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Report - - PONTINS HEMSBY - JAN 2016 | Leisure Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - PONTINS HEMSBY - JAN 2016

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scotty markfour

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
HISTORY-pontins holiday park hemsby on the norfolk coast announced its closure on january 5th 2009 due to rising costs , decline in future bookings and escalating costs in the maintainence of the aging camp . the holiday camp covers 22 acres aprox with accomodation for 2440 holiday makers run by a staff of 55 , when pontins announced the closure of its camp in hemsby near great yarmouth , the shocked staff at the camp were told to pack there belongings and vacate the premises ! this was also a blow to the local community who relied on the holiday resort as a reliable source of seasonal employment , the self catering camp was set up in 1971 with around 500 chalets , the future of this site is uncertain , arguments between locals n councillors carry on to this day , the pontins site like camelot theme park has been designated for leisure purposes only in any redevelopment plans , plenty of housing projects for the site have fallen by the wayside as hemsby councillors try in desperation to bring back the once thriving tourist economy , various tourist plans have also come to no avail , a viking themed visitor park backed by a millionaire and a domed all year camping site resembling something from" logans run" has also fallen by the wayside !
THE EXPLORE- visited with fellow member @Cazel#HT (trusty sidekick) , after gaining access to this wonderful site , we found a lot of previously boarded buildings were now accessible to us , walking round the site was strange ! as in the past i had visited places like this in its bustling prime , we walked round imagining the memories of past holidays in the glorious sunshine in carefree days !
we must of spent a good 4-5 hours checking everywhere out ! we had come a long way ! (5.5hr drive) ...it was sad to see how the camp had soon fallen into disrepair aided by vandalism , we did come across other urban explorers and local youths who used some of the chalets as a drinking den , but the site is big enough for everybody to enjoy it !.....i cannot see anything happening to this site in the near future and it should provide a place for future exploring adventures for years to come ! if your thinking of doing it ? then i would highly recommend it ! i can now tick off a holiday camp on my to do list of abandoned places !
PICS- i used a wide angle lens to give you a better idea of the size n layout of the facility


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JemCymru

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
thats proper well good. nice one.

me and a few mates had a band photo shoot in an old pontins in wales years back in the 90s, will have to dig out the photos....

lovin the wall of fame.

you didnt fancy a DIY makeshift for old times sake zip line then? after all that effort climbing the wall!

you guys look like fun. haha ;)
 

scotty markfour

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
thats proper well good. nice one.

me and a few mates had a band photo shoot in an old pontins in wales years back in the 90s, will have to dig out the photos....

lovin the wall of fame.

you didnt fancy a DIY makeshift for old times sake zip line then? after all that effort climbing the wall!

you guys look like fun. haha ;)
we are bloody fun @JemCymru , we luv visiting these sites , i take it you are welsh ! what places have you done ?
 

templetoy

28DL Member
28DL Member
I used to work here around 1997/1998, at first in the laundry department (cleaning the chalets - eugh), then later as a barrow boy (transporting visitors luggage, good tips!). It was the first proper job I had, and if I remember correctly we got paid something like £2.83 per hour. A group of us from the same school worked on Saturdays, and we'd constantly be trying to skive off, playing football or 'getting lost' on the site (it's massive). We'd gather all the dirty linen from the chalets and throw it onto a big truck which crawled around the site. Some of the things we'd find in the chalets were hideous. The bosses were really strict too, which makes the whole thing feel a bit Dickensian. It really wasn't that bad. Working as a barrow boy was much better though, I always looked forward to the Rock n' Roll weekenders when the whole camp was filled with committed Rockabillies, along with their huge cars and bikes. There'd be a steady stream of awesome bands playing in the main ballroom. I remember thinking how fantastic it all was - they were completely from another era, I'd never seen anything like it. I guess it was the perfect place for them - even in the 90's this place felt like the 50's. Remembering how buzzing that camp was on the 50's weekenders and then seeing these photos is quite odd. I don't condone it, but I can totally understand why the place is smashed and burnt out - there is not much else in the way of thrills or excitement close by. What teenager wouldn't want to break into an abandoned holiday camp and smash stuff up? It's weird to think of the contrasting experiences of teenagers living around here one generation apart. Looking at theses pictures makes me want to go back and explore.
 

Vapeexpert86

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
What is the access like to get in??as been debating going here but being on a suspended sentence atm im reluctant to put myself in risk of getting nicked
 

scotty markfour

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
I used to work here around 1997/1998, at first in the laundry department (cleaning the chalets - eugh), then later as a barrow boy (transporting visitors luggage, good tips!). It was the first proper job I had, and if I remember correctly we got paid something like £2.83 per hour. A group of us from the same school worked on Saturdays, and we'd constantly be trying to skive off, playing football or 'getting lost' on the site (it's massive). We'd gather all the dirty linen from the chalets and throw it onto a big truck which crawled around the site. Some of the things we'd find in the chalets were hideous. The bosses were really strict too, which makes the whole thing feel a bit Dickensian. It really wasn't that bad. Working as a barrow boy was much better though, I always looked forward to the Rock n' Roll weekenders when the whole camp was filled with committed Rockabillies, along with their huge cars and bikes. There'd be a steady stream of awesome bands playing in the main ballroom. I remember thinking how fantastic it all was - they were completely from another era, I'd never seen anything like it. I guess it was the perfect place for them - even in the 90's this place felt like the 50's. Remembering how buzzing that camp was on the 50's weekenders and then seeing these photos is quite odd. I don't condone it, but I can totally understand why the place is smashed and burnt out - there is not much else in the way of thrills or excitement close by. What teenager wouldn't want to break into an abandoned holiday camp and smash stuff up? It's weird to think of the contrasting experiences of teenagers living around here one generation apart. Looking at theses pictures makes me want to go back and explore.
just found out that the main building at pontins has been burnt down , roof has collapsed
 

trikey

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Access was easy before the fire a few weeks ago, possibly tightened up now I reckon.
 
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