Butlin's Barry Island
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 Barry Island
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| Location | Barry Island |
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| Coordinates | 51°23′24″N 3°16′05″W / 51.390°N 3.268°WCoordinates: 51°23′24″N 3°16′05″W / 51.390°N 3.268°W |
| Subsequent names | Butlins Barry Island (1966-1986) Majestic Barry Island (1987-?) Barry Island Resort (?-1996) |
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Butlins, Majestic Holidays |
| Opening date | 18 June 1966 |
| Closing date | 7 November 1996 |
Barry Island was a Butlin's, latterly Majestic Holidays, holiday camp located on Barry Island in Wales. It opened in 1966 and closed in 1996.
Barry Island (Welsh: Ynys y Barri) is a small seaside resort in the Bristol Channel (Môr Hafren) about 9 miles (14 km) south by south west of Cardiff, (Welsh: Caerdydd), south Wales. Until 1896, when a rail link was completed from the mainland, the only access to Barry Island was either by foot across the sand and mud at low tide, or, when the tide was in, by Yellow Funnel Line paddle steamer. Over 150,000 visitors were recorded arriving one August Bank Holiday weekend, mostly by train. Further tourist attractions were developed on the island, and by 1934, the number of visitors to the fairground during the August Bank Holiday week was over 400,000.
Billy Butlin's inspiration for his holiday empire came from a less than happy holiday to Barry Island in his youth, when he'd been locked out of his B&B all day by his landlady. He finally decided to build one of the Butlins Holiday Camps at Barry Island.
What was to become the last-built and smallest of the Butlins Holiday Camps came to Barry Island in 1965. Billy Butlin took out a 99-year lease on the headland at Nell's Point in 1966. Building work began there in the winter and the gates opened to campers on 18 June 1966.
Barry Island holiday camp contained all the tried and tested Butlins ingredients: the famous Butlins Redcoats, funfair, early morning wake up with Radio Butlin, dining hall, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, ballroom; boating lake, tennis courts, sports field (for the three legged and egg and spoon races and the donkey derby), table tennis and snooker tables, amusement arcade, medical centre, theatre, arcades of shops and the Pig and Whistle Showbar. A 430 metres (1,410 ft) Chairlift system was opened in 1967. There were 800 chalets, all very basic, 'no-frills' and designed to modern 1960s standards, which, on the outside, meant wooden panels and flat roofs.
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