This delightful mural is on the side of the shop at the old Pontins Holiday Camp at St Annes on the Sea.
The old holiday camp closed in October 2009. It was well past its "sell-by-date" and rumour has it that the lease on the land was running out and updating the campsite was not a viable option. Pontins went into liquidiation and most of their existing operations were taken over by Brittania Hotels.
Northern Trust, a company based in Chorley, had plans (dating back to 2008 seemingly) to build houses on the site. Demolition of the site started in 2010 and some two thirds were cleared but some buildings including this one and a row of chalets alongside the main road still remain. It would seem demolition has stopped as there are now doubts over whether the housing plans will actually go ahead.
More insight into all this can be found on Counterbalance: Pontins Puzzle and a follow-up article Ten Grand.
For now these murals remains but probably not for too much longer.
A contribution to Monday Murals.
Since they may be slated for demolition, I am glad you preserved them in photographs! Very nice - interesting repetitive motif going on - but very well executed!
ReplyDeleteJust for clarity, Northern Trust did not buy the land, they are part of a group who already held the lease and had done so since 2000 when it was sold by previous owners Scottish and Newcastle.
ReplyDeleteAdorable, great you captured them while they were still viable.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you have made a record of them since they are quite cute.
ReplyDeletethey may be all smiling because they have been spared the wrecking ball. this was probably a fun place in its day.
ReplyDeleteA nice splash of color in the landscape. Hard to know what to wish for. Complete the project but destroy the murals; or maintain the murals on empty property. Maybe a new development could commission a mural or two? Thanks, Gerald,for contributing to Monday Mural.
ReplyDeleteI love that whimsical mural -- no matter what happens, I hope somehow it gets saved.
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