Clacton between the Wars
Clacton came to a stand still during the First World War, but soon reinvented itself with entertainers like John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Cedric Hardwick during the 1920's.

The Council set about forming the New Gardens along Marine Parade West.

The Clacton Land Company formed by Peter Bruff was on its last legs; a Mr Kingsman from Gt Yarmouth came to town and bought the Company for ?350.000 from the liquidators. For his money he acquired 5 Belle Steam Ships 4 Piers (Clacton.Walton.Southwold & Felixstowe) 2 Hotels a Waterworks and some properties. (Clacton had two piers at that time).

Mr Ernest Kingsman sold off every thing bar the Clacton Pier, he invested £200.000 over the next 15 years making the pier a major tourist attraction. It started with the Ocean Theatre, the Children's Theatre a Concert Party Theatre, the Blue Lagoon Dance Hall which could hold 1500 people and the Crystal Casino. He also built the first Open Air Swimming Pool on the Pier the famous steel Stella Roller Coaster, Amusement Arcades, Homemade Doughnut Stands he knew what the people wanted and bought them through the turnstiles at a rate of up to 40.000 people a day. Bertram the Clown had his own Children's Theatre with 500 seats, but he proved so popular he took over The Pavilion which sat 1000 and promptly renamed it The Jollity Theatre.

Moving away from the Pier, the new West Cliff Theatre was opened in 1928 with the Princes Theatre shortly afterwards as part of the new Town Hall in 1931, both still in full swing to-day providing top quality entertainment. However the six cinemas?s from the 1930's have dwindled down to one with Two Screens and a very popular Bingo Hall. Woolworths, W H Smiths and Marks & Spencer all set up shop during this period, and are still here to-day.

Billy Butlin came to town in 1937 with his brand new idea of Holiday Camps catering for 100.000 people a week. So what with the Pier the Camp the 3 miles of Golden Sand and a Enviable Sunshine Record Clacton-on-Sea was the place to be with its Champagne Air

The Paddle Steamers drifted away while the Railway made tracks and started to bring holiday makers from the Midlands as well as the Families from the East End here for there Summer Holidays and Weekend Breaks.

As well as building the new Town Hall, a County High School and a new Railway Station were all built during the roaring 30.s. New housing developments were popping up like the Burrsville Park Estate.

The 30's ended with the out break of War being declared on 3rd September 1939, then on the 30th April 1940 through the crash of a German mine laying bomber Britain saw its first mainland casualties in Victoria Road Clacton.

My notes within these pages on bygone days of Clacton-on-Sea are taken from excellent books written by Norman Jacobs who came to Butlins in Clacton as a holiday maker in his youth, liking it so much he choose to retire here many years later. Norman is a Founder member of the Clacton and District Local History Society and Chairman amongst other charitable tasks. They have a permanent exhibition on Clacton and its surrounding villages on display in the town library open Sat & Tue Morning. My thanks to Mr Jacobs and all his fellow researchers for there many hours of research. I know full well how long this kind of research takes, as I to was the Chairman and founder member of a History Group in Goldhanger a little village on the north shore of the River Blackwater just a few miles away as the crow flies.