Sir Fred Pontin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frederick William Pontin (1906-10-24)24 October 1906 Highams Park, London, England |
| Died | 30 September 2000(2000-09-30) (aged 93) Blackpool, Lancashire, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Sir George Monoux Grammar School |
| Known for | Founder,Pontins |
Sir Frederick William Pontin (24 October 1906 – 30 September 2000) was the founder ofPontins holiday camps and one of the two main entrepreneurs in the British holiday camp business in the 30 years afterWorld War II, alongsideBilly Butlin.[1]
He was born inHighams Park, the son of Frederick William Pontin, anEast End cabinet maker,[1] and Elizabeth Marian Tilyard, and attendedSir George Monoux Grammar School in Walthamstow but left without passing any examinations.[2] He had a successful career in the city'sStock Exchange beforeWorld War II.
During the war, he was involved in helping to establish hostels for construction workers. Based on this experience, he decided to move into the holiday camp business after the war. In 1946, he formed a syndicate to buy an old disused camp atBrean Sands nearBurnham-on-Sea,Somerset which was the beginnings of the company known as Pontins. He gradually expanded his business to encompass thirty sites[3] including the popularSouthport andPrestatyn resorts.
In 1960, he boughtFarringford House on theIsle of Wight, the former home ofAlfred, Lord Tennyson which had been turned into a hotel.[4] Pontin kept racehorses in stables near the hotel, one of which,Specify, won the1971 Grand National.[2]
He expanded his holiday business into other parts of Europe, forming Pontinental in 1963 with holiday villages in Spain, Majorca, Sardinia, Ibiza, Greece, Morocco and Yugoslavia.[2] In 1978, Pontins and Pontinental were sold toCoral for £56 million and he remained a director for two years, and continued to run hotels, including Farringford.[2] In 1984, he acquiredLondon Dungeon and openedYork Dungeon in 1986.[5]
He became Chief Barker of theVariety Club of Great Britain in 1968 and was president for 16 years, raising over £1 million.[1] In the1976 Queen's Birthday Honours List, he wasknighted for his services to charity.[1]
He married Dorothy, with whom he had a daughter, and subsequently married Joyce Hey in 1999,[2] the year before he died inBlackpool,[6] aged 93.
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