1936
The first ever Butlins opens in Skegness Lincolnshire with capacity to accommodate 1,000 British holidaymakers – leading the way in UK domestic holiday package.  In 1936 a week’s holiday, July to September, cost £2.12s.6d per person

1937 - 1972
8 further Butlins camps open across the UK; Ayr, Barry, Bognor Regis, Clacton, Filey, Minehead, Mosney and Pwllheli

During the Second World War Butlins Skegness became a recruitment and training base for the Royal Navy known as HMS Royal Arthur.  Lard Haw-Haw famously broadcast that the Royal Navy had lost the battleship HMS Royal Arthur with all hands.  Everyone knew it was a lie as all the Royal Navy knew that HMS Royal Arthur was Butlins Skegness.  There is an obelisk at the resort which is the focus every 11th November for Remembrance Day.

1972
Butlins merges with the Rank Organisation

Between 1972 and 2000 approximately £250m is invested in the resorts at Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness, while the remaining resorts were sold

1998/9
The Skyline Pavilion is constructed in the heart of each resort.  Housing the entrances to all the entertainment venues, restaurants, coffee bars and shops its purpose was to weatherproof the resorts.  The outer skin was produced by the same company as constructed the Millennium Dome.

2000
Bourne Leisure acquires Butlins

Butlins introduces the annual Arena Concerts at the Minehead Resort.  Such stars as Ronan Keating, Blue, Busted, Atomic Kitten and Sugababes have all performed to audiences in excess of 7,000

2001 – 2003
Little investment made due to Board pondering whether to sell the brand.  By 2003 the Bourne Leisure Board had fallen in love with Butlins – and has continued to love the brand ever since.

2003
Capital investment between 2003 and the end of 2010 has been approximately £116m of which £66m has been spent on upgrading all accommodation including the construction of hotels. 

The remaining £50m has been invested in restaurants and facilities.  All three parks now offer premier guest dining in the form of The Yacht Club and Coast Restaurants with traditional British dishes as well as fayre from around the world in a smaller, more personal environment.

The Resort in Skegness introduces the first ever holiday-based education centre to promote the benefits of further education

2004
Minehead Resort introduces the Ex-more Experience with a wide range of experiences including horse riding, coasteering, scuba diving and mountain bike rides.

Skegness Resort introduces an adult only spa facility offering sauna, steam room, gym and beauty treatments.

Butlins announces 3 year partnership with Hit Entertainment to introduce Bob the Builder to its three Resorts in February 2005

2005
High Ropes course, the largest of its kind in Europe and unique in the UK, is introduced at the Minehead Resort.

Shoreline Hotel, the first Butlins Resort hotel, opens in Bognor Regis

2006
Butlins launches Wedding Service at all Resorts making it the first UK holiday centres to offer weddings

Angelina Ballerina is introduced to the Resorts and opens her own Angelina Ballerina Dance Academy

2007
Due to popularity the Skegness Resort doubles the number of treatment rooms at the Spa to 14

BlueSkies, Butlins’ first timeshare development, featuring the most luxurious accommodation Butlins has ever offered, opens at Minehead at a cost £4.5m

2008
Butlins announces partnership with Princess Royal Trust for Carers as their designated charity

Butlins signs new 125 year lease for the Resort at Bognor Regis

2009
£28m is invested in the three Resorts including the building of Ocean Hotel and upgrading accommodation and facilities at the Resorts.

Shoreline Hotel, Bognor Regis, becomes the home of Billy Bear, the brand’s mascot, on the resort and the hotel itself is refocused for families with younger children

Ocean Hotel and Spa, the new £20m hotel, opens at the Bognor Regis Resort.  It has 200 rooms and a Spa that boasts one of only two snow caves in the UK

Coast Restaurant opens on all the Resorts to extend the popular premium dining offer

2010
A 220 seat Dress Circle is being constructed in Centre Stage at Skegness

New sports area, Activity Gardens, to augment sports’ offering and landscaped gardens open at all three resorts

Submitted planning permission for third hotel and new concept family restaurant at Bognor Regis

2011

Butlins celebrated its 75th Birthday and welcomed Lady Sheila Butlins, wife of our founder, Sir Billy Butlin, with her daughter and grandchildren to the Bognor Regis resort. It was the first time that Lady Butlin had visited a resort in 15 years and the very first time her grandchildren had seen their grandfather’s legacy.

2011 was Butlins biggest capital investment year ever, £34m, with planning permission being awarded for a third hotel at Bognor Regis and Turner’s family restaurant opening on the same resort. From 2003 to the end of 2011 Butlins will have invested around £150million in the three beachside resorts.

Turner’s family restaurant opened in Bognor Regis. Butlins teamed up with one of Britain’s best-loved chefs, Brian Turner, to create a brand new dining experience for families. The restaurant showcases classic British cooking with a generous sprinkling of Butlins-style fun twists.

Planning permission obtained for the construction of a third hotel at the resort in Bognor Regis. Construction began on the Wave Hotel and Apartments, the third hotel, at the Bognor Regis Resort. Bookings were taken from November 2011 with the hotel anticipated to open in May 2012.

Butlins put out a nation wide request to find a home video of the opening day of Butlins Skegness as part of the birthday celebrations. The videos received, from the public and former Redcoats, were included in the ITV1 programme, The Butlins Story, broadcast on 22nd December 2011.

1936 Redcoat uniform re-introduced at Butlins for one year only.

2012

From 2005 to 2015 Butlins anticipates to have invested around £250m in the three resorts.

Wave Hotel and Apartments is expected to open at Bognor Regis in June 2012.

There will be lots of new developments throughout the year at the three resorts:

Bognor Regis: New Premium Dining restaurant, The Deck; Beachcomber Inn replacing the Sun & Moon pub, and a new sandpit and water play area at the Shoreline Hotel.

Minehead: New Premium Dining restaurant, Quayside Restaurant; a new archery range; a new family restaurant, Firehouse Grill; a brand new family-friendly pub lounge, Inn on the Green, will be replacing the Swinging Shillelagh, and two new stores, Butlins The Store selling branded merchandise and Little Something selling gifts.

Skegness: Bar Rosso will be given a new look and transformed into Jellyfish Lounge, new outdoor splash pool opening June 2012 and new resort entrance.

 Every year at Butlins Resort guests and team members consume: 

• 86,000 litres of Orange Juice
• 160,900 dozen eggs
• 13,300 Kilos of Oranges, 6,500 kilos of bananas and 21,100 kilos of apples

Ringo Starr was working in a Resort band when he got the telephone call to join the Beatles, the first song Sir Paul McCartney sang in public was Long Tall Sally in a Butlins Talent Competition and Francis Rossi was working as a Redcoat when he formed Status Quo with Rick Parfitt.  Catherine Zeta-Jones won a talent contest at Butlins, Pwllheli