The seaside town was once home to Billy Butlin’s famous holiday resort and a premier family seaside destination — but the Essex town now ranks among Britain’s worst coastal spots in Which? survey, with ambitious £20 million regeneration plans now aiming to restore its former glory
A formerly flourishing coastal resort that has tumbled down the rankings once housed an enormous Billy Butlin’s holiday camp – although you’d never know it today.
Renowned for its prize-winning pier, golden sandy shores, and classic fairground attractions – Clacton-On-Sea was once a magnificent seaside destination that drew crowds of Britons from throughout the country. However, last year, Clacton, in Essex, came third-bottom in Which?’s assessment of the UK’s finest coastal towns.
It achieved a paltry 42 per cent – a stark difference to Bamburgh, which led the rankings with an outstanding 84 per cent destination score.
Yet during its golden era, before the Benidorm-boom saw Brits abandon the UK coastline for inexpensive package getaways to Spain, Clacton appeared entirely different.
In 1936, Billy Butlin purchased the West Clacton Estate, which already featured a miniature golf course and boating lake, and converted it into the Red Coat holiday camp many of us know.
The resort shut its doors when war broke out, briefly commandeered by the Army. However, in 1946 it reopened as a holiday camp, subsequently acquiring neighbouring land to accommodate its growth.
“By the late 1950s, Butlin’s had become a national institution and to some extent, Clacton was able to bask in its reflected glory,” explains Clacton History. “The combination of Butlin’s and Clacton had become firmly established and for both their futures as family holiday venues seemed unshakeable.”
Much like other Butlin’s locations, visitors couldn’t get enough of the extensive amenities on offer, including comfortable cabins, a sprawling outdoor pool, funfair attractions, a ballroom, bowling green, shops, a miniature railway, and top-notch entertainment. Notably, celebrated performers such as the Beverley Sisters, Michael Holliday, and Jack Douglas are all said to have graced the camp’s stage during their early careers.
However, unable to rival the affordability of package holidays to sun-soaked Spain, and blighted by rowdy youngsters using the site as a drinking destination, Butlin’s sadly shut up shop in 1983 – the very same year the Filey resort was also abandoned.
According to Butlin’s Memories, the site was bought for approximately £2 million by Amusement Enterprises Ltd, who unveiled bold plans to transform the complex into a ‘Disneyland’-style theme park. Under a fresh identity, Atlas Park, the venue reopened in 1984, but stayed largely unaltered from the Butlin’s days. The enterprise lasted just four months before encountering financial troubles, and the property was sold once more. By 1987, everything had been torn down.
The site now accommodates local residents as a housing estate, which benefits from an excellent coastal location. It appears completely different from Butlin’s heyday – which continues to be fondly remembered by countless 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 £20million 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 £20million 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.
