A once-thriving seaside town on the east coast, which was home to a huge Butlin's holiday resort, has since been ranked one of the UK's worst seaside towns — and there is barely a trace left of the famous camp.
Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex, was once a glorious coastal destination that drew holidaymakers in droves from across Britain, celebrated for its award-winning pier, sweeping sandy beaches, and classic fairground rides. However, last year, it came third-from-last in Which?'s annual ranking of the UK's finest seaside towns, scraping a paltry 42 per cent destination score — a stark contrast to Bamburgh, which topped the charts with an impressive 84 per cent.
Yet in its heyday, before the Benidorm boom tempted Brits away from British shores in favour of budget package holidays to Spain, Clacton was a very different place. In 1936, Billy Butlin purchased the West Clacton Estate — which already boasted a miniature golf course and boating lake — and transformed it into the iconic Red Coat resort that became a beloved British institution.
The resort shut down when war broke out, with the Army temporarily commandeering the site. However, in 1946, it was relaunched as a holiday camp and subsequently acquired neighbouring land for expansion. "By the late 1950s, Butlin's had become a national institution and to some extent, Clacton was able to bask in its reflected glory," Clacton History explained. "The combination of Butlin's and Clacton had become firmly established and for both their futures as family holiday venues seemed unshakeable."
As with other Butlin's locations, visitors flocked to enjoy the extensive amenities available, including comfortable chalets, an enormous outdoor swimming pool, fairground attractions, a ballroom for dancing, a bowling green, retail outlets, a miniature railway, and top-notch entertainment. Stars such as the Beverley Sisters, Michael Holliday, and Jack Douglas are said to have graced the camp's stages during their early careers.
However, unable to match the appeal of affordable flights to sunny Spain, and damaged by rowdy teenagers treating the venue as a drinking destination, Butlin's tragically shut its gates in 1983 — the same year the Filey resort was also closed down. According to Butlin's Memories, the site was snapped up for approximately £2 million by Amusement Enterprises Ltd, who revealed bold proposals to transform the complex into a 'Disneyland' style theme park. With a fresh identity, Atlas Park, the site reopened in 1984 but stayed largely as it was during the Butlin's years. The project lasted just four months before encountering financial troubles, and the land changed hands once more. By 1987, everything had been torn down.
The location now functions as a housing estate for local residents, perfectly positioned close to the seafront. It feels a far cry from Butlin's heyday, which is still fondly remembered by many locals. Despite sitting just 60 miles from London — one of the richest cities in Europe — Clacton and Jaywick suffer from low wages and poor public perception, with dark tourists and American influencers venturing there to report on their struggles.
Happily, there is a lot of hope on the horizon for the area. The District Council is working on a raft of regeneration projects across Clacton, Jaywick Sands, and Dovercourt after successfully applying for millions of pounds in Government funding. The Council entered into a Community Regeneration Partnership (formerly the Levelling Up Partnership) in late 2024 and was awarded £20 million in funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to regenerate Clacton and Jaywick Sands. In Clacton, these include proposals to repurpose the 200-year-old Martello Tower on Clacton seafront and bring it into regular use, in a project TDC says will convert "a disused public convenience close to Clacton Pier into a vibrant cultural venue and providing a free-to-use BMX pump track, learn-to-cycle and climbing facility at Clacton Leisure Centre."
A further £20 million was also secured from the Local Regeneration Fund (formerly Levelling Up Fund) for Clacton Town Centre, which was granted to create the new 'Clacton Civic Quarter'. Clacton Library is also being redeveloped into a new multi-story building that will be built on the current library site, to include a centre for Adult Community Learning and local registration services.
