Pontins Pakefield Holiday Camp

Covering 40 acres this camp was opened in the 1920s by Howard Barrett in the extensive grounds of his home, Pakefield Hall. Originally a campsite with tents, it was rebuilt in the 1930s with wooden chalets and renamed Pakefield Hall Holiday Camp. Facilities included tennis courts, bowls and a putting green. The chalets consisted of nothing more than a bedroom, and all meals were provided in the communal dining room. Evening entertainment took place in the large dance hall with its resident band.

In December 1938 the camp was used to house over 600 Jewish refugee children escaping from Germany. As it was built for summer use only, the chalets lacked any kind of heating and all the water pipes froze up. The rector of Pakefield said the conditions were “terrible”. Within a few days all the children had been moved out to assorted schools and hotels in the area.

In 1939 an old tavern in the grounds was restored and brought back to life “to recapture the rollicking atmosphere of the days of Pakefield smugglers”. The camp was requisitioned during the war and reopened in 1946.

The old lighthouse

Within the grounds is an old 1830s decommissioned lighthouse with its attached keepers cottage. In the 1930s it was converted into a bar and the old lantern room was used for sunbathing. Over the years it was used for a number of different purposes including a photography darkroom and staff accommodation. Near to the lighthouse is an area called Crazy Mary’s Hole, still marked on maps and supposedly haunted by a woman waiting for her husband to return from the sea. There have been several sightings going all the way back to the first world war when soldiers standing guard on the cliffs refused to work alone.

In 1957 the camp was sold to Pontins, becoming the 10th camp in their growing empire. The following year a floodlit outdoor swimming pool was built.

In 1959 a 600-ton ship caught fire off the coast and the camp was evacuated for fear the ship would explode. The camp secretary said “I’ve never seen a holiday camp empty so quickly”. Throughout the 1960s most of the old wooden chalets were replaced with brick, all with en suite bathrooms. The swimming pool was enclosed inside a new building.

The camp is still open today and remains one of only two camps left in the Pontins empire. It still retains much of its nostalgic charm, offering a peaceful and attractive setting complete with original 1960s brick chalets. The camp continues to operate as a half-board facility, serving meals in the same large communal dining room, but has now transitioned to an adults-only site.

Pakefield Hall still stands next door as a private residence, and the lighthouse was restored in the 2000s.

We’d love to hear your stories and memories of Pontins Pakefield. Please feel free to share your comments below.