Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne "Billy" Butlin (29 September 1899 – 12 June 1980) was a British, South Africa-born entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp. Although holiday camps such as Warner's existed in one form or another before Butlin opened his first in 1936, it was Butlin who turned holiday camps into a multimillion-pound industry and an important aspect of British culture.
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, to William and Bertha Butlin, Butlin had a turbulent childhood. His parents separated before he was seven, and he returned to England with his mother. He spent the next five years following his grandmother's family fair around the country where his mother sold gingerbread; exposing the young Butlin to the skills of commerce and entertainment. When he was twelve his mother emigrated to Canada, leaving him in the care of his aunt for two years. Once settled in Toronto, his mother invited him to join her there.
In Canada Butlin struggled to fit in at school and soon left for a job in a Toronto department store Eatons. In WWI he enlisted as a bugler in the Canadian Army. After the war, Butlin returned to England, bringing only £5 with him. Investing £4 of that money to hire a stall travelling with his uncle's fair, Butlin discovered that giving his customers a better chance to win brought more custom in, and he quickly became successful. One stall became several, including prominent locations such as Olympia in London, and Butlin soon was able to purchase other fairground equipment, and started his own travelling fair. He proved successful in this endeavour as well, and by 1927 he opened a static fairground in Skegness. Over the next 10 years Butlin expanded his fairground empire, all the time harbouring an idea to increase the number of patrons in his Skegness site by providing accommodation.
The world's first YMCA is set to close in the New Year after it was sold to a luxury hotel chain owned by a billionaire property tycoon ... He said ... He said ... He added ... BillyButlin later adapted the idea and created his own purpose-built holiday camps ... .
'The harder you work, the luckier you get'. ActorMelvyn Hayes came from a working-class background and ended up starring alongside Cliff Richard... I come from a working class family ... 'No, I'm going to buy a little shop,' Dad said to… BillyButlin ... Share.
Butlin’s was born at Skegness – the train and the charabanc changed people’s leisure habits ... Butlin’s was born at Skegness ... South African-born entrepreneur Billy Butlin noted the town was “on the drier side of Britain” and had excellent rail links ... .
I imagine Sir BillyButlin would be turning in his grave at your experience, made worse, in my view, because you have holidayed with Butlin’s for many of the past 25 years ... Butlin’s offers optional cancellation cover when customers book.
READ MORE ... Advertisement ... A car is seen clamped and seemingly abandoned along the wealthy road ... READ MORE ... The 66-house street has been home to some of the world's most wealthy, including Heather Mills and Sir BillyButlin - founder of the holiday camps.
The company said ... The announcement of the closure of Pontins Prestatyn Sands is unexpected ... Last September, its rival Butlin’s, founded in 1936 in Skegness by Billy Butlin, was bought by one of the holiday camp’s family backers for an estimated £300m ... .
The 66-house street has been home to some of the world's most wealthy, including Heather Mills and Sir BillyButlin - founder of the holiday camps ... Many houses on the exclusive road in North London stand empty as they prepare for redevelopment ... .
Work is underway to transform The Bishops Avenue which is home to the super-rich. The 66-house street has been home to some of the world's most wealthy, including Heather Mills and Sir BillyButlin - founder of the holiday camps ... Read more ... .
This was thanks to tourism entrepreneurs such as BillyButlin, Fred Pontin and Wally B ...Children will love the huge range of activities on offer across each Butlin’s site. Above is the waterpark at the Butlin’s in Bognor Regis.
To icy seas, leaden skies and average annual temperatures of 10°C BillyButlin added low, wooden huts to house holidaymakers; a Tannoy system to rouse them each morning; and stringent rules to confine them to those huts by 11.15pm.
Near the seafront’s RoyalNorfolk hotel is a blue plaque dedicated to WE “Billy” Butlin (1899-1980) ... Whittington’s kiosk to Butlin’s – perhaps fuelled by chips from Yanni’s fish and chip shop (tip.
But for how much longer? ... He told Mail on Line ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... In Filey, many of the threatened properties are in an area called Flat Cliffs, near the ionic White House, the former home of Sir BillyButlin and famed for the holiday camp boss’s lavish parties.
A miserable March night in Skegness and snow is falling ...Once Skegness was synonymous with Butlin’s. In 1935, the South Africa-born William ‘Billy’ Butlin began clearing 200 acres of turnip fields to make way for his first UK holiday camp ... .
