Pontins Middleton Tower Holiday Camp
The fascinating history of Middleton Tower Holiday Camp from its inception in 1939, through the later Pontins era and the story of its closure
The Leisure Historian
Pleasure & Leisure in the 20th Century
The Leisure Historian
Pleasure & Leisure in the 20th Century
Pontins Plemont Bay Holiday Camp
Perched on Jersey’s dramatic northwest headland, Plemont Bay evolved from a 19th-century hotel into one of the island’s most popular holiday camps
Pontins South Devon Holiday Camp
Opened in 1927 and famed for its floodlit pool, South Devon Holiday Camp at Paignton thrived under Pontins before closing in 1988 to make way for housing.
Pontins Southport Holiday Camp
Opened in 1969 as one of Pontins’ new self-catering “chalet villages,” the huge Southport camp thrived for decades before falling into decline and finally closing in 2023.
Ramsgate Amusement Park – Merrie England & Pleasurama
Ramsgate Harbour Station, opened in 1863, faced frequent accidents before closing in 1926. Its site later became the Merrie England and Pleasurama amusement parks
Rhyl Monorail
The trials and tribulations of the Rhyl monorail which ran on the seafront for only one season before being later demolished
Seacroft Holiday Camp, Hemsby
Seacroft may not have the dramatic history of some of the larger holiday camps, but it played a steady role in the seaside holiday trade for almost a century
Southdean Holiday Camp, Middleton on Sea
Opened in the 1920s as New City Holiday Camp, this site went through several name changes before closing in the 1990s
Stapleford House and Park
From Bass brewing fortunes to miniature trains, ocean liners, lion safaris and a luxury hotel, Stapleford Park’s story spans grandeur, decline and reinvention.
Sunnyvale Holiday Camp, Rhyl
Sunnyvale Holiday Camp in Rhyl opened in 1934. From its pre-war heyday to its increasingly troubled later years, this is the story of one of North Wales’s long-lost holiday camps.
The Golden Egg Restaurants – Britain’s Upmarket Greasy Spoon
Once a familiar sight on British high streets, Golden Egg transformed the humble greasy spoon into a colourful restaurant chain.
The London Dungeon, Tooley Street
Started by a 1970s ‘bored housewife’, the London Dungeon went on to become one of the capital’s most popular and enduring tourist attractions