Butlin's Pwllheli

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Coordinates: 52°55′00″N 4°20′0″W / 52.91667°N 4.33333°W / 52.91667; -4.33333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For this holiday camp's present-day incarnation, see Hafan y Môr.

Butlin's Pwllheli
LocationPwllheli, Wales
Coordinates52°55′00″N 4°20′0″W / 52.91667°N 4.33333°W / 52.91667; -4.33333
Previous namesButlins Pwllheli (1947–1987)
Starcoast World (1987–1999)
Operated byButlins
EstablishedMarch 1947, 01; 77 years ago (01-03-1947)
Closed1998
Websitewww.haven.com/parks/wales/Hafan_Y_Mor/

Butlin's Pwllheli (latterly Starcoast World then Hafan Y Môr after Haven Holidays took the site) was a holiday camp located near

Butlins
Pwllheli, but in 1990 was renamed Starcoast World.

Butlins

During World War II the

Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh paid an official visit to the holiday camp.[4]

Pwllheli holiday camp contained established Butlins ingredients: the

amusement arcade, a medical centre, a theatre, arcades of shops, a chairlift system and a miniature railway. There were many bars and coffee bars.[5] There was a small chapel (where visiting clergy on subsidised holidays took services) and on Sunday mornings a non-denominational service was held in the large main theatre in the Gaiety Building.[6]

A £1 million entertainment complex at the camp, the Gaiety Building, constructed in 1962, was destroyed by fire in the early hours of 9 August 1973. No one died, although some campers suffered minor injuries.[7] The cause was identified as faulty electrical wiring.[8][9]

During the 1989 summer season, chalets were damaged by a tornado, and the 3,500 guests present had to leave. The estimated £2 million damage was a contributing factor in the later transfer of the camp to the Haven brand.

Railway station

Main article: Penychain railway station

Penychain railway station, formerly known as (and still sometimes referred to as) Butlins Penychain railway station, is located at an overbridge on an unclassified lane just west of the camp. This railway station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Porthmadog, Harlech, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. The station still serves the camp but trains only call by request.

Haven Holidays

Main article: Hafan y Môr

In 1999, the camp became part of Haven Holidays along with the

Heads of Ayr camp as part of an internal reorganisation within The Rank Group who, at the time, owned both Butlins and Haven (both have since been purchased by the owner of British Holidays, Bourne Leisure
, in 2000). Since being taken over by Haven Holidays it was renamed Hafan y Môr (Sea Haven) and the focus of operations was transformed from predominantly chalet accommodation to mostly static caravan accommodation. Most of the attractions were also removed including the chairlift, miniature railway, roller coaster and funfair.

References

  1. ^ "Bygone Butlins website". Pwllheli. BygoneButlins.com. 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b The National Archives, Kew. ADM 1/10431
  3. ^ Ordnance Survey of Great Britain, maps 1953 to 1970
  4. ^ The National Archives, Kew. HO 290/74
  5. ^ "Butlins Memories website". pwllheli. butlinsmemories.com. 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  6. ^ Your Plan of Pwllheli Camp, 1971
  7. ^ "£1m Butlins Fire Increases Holiday Camp Hazard Fears". The Times. 10 August 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 25 February 2018. (subscription required)
  8. ^ "Check Electrical Appliances in Holiday Camps, Labour MP Urges Home Office". The Times. 11 August 1973. Retrieved 25 February 2018. (subscription required)
  9. ^ Your Plan of Pwllheli Camp, 1971

External links

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