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Butlin's Beachcomber, Minehead, England (bar) |
Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
|  Posted: 2010-02-19 12:53 pm Permalink
Name:Butlin's Beachcomber
Type:bar
Street:
City:Minehead
State:
Zip:
country:England
Phone:
Status:defunct
Description:
There are several posts with information on all of the Butlin's Beachcombers (I think there were 5), but I wanted to start one specifically for the Minehead location. This Beachcomber seems to have the most ephemera and looks to have been the most decked out. I have a bunch of postcards and the menu.
I thought of making this post when I found this great photo of the exterior from Minehead.
The Beachcomber Bar was packed with stuff wall to wall and floor to ceiling. The Tikis left something to be desired however.
They used the hula girl sever concept as well.
The SS Beachcomber ship was a cool feature.
This view as well as the ship seem to have been the inspiration for the menu art.
(Menu photos courtesy of Taboo Dan and 54 House of Bamboo).
Look forward to seeing some more stuff from the Minehead Beachcomber.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-20 07:48 am Permalink
Did a little more research on the Minehead Beachcomber. This holiday camp was built in 1962 and the Beachcomber opened shortly thereafter. It was the last of the Beachcombers to close in 1997.
Here is a photo from 1973 from the Butlins archives. Groovy man.
DC
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tikiyaki
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: May 18, 2004
Posts: 2677
From: The Exotic Port of REDONDO BEACH, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-20 08:34 am Permalink
This place looks amazing...I love the boat docked next to the diners....crazy.
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bigtikidude
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 8262
From: Anaheim,Ca.
| Posted: 2010-02-20 09:53 am Permalink
Jim,
it looks more like its run ashore that docked.
Jeff(btd)
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54 house of bamboo
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Sep 28, 2006
Posts: 291
From: Cambridge UK
| Posted: 2010-02-20 1:54 pm Permalink
Items common to all Beachcombers... just for completeness in this thread.
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TabooDan
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 18, 2004
Posts: 641
From: BC, Canada
| Posted: 2010-02-20 2:21 pm Permalink
Good idea for a post DC. This almost sums it all up though. You've got the postcards, menu and a couple cool pictures. You now have the mug, souvenir ashtray and matchbook. What else is there??
These were holiday camps right across Britain. There has got to be tons of photos in personal collections and in family albums of these get aways! We gotta call out our Englishmen here to help dig up some of the information that's waiting to be discovered over there!!
We moved from England when I was about six and didn't get to go to any of these camps but my parents did. They didn't have pictures of the specific Beachcomber bars but do remember them.
There's gotta be more relics over there to find. I thought us Englishmen kept everything?? Well...that's what my fiancee keeps telling me! 
TabooDan
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54 house of bamboo
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Sep 28, 2006
Posts: 291
From: Cambridge UK
| Posted: 2010-02-21 03:06 am Permalink
See http://www.butlinsmemories.com
Archaeology page at http://www.butlinsmemories.com/minehead/overyears.htm
214 search results on the associated forum for 'beachcomber'!
This is the saddest, a link to here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=128683&id=626917945&l=045802455b The pictures of the demolition... you can see some detail on #7
PS I was born 15 miles from Minehead...
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The Stevenson Wedding Mug by Cheekytiki, 2006
[ This Message was edited by: 54 house of bamboo 2010-02-21 03:11 ]
[ This Message was edited by: 54 house of bamboo 2010-02-21 03:16 ]
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blue.octopus
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Jun 02, 2008
Posts: 68
From: London, UK
| Posted: 2010-02-22 10:30 am Permalink
Minehead (Beachcomber Bar) 1966-1997
Originally known as the "Stadium Building" with the Beachcomber Bar on the ground floor and games and other facilities on the first floor
Renamed "Beachcomber Building" in 1970. New Children's Theatre added the same year. Also Chinese restaurant & Disco.
In 1986 this Butlins site became 'Somerwest World'.
1997 Beachcomber Bar closed. The whole building was left standing, but not used. Finally demolished in 2006 prior to new BlueSkies apartments being built on top of adjoining boating lake. The area is now grassed over.
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[ This Message was edited by: blue.octopus 2010-02-22 10:31 ]
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-02-24 9:23 pm Permalink
Pictures of the vacant Minehead Beachcomber:
http://www.beachcomber.bygonebutlins.com/
More pictures of the demolition from 2006:
http://www.beachcomber.bygonebutlins.com/demo.html
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pa'akiki
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Mar 26, 2005
Posts: 70 | Posted: 2010-03-05 5:44 pm Permalink
Billy Butlin got his inspiration from the LA Beachcomber.
another article
A little info on the man himself.
inside of the butlins beachcomber menu
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-03-18 4:57 pm Permalink
This is a GREAT 1964 video clip from the Beachcomber Bar.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=1802
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-05-31 2:57 pm Permalink
Here is another postcard from the Butlins Beachcomber in Minehead that I tried to win on ebay recently. I had not seen this one before. It has an outrigger canoe that was used as a fish pond, great idea.
DC
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1961surf
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: May 03, 2007
Posts: 1895
From: Newport Beach, Ca .
| Posted: 2010-05-31 3:31 pm Permalink
Hilarious vid clip DC .
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sasquatch
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 29, 2007
Posts: 76
From: Newcastle, Australia
| Posted: 2010-09-26 5:57 pm Permalink
love this thread... brought back so many memories.
Having spent most of my life in the UK it was my only experience of anything approaching a Tiki Bar!
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Slacks Ferret
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 02, 2003
Posts: 1175
From: Calgary
| Posted: 2010-12-21 9:14 pm Permalink
And another one:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=1550
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