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Kent and Gloucester Dining Halls. |
It was a fair walk from the (Red Camp) chalets to the Dining Halls. Windsor was the nearest, being located in the Reception Building, but the main halls were close to the seafront. When it rained, you had to go paddling to get into the halls! The drainage could have been better. Looking at earlier pictures, the halls used to have canopies to keep out the weather. Student and trainee waiters and waitresses worked very hard to serve every table as quickly as possible, bringing 4 or more plates on a specially made carrier. The atmosphere was jolly and the Redcoats were always there with a smile. If someone dropped a plate, it was the custom to cheer. At the evening meal, the Redcoats spun a pointer on a clockface board and if your row and table number was chosen you won a bottle of champagne.
The Dining Halls were always packed, but it didn't matter as your table was reserved for the week. Catering for hundreds of people with a three course meal and just over an hour between the two sittings could have been a logistical nightmare, but Butlin's managed it day after day.
Kent and Gloucester Dining Halls
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Kent and Gloucester Dining Halls. |
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Meal times were announced over the Tannoy at least 30 minutes before they were due, to give campers time to get ready and assemble. |
| Ist Sitting | Breakfast | 08:15 a.m. |
| Lunch | 12:15 p.m. | |
| Evening Meal | 05:30 p.m. | |
| 2nd Sitting | Breakfast | 09:15 a.m. |
| Lunch | 01:30 p.m. | |
| Evening Meal | 06:45 p.m. |
Windsor Dining Hall
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In 1965 our meals were taken in Windsor Dining Hall which was on the first floor of the Reception Building. |
Another Dining Hall was Edinburgh, as indicated on a signpost, pointing towards the Reception Building, in a Clacton postcard. This may have been in use when the whole camp had an 'all-in' meal tariff, before the advent of self-catering. So it's likely that 'Windsor and Edinburgh' were adjacent rooms.
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