Pontins Blackpool, which was in Lytham St Anne in Lancashire was closed down after a lack in visitors – but it managed to outlive many of the other holiday sites
What was once a booming family holiday site is now completely unrecognisable in the present day. Pontins holiday camp in Blackpool welcomed generations of families for decades between the 60’s and the millennium.
The site was purchased by Fred Pontin in 1961 and was turned into a huge pocket-friendly family destination in Lytham St Anne, close to Blackpool. However, it quickly took to the spotlight after a plane tragically crashed into the site – but the park managed to keep going.
It featured many amenities such as swimming pools, a ballroom, a theatre and a fish and chips shop. That was until it sadly closed its doors 50 years later due to a lack of visitors.
Unfortunately, the popular seaside destinations around the country became famed for ‘unhygienic’ chalets and rundown facilities, and some of their sites across the country were sold off or abandoned.
As is the case with many British resorts, the rise in attractive package holidays abroad, paired with the global pandemic and the staggering cost of living crisis, caused local tourism to take a hit with a steep economic decline.
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Late in the 1960s, the original outdoor pool at the site was enclosed beneath an arched glass roof before Pontin carried out a series of refurbishments at the park.
A brochure for the site from 1972 lists its amenities, including a ballroom and theatre, three bars, a heated indoor swimming and paddling pool, TV lounges, two cafes, an amusement arcade and even a betting and fish and chip shop.
Outdoor entertainment included a boating lake, sports courts, an adventure playground, as well as on-site talent shows, comedy nights, and fancy dress competitions. The blurb inside the brochure reads: “When evening falls on Blackpool, and illuminations switched on, the camp swings into high powered entertainment.
“Most people find there’s so much going on at Pontins that they are not bother about going out. And of course here it’s all free!”
Young children spent much of their time in the creche, while older kids could hang out with Captain Croc, Pontins’ mascot and leader of the Croc Crew, who led parties and games.
The holiday park was thrust into the spotlight in 1972 for the most tragic of reasons when a plane crashed into the site, destroying ten chalets as it exploded into the ground. The twin-engine executive jet had skidded off a nearby runway, smashing through a fence, twisting a railway line and throwing concrete blocks into the air. Two staff from the holiday camp had a lucky escape when a burning fuel tank crashed past them.
The members of the seven-air crew sadly died, with one member of the jet surviving after being pulled out of the wreckage by the camp chef. There were no other deaths.
Despite the tragedy, the camp survived and business boomed there for years to come, making it a go-to place for holidaymakers all over the north west. Sadly, after 50 years under the Pontins banner, the park closed.
The firm’s former owner, Ocean Parcs, blamed the closure on falling visitor numbers. Ian Smith, the company’s chief executive, said the decision had been taken by the company board “with deep regret”.
He said: “It was not an easy decision for the board to make. We looked at it long and hard but bookings have deteriorated and the level of investment required for a short lease meant it was not commercially viable to continue.”
Pontins holiday camps were initially the brainchild of Fred Pontin, who opened his first Pontins in a former US army base in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset in 1946.
Over the years, the holiday camp magnate bought more camps, expanding his empire to 30 sites at its peak. Smaller and less expensive than Butlin’s holiday camps, Pontins had Bluecoats to entertain guests as opposed to the Redcoats of its major rival.
TV stars who learned their comedy trade as former Bluecoats include Bradley Walsh, Shane Richie, Bobby Davro and Lee Mack. To this day, the remaining parks in Southport, Prestatyn, Morecambe and the ever-popular resort in Blackpool attract tens of thousands of punters a year.
By the time the park in Lytham St Anne closed in 2009, only five Pontins holiday camps remained in the UK. A few years after it closed, the derelict chalets and last remnants of the abandoned holiday camp were cleared and the site demolished.
An earlier version of this story was published in May 2023.
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