Memories/Comment

	*Gorleston Super Holiday Camp*

		Memories/Comment

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We visited Gorleston Holiday Camp (later known as Elmhurst Court) from the mid 1960's until 1973.

I was aged about 7 when we first visited Gorleston Super Holiday Camp in about 1965. I remember the excitement of mum and dad packing the car up and leaving very early on the Saturday morning. My dad had a dark blue Ford Zephur with huge bench seats. My mum, dad and I would sit in the front and we would normally pick up other family members or friends on the way and they would sit in the back. I still remember the smell of the plastic seats and I was often throwing up out of the window as a result! The journey from London seemed to go on forever and it always seemed to be on a very hot day! We always stopped off at a roadside cafe. The only thing I can remember about those places was a warm bottle of coke, pinball machines, the sound of a hot jet of steam making the drinks and watching the Jukebox in action picking up the 45rpm records and placing them on the turntable!

When we finally arrived I couldn't wait to look around the place to see what had changed and to see my friends from the year before. I only really saw my parents at meal times as I was so occupied with everything going on. What a superb place Gorleston Holiday Camp was! We all have lovely memories of the place. Every day was packed with entertainment whatever the weather! Swimming, Putting, Snooker, Table Tennis, Tennis, Cricket, Football, Bowls, silly games with a very large ball, Donkey Derby, Bingo, Film Shows, Competitions, Campers Show, Dancing, Sports Day including the egg and spoon race, the sack race, the 3 legged race, Tug-of-War (both on the grass and across the pool) rambles down to the beach.....the list goes on and on! Most of the entertainment was arranged by Eddie Olsen who worked extremely hard from early morning to late at night and never seemed to take a day off! Eddie had a great personality and somehow used to remember everyone's name! He had a strong Welsh accent and I believe he was married with a daughter. Does anyone remember Eddie? What did he do after the camp closed?

The accommodation was very basic to start with, just one room, no bathroom or toilet, metal beds, small sink, wardrobe with a curtain on the front and a small chest of drawers, in fact it most probably hadn't changed since the place was built in the 1930's.Through the years, money was invested and more and more chalets were upgraded or re-built each year. The chalets were cleaned every morning (except Sundays) by local women who were always very friendly and enjoyed a chat! I can still remember the smell of whatever cleaning agent they used. I have smelt it since and it always reminds me of opening that chalet door!

The food was fantastic with three full meals a day and afternoon tea and cakes! How did we manage to eat so much? Spanish waiters who lived on the camp served all the meals. A gong was sounded, firstly at the front entrance and then at the rear entrance, by a man who just used to appear, to announce that meals were being served.I don't know where he came from or where he went, but he was always on time!

Entertainment and live music every evening in the Ballroom and the Bar. Children's entertainment in the Ballroom every night. A chorus of Goodnight Campers in the Ballroom would round off every evening! Prizes were given out on Friday night for all the competition winners throughout the week by the Managing Director and his wife, Mr Lin and Mrs Grace Thrower.

The camp had a strong affiliation with disabled groups and would often have a small group of disabled people and their helpers staying at the camp. Larger groups would visit towards the end of the season.

I have since visited the site and walked around. The Orbit housing estate now occupies the site after the camp was demolished in about 1974. the only things that can be recognised are the original steps leading down to the site from Bridge road, which used to have toilets under them, and the original roadway entrance off the A12. This is now blocked off to traffic but can be accessed by foot. It all seems a very different place now.

Very sad day on the last day there knowing that it was closing and we could never go back. If anyone has seen the last episode of HI-DI-HI and been moved by it, they will know exactly what I mean.

Fantastic place! Many many great memories! So long ago!

Gary Seeley

This letter was received after an appeal in the local newspaper:

As you can see, I now live in Spain, and the Mercury is always about 3 weeks late. The 2nd July has just arrived and I see you are asking for information regarding Gorleston Holiday Camp. My father in law Ralph Moore of E.Moore & Co, local builders, built the camp in the mid 1930's. When it was finished, there was no money for him, so he was paid out with shares, as was George Holmes of Precasters, another local firm. They were both on the board of directors with Douglas Atree, whose father was manager (or owner) of the local cinema, The Coliseum. Humphrey Lynde a local solicitor was also on the board.

My husband designed and built 20 en-suite chalets, the large sports hall and the outdoor swimming pool in the mid sixties.

The army took the camp over during the war. It was a skating rink in the winter months, which was very popular with the Gorleston people.

There was a private path leading from the camp to Gorleston train station. Every Saturday the trains were packed with the Gorleston people.

Yours sincerely

Margaret Moore

The photograph on the Home page which looks as if from a holiday brochure provided me with a view I haven't had for many a year. In the forties my father was a gardener next door to the camp and you can just glimpse a little of the garden. I don't know if you will be able to recall but to the east of the camp was a very large garden (no house, the owner lived above one of the shops in town) A later owner built the house surrounded on Bridge Road by a high privet hedge (still there) and large wooden entrance gates, also still there. I spent many a happy hour in that garden, having it to myself except Thursday when the owner came with his wife on their half day. I did get a temporary ban when he caught me fishing in the goldfish pond! There were fruit trees of every description and the soft fruits in a large bird proof cage. It was a Garden of Eden to a child during the war.

Dennis Durrant

Grace Thrower, widow of Managing Director, Lin Thrower, was interviewed as part of the 'Way We Were' series for Anglia TV. This is what she said regarding the closure of Gorleston Super Holiday Camp:

'The camp was sold and we couldn't get permission from the new owners to have it stay as a holiday camp. They wanted to sell the land, so that was it. Everything was sold in 1974 and that was the end of it as it were and the whole thing was just pulled down.'

Grace Thrower January 2004

We have since heard that Grace Thrower passed away in May 2005. Our sincere condolences to her family.

I wrote to Grace Thrower, widow of Lin Thrower in December 2004 and her daughter kindly replied to me with the following letter:

Mother was delighted to hear from you and also to have a chat with Dennis (Dennis Durrant - Gorleston Heritage). How her fame is spreading following her television appearance! We have also had a look at the website which we found most interesting and it's certainly good to know that someone still remembers the 'old place' and has such fond memories. I worked for my father in the early sixties in the office and enjoyed my time there. My place was taken by Linda who remained at the camp until it closed. By the way, can I just correct one error which often occurs - my father's name was Lin not Len.

The Entertainments Manager was Eddie Olsen who I believe still lives in Gorleston and I will try to find his address. Sadly many of the regular staff are no longer with us - Bob Denton who was bar manager and responsible for the pile of pennies each year; Bob Moore who was head waiter and also took part in the Sunday concert and who is pictured on your website in top hat at the Donkey Derby! These are just two of many who have passed away.

The original bar was in the old house known as Elmhurst - this was opened sometime during the fifties as prior to that there was no alcohol on the premises! My parents took over in 1951 and before that the camp was run by father and son, Charles and Stan Haigh, who started it all off in 1936.

We don't have much information on what happened during the war although I did come across a web site (www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/armedforces_r_norfolk.html) which refers to the 4th Battalion - Royal Norfolk regiment which billeted there for a time and received a visit from the King! The camp was also used as emergency accommodation during the east coast floods of 1953 when many people in Great Yarmouth were left temporarily homeless.

I think that is about all I can think of at present, but Mother will obviously have more information and many memories to pass on. We will try to sort out some photos which may be of interest.

Regards

Wendy Gibbs

Hello my name is catherine cook and my dad Brian Goodfellow worked at the camp as a singer. His photo is in the postcard section. As we only live just outside the gates I spent most of my summers in the pool. I currently work at cliff park school and pass the estate every day. And every day I think of it as it was. My mam must have some photos of the camp and Peter Collins who is in the photo is still alive and lives in Norwich. I'll ask him to get in touch with you or forward your e-mail. It was lovely to see the pictures and made my mums day. I loved that pool and learnt to swim there.

Happy Days

Catherine Cook February 2005

Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton-On-Sea, Norfolk, is the longest established and last remaining family owned holiday centre in the country. In February 2005, I wrote to Brian Potter, Chairman of the company, to get his memories of Gorleston:

I read the Peggotty column in the Great Yarmouth Mercury. I have not got anything to add of interest to the memory bank of Gorleston's yesteryears, only to say that the article did re-kindle happy memories re my own skating there.

Of course my parents and in-laws, the Bishops at Seacroft (see note below), were very friendly with the Throwers and of course this was the era of the smaller individual operators and whilst Lin possibly had a very small shareholding he was in effect the General Manager as opposed to the Proprietor. The proprietors were a mixture of local businessmen and the only one I vaguely recall my father mentioning was Ralph Moore from E.Moore & Sons, the builders, who like Lin is long gone.

Regarding our own,(history) yes this really ought to be done as Grandfather had wrote the Family Chronicles, in Old English Script writing, now of course a long lost art. My late father much like me today has done little to carry the story forward and being now the longest established and last remaining family owned holiday centre in the country. When you think of the era and heyday how many others there were, I suppose its an achievement not to have succumbed to the route of all others namely the housing estate or the ubiquitous caravan park conversions away from the traditional centres that were more in abundance at the time.

Brian Potter March 2005

Potters website can be found at www.pottersholidays.com

Memorabilia on Potters can be found at www.butlinsmemories.com/19/id61.htm

Memorabilia on Seacroft can be found at www.butlinsmemories.com/19/id60.htm

Hi, I lived quite close to the Holiday camp in the 60's and used to look forward to the Trade Show that they held there every year. I remember one year the RAF had an aircrafton on display and everyone queued up to sit in the cockpit. Also the Canadian government had a stand to try and get people to emigrate. Great Memories, I like your web site, it should include the great Yarmouth roller skating rink as well, I am sure it would get a lot of memories from people I know, as I spent a lot of time there growing up when George Thompson was the professional.

Mel Shreeve June 2005

My grandad worked at the camp during the 50s, he was known as the Local Mario Lanza real name Joe Martin, I wonder if you have anything with his name or picture on it, this would be of great interest as not much has survived of his link with the camp, he also worked at the Brittania Pier every Sunday night during the winter.

Appreciate your time

Thanks

Simon

August 2005

I was prompted by the programme Wakey Wakey Campers which began tonight to search for anything on Gorleston and it was a delight to find your site. I visited with my parents for several years in the mid 60's and it was the highlight of my year. We went for the same couple of weeks in August and met several regulars. I remember the first year or so we went to Gorleston station and walked back up the path, but in later years Dr Beeching had passed through and we had to go to Yarmouth. One year however I remember my parents wanted a change so we had one week at Gorleston and the second week at Gunton Hall - hated it there although I'm sure it can't have offered anything very different! The first year or so my elder brother and sister also came; later years just my parents and I (probably from ages 12-17 or so in my case). I particularly remember the entertainment staff Charles and Molly (Mollie?) who I used to help with setting up the sports equipment, selling bingo tickets and the like - they even gave me the nickname Buster which stuck for some years; but I can't say I recall Eddie Olsen. Also I remember the restaurant manager Bob - we have a Donkey Derby photo just like the one on the website although of course with my parents in it. And as a group of youngsters who were regulars we got to know some of the kitchen staff - probably their quarters were strictly off limits ! - one nicknamed Chipmunk I remember presumably for the nature of his task! Also the owners who were lovely people and remembered you from one year to the next - don't recall their names but I'm sure my Mum would. We were avid competition entrants - tennis, darts, putting, bowls, table tennis (don't think I was allowed on the snooker tables). My parents won the occasional prize - Mum still has some of the little trophies and probably a table cloth or two - prizegiving on Friday nights after choosing in the camp shop.

Many years later I visited Norwich for a wedding and visited Gorleston the next day - I was mortified to find the camp replaced by housing. I felt as if someone had stolen part of my life! Not sure if we had children by then, but I somehow always thought I would take them there.

Graham Bennett

August 2005

I thought I would just drop you a line to say that I found your site today and enjoyed a quick trawl through. I myself have been running a web site related to mundesley holiday camp further up the coast towards cromer. a much smaller camp but the memories of your visitors seem very similar to mine.

My site has been up for about 2 years and is currently undergoing a major revamp and will be opening again at the end of september. It is amazing how when you start these things they take off in unexpected directions. I was particularly jealous of your pictures from the building process.

I have been surprised by the number of staff that have contacted me I wonder if you find the same. I have even managed to find a camper who attended in the first year of opening 1934 (the internet is a wonderful thing) and have made contact with the father of my first holiday romance (I think I was about 7)

I hope you have similar success with your site. Unlike Gorleston, mundesley is still open but we are nolonger welcome
as our group of about 60-100 have children and in many cases grand children and the current owners are catering only for the over 70 although they maintain it is over 50's. We have therefore had to move to another camp.

Anyway I just thought that I ought to write to congratulate you and to thank you for making me feel less weird. I will of course add a link to the revamped site as I am sure that many of my visitors will be interested and some may have even been there. I hope that you feel that you can do the same.

Michael Pudney
www.mundesleyholidaycamp.co.uk

September 2005

Channel 4's Wakey Wakey Programme

When I heard that Channel 4 were making a programme on holiday camps in the 1960's I was delighted and could not wait for it to start. I wondered how they would find a suitable location, the correct mix of people and create the fantastic atmosphere the places had and also how they would keep the 21st century at bay for 2 weeks!

I know the whole thing was very hard, if not impossible, to create, but I really felt that channel 4 fell short of the target. There are many reasons why I feel they failed with the project:

Firstly the mix of 'campers' was totally wrong. To try to recapture the atmosphere of a holiday camp in the 1960's, surely the first thing that you need to do is put a collection of people together who would actually have gone to holiday camps at the time. Some of the people chosen would not have stepped foot in a holiday camp then, now, or at any time in the future so why pick such a type? There also needed to be twice the amount of people there to get anywhere near to capturing the atmosphere.

The intensity of the activities was totally over exaggerated. Yes, there were activities all day and yes, you were 'over encouraged' to join in but never forced. They were fantastic fun and very enjoyable and made the holiday. They certainly weren't things we dreaded doing!

The 'Major' was a complete farce. Yes, there were ex-army types in charge of some of the camps, but punishments were not handed out in the way the programme portrayed. Campers were not spoken to like they had signed up for two weeks National Service basic training! They were there to help the 'machine' run smoothly - not to put the fear of god into the campers. There was no doubt trouble at camps from time to time but this was mainly at the bigger ones but virtually non-existent at the ones the size of the one portrayed in Wakey Wakey.

The one thing the programme did get right was that it showed we have lost the ability to mix with other generations. Holiday camps were fantastic for this and brought everyone together whatever their age. Something I feel we would all benefit from in today's world.

You will never find a bigger fan of holiday camps than me, hence this website, but I really believe that the old style holiday camps are now gone and will unfortunately never ever return. We now live in a materialistic, politically correct world where self image is king. The death knell for the places we loved so dear.

Gary Seeley

September 2005

We would really like to hear your comments on the programme. Please get in contact!

Orbit Housing Estate

We have received an e-mail from a resident on the Orbit Housing Estate, which is built on the site of Gorleston Holiday Camp. Any more residents have any memories?

I would just like to comment on how great your site is. I have lived on the Orbit Housing Estate where the camp was situated for 21 years. I have been looking for ages for images and stories of the camp. I am also trying to find information about the railway tracks that used to run near by as well if you have any info.

CT Orbit Housing Estate Resident

January 2006

I was in Gorleston for a funeral recently and saw the exhibition at the Keevil Arms in Church Road. I took Jackie Clover's e-mail address but forgot to add it to my address book! I tried to send her scans of several post cards I have with various views inside and outside - my grandfather did washing up there for a while in the 1950's after leaving the sea, hence my interest. I have been collecting GoS postcards for many years and have over 200. I have sent you some cards that you do not already have on your website. The multi view was posted in 1958. My grandfather never talked about his work, he just washed up manually - no machines then! He was in his 60's and cycled there from Stradbroke Road and was very tired when he got home. I was at school and only there for a few weeks in the summer holidays.

Angela Clifford March 2006

Many thanks to Angela for sending us the postcards, which appear on the postcards page.

Well I worked there during the seasons of 1972 and 1973 as an assistant cook and I have fond memories of the numerous people that I encountered. Sadly most of their names have been forgotten with the tides of time.

Alfie worked in the Veg room slicing and dicing and hell he could throw a mean knife, he used to live in Church road, and in later years I would often see him standing at his door as I walked home from the Tower Ballroom in the very early hours.

There was a couple who worked as gardeners, she was slim lithe and quite muscular with very long dark hair *quiver* but not very talkative. Her partner/spouse was a good 10 years older and heck did he have an ice cold stare if he caught anyone looking at his wife/partner.

The swimming pool attendant, whose name I think was Bill was well passed retirement age, though quite fit for his age, confided in me that he was 70 and that was in 1972.

The Chef was another Bill, Irish, and quite fond of guinness as I recall. The assistant Chef, another Bill, once asked me "why do girls like men with long hair and is it because they are Lesbian?", my answer cannot be repeated here.

Charlie was the pastry chef a nimble and friendly guy who lived on Kennedy Avenue and even in 1972 was in his very late 70's.

For me as a full bloodied teenager 1972 was a very good year though I'll leave you to guess why and all I can say is that inspite of the 1940's style of entertainment in 1972-73 I've really missed Elmhurst Court and even after the Orbit was built I used to try to guess where places had been.

Though I no longer live in the area having moved to Berkshire I sometimes muse about times passed and the friends that I once knew.

T.M. November 2007

Amazed to see a website of Gorleston Holday Camp

I worked there as a waiter in the summer of 1968 and remember turning 18 in July of that year while I was there.

Recognised one of the faces in one of the first groups shown (wearing a top hat) as being the dining manager at the time (can't think of his name)

There was an entertainment manager whose name I think was Eddie (welshman)

Only worked there for the one season but it was certainly an experience. Quite demanding work with up to 36 people at each meal with the occassional additional requirement to serve the 'baby's afternoon tea meal (boiled eggs, with bread soldiers with the crusts cut off)

As well as Spanish waiters there were a number of Londoners when I was there. Two that stuck in my mind were George and John who used to sing as a duo as an added attraction for the guests in the bar room which was located near the swiming pool.

Lived on camp and shared a room for a short time with another waiter who I kept in touch with for a while but can now only remember his first name Paul.

We had the same meals as the guests and were of excellent quality.

I received a basic wage of £7 per week, but routinely received £10-15 in tips, which was surprising considering I was probably the worst waiter ever. Fortunately the guests were extremely tolerant and understanding.

I have a number of photos but at they are in coloured slide form, so I will have to get them digitalised to send them.

I still have a postcard I sent my parents living at RAF Coltishall showing the four photos of the main building, ballroom. swimming pool and dining room.

After the holiday camp I worked for Woolworths in Norwich and later the Norwich Motor Company before emigrating to Australia in 1970.

As with the camp neither are in existance now, (at least they weren't in the same locations on a visit in 2004)

Now live in Brisbane Queensland with the memories

Regards Jim Joyner

March 2008