Searching for answers. Preserving the stories.

I’ve always been fascinated by the places where people used to spend their leisure time. Holiday camps, tourist attractions, old amusement parks, hotels… the sort of places that once attracted thousands of visitors but today have often disappeared with little to remind us they ever existed.

Over the years I became increasingly frustrated by how little information was available about many of these places. Some had almost no history recorded at all, while others repeated the same stories, contained inaccuracies or simply left out much of what made these places special.

So I decided to start researching them myself.

Rather than relying on what was already online, I went back to original sources. Old newspapers, magazines, guidebooks, brochures, postcards, maps and official publications have all helped piece these stories together. Whenever possible, I’ve also spoken to people who actually visited, worked at or were connected with many of the places featured here.

There are no strict rules about what you’ll find on this website. My main interest has always been the places where people went to enjoy themselves. Most of the early articles are about British subjects, simply because that’s where my research began. But don’t be surprised if the journey takes us overseas from time to time. If it’s a place with an interesting story and it helped people enjoy their leisure time, it’s fair game.

Some of the articles on this website have been researched, rewritten and expanded over many years. They weren’t written to fill a website – they were written because I wanted answers to questions that nobody else seemed able to answer.

This is an independent, non-commercial website created simply to share that research. If you enjoy discovering the forgotten places where generations of people went to relax, explore and have fun, I hope you’ll enjoy looking around.