BOGNOR REGIS

You would be wrong in thinking that Butlins came to Bognor in 1960. Billy Butlin opened his Recreation Shelter in the town in 1932, on the corner of Lennox Street and the Esplanade. The following year he added a sea front zoo, then a fairground to his empire.

The Holiday Camp opened on the 2nd July 1960 after Billy reached an agreement with the town council, to move from his fairground site near the town centre to a 60 acre site at the eastern end of the Esplanade, at a cost of £2.5 million the site was soon receiving 3,000 weekly campers.

Over the years many thing have changed at Bognor. During the Rank era 1972 – 2000, £16 million invested in 1987 and a name change to Southcoast World, with a new fun pool to replace the indoor pool, and upgraded and new accommodation. Another massive program of investment in 1999 with the Skyline bringing Butlins in to the 21st Century.
In 2000 rank sold its holiday camp business to Bourne Leisure who had their own plans for the new millennium, and in 2005 the £10 million Shoreline Hotel opened.