market research company Mintel estimated that 26% of UK adults had used a holiday centre over the preceding two years (an increase of 4% compared to 2001). Included in the price would be entertainments provided on site. These would include all or some of

1176-548: The opening shot of a train arriving at the station was filmed at Sandsend railway station , as the view at Sandsend was considered more spectacular. 54°10′55″N 0°17′13″W  /  54.182°N 0.287°W  / 54.182; -0.287 This article about a United Kingdom building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Holiday camp As distinct from camping , accommodation typically consisted of wooden chalets , accommodation buildings arranged individually or in blocks. From

1218-459: The resort's image. Focusing on the village's Viking origins, Middleton proposed a new strapline for the resort, "1200 years of seaside fun", with an accompanying logo showing a laughing Viking brandishing a bucket and spade. The Viking theme was continued with the announcement of Norfolk's first Viking Festival held in June . The festival included a Viking encampment and re-enactments of battles, as well as

1260-460: The road has cafes, shops and amusement arcades , while at the upper end are houses and accommodation parks, consisting mainly of chalets and caravans . Herbert Potter purchased land in Hemsby; this was the original site of the first permanent and mixed-use holiday camp in the United Kingdom, Potters Resort . The holiday camp opened in 1920 with wooden huts as standard. The camp was moved down

1302-420: The station closed in 1977 due to greater car ownership. The derelict railway station platforms remain in situ today; however they are on private land. Part of the old camp was replaced by Primrose Valley holiday park, and the adjacent "The Bay Filey" holiday resort. The boating lake was filled in and is now a large green area with a central path through it from the holiday park to the beach. Filey Holiday Camp

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1344-560: The village and the beach. The Blood Hill wind farm is also near the village in Winterton. The Met Office operated the Hemsby meteorological station (WMO ID: 03496) from 1948 to 2001. The site hosted a suite of surface and upper observations (including radiosonde), and an Upper Air Training School during this period. The tourist-based part of the village lies along Beach Road and is commonly known as Hemsby Beach. It features funfairs , crazy golf courses and children's rides. The beach end of

1386-587: The village. Both were bought by Fred Pontin . The original 9 acre holiday camp was opened in 1920 by Harry Maddison, and run by his family until 1971. Pontins replaced the wooden chalets with new apartment-style pre-cast concrete accommodation blocks. At its peak, the camp of 22 acres had four single-storey chalet blocks and 44 two-storey chalet blocks, providing 512 individual chalets in three grades that could accommodate up to 2,440 holidaymakers and 50 onsite staff beds. The 50 onsite buildings provided: reception and information centre; amusement arcade; fast food outlet;

1428-409: The wide beach had made the effect less noticeable, but the rate of erosion has increased significantly in the past two years , threatening homes, the local lifeboat station and the village's tourist industry. In 2013 a campaign was started to save Hemsby Beach: 'DIY' sea defences are being built to try to stem the erosion. Hemsby is split into two parts: Hemsby Village and Hemsby Beach. Hemsby Village

1470-418: The work at a lower price than the army could complete it. Butlin specified a contractual term to ensure that he could buy his camps back from the war ministry as soon as the war was over. Another person to do well out of the war was Fred Pontin . During the war, Pontin was the manager of a camp housing steel and sugar beet workers. Taking over the job, Pontin found that the previous manager had been assaulted by

1512-438: The workers over a disagreement about food. Pontin quickly set about improving the conditions of those workers. After the war, Pontin took a loan and purchased a former military camp at Brean , Somerset which he opened as his first holiday-camp. His company Pontin's was established in 1946. From the end of the war, through the 1950s and into the mid-1960s, the holiday camp industry thrived. By 1964, Warner had 14 camps across

1554-687: Was being built for Billy Butlin in 1939. The outbreak of the Second World War led to an arrangement with the War Ministry whereby the ministry financed the camp's completion and used it as housing for military personnel as RAF Hunmanby Moor . Butlin reclaimed the base in 1945. A branch off the Hull Scarborough railway line was built in 1945 and formally opened in 1947. The line had its own terminal station Filey Holiday Camp railway station . A 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge narrow gauge railway

1596-621: Was in negotiations to build two more (at Ayr in Scotland and Pwllheli in Wales ). At that time, there were around 200 holiday camps in the United Kingdom at different seaside locations. During World War I , the Cunningham's holiday camp was used as an internment camp . With the arrival of World War II, the British government realised they could save money by requisitioning the many holiday camps around

1638-463: Was installed at the camp around 1953. The original train, supplied by Baguley , was sold in 1975, the carriages being reused by the Meirion Mill Railway at Dinas Mawddwy in Wales . At its peak, the camp accommodated 11,000 visitors, with 175,000 visitors in total in the 1975 season. The railway branch became less used by visitors from the 1960s due to the rise of car ownership, and closure

1680-468: Was once served by Hemsby railway station which was located on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway between Great Yarmouth (Beach) and Melton Constable . It was operational from 1878 to 1959. The LMS Ivatt Class 4 (2-6-0)steam locomotive was predominantly used on this route. Currently Hemsby is served by two First Norfolk & Suffolk bus services, the 1 1a and 1b. The 1b serves Hemsby Beach and

1722-413: Was proposed in 1972, after which Butlin's funded the cost of the line. The line was closed in 1977. The Butlin's holiday camp was closed in 1983. The site was briefly re-opened as Amtree Park in 1986. The camp buildings were demolished between 1988 and 2003. The camp was used as a filming location for the 1947 British comedy drama film Holiday Camp . Although Filey camp had its own railway station,

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1764-500: Was still open by the time Billy Butlin opened his first camp in 1936 (and still averaged 60,000 campers on a good year). Opened in 1906 by John Fletcher Dodd , Caister Camp in Caister-on-Sea , Norfolk was one of the first permanent camps under canvas (tents), initially catering for men only, it would later open up to families and advertise itself as "The Oldest Established Camp". By the early 1920s, Caister Camp and others around

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