Butlins Bognor Regis

Butlins Bognor Regis is a holiday camp in the seaside resort of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England. It lies 55.5 miles (89 km) south southwest of London. Butlin's presence in the town began in 1932 with the opening of an amusement park; their operation soon expanded to take in a zoo as well. In 1960, Billy Butlin opened his first post-war mainland holiday camp, moving both the amusement park and zoo into the new camp. The camp survived a series of cuts in the early 1980s, attracting further investment and again in the late 1990s when it was retained as one of only three camps still bearing the Butlin name. The camp has since seen a raft of new construction as the company moves from chalet towards hotel-based accommodation.

Butlin history

In 1914, Billy Butlin was living in Toronto with his mother and stepfather, when he left school and went to work for Eatons department store. One of the best aspects of working for the company was that he was able to visit their summer camp, which gave him his first taste of a real holiday, indeed a taste of what was to become a very big part of his life.

Bognor Regis

Coordinates: 50°46′57″N 0°40′35″W / 50.78237°N 0.67639°W / 50.78237; -0.67639

Bognor Regis /ˌbɒɡnər ˈriːdʒᵻs/ is a seaside resort town and civil parish, administratively in the Arun district of the non metropolitan county of West Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is 55.5 miles (89 km) south-west of London, 24 miles (39 km) west of Brighton, and 5.81 miles (9 km) south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the south-west. The nearby villages of Felpham, and Aldwick are now suburbs of Bognor Regis, along with those of North and South Bersted.

A factor underpinning the growth of the resort was its station opened in 1864 on what was a sandy, undeveloped coastline. Consequently, small numbers of wealthy Victorian figures established large homes in the area and a seaside resort was developed by Sir Richard Hotham. It has been claimed that Hotham and his new resort are portrayed in Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon. In 1929 the area was chosen by advisors to King George V which led to its regal suffix, by royal consent. Butlin's has been involved in the town since the early 1930s when an amusement park and zoo were opened. A holiday camp followed in 1960 and this has more recently moved towards hotel accommodation with modern amenities.