Colour aerial photographs showing Butlins Holiday Camp and Pleasure Park at Barry Island, taken on the 11 June 1974.
Barry island, a peninsula, was linked to the mainland town of Barry in the 1880s with the opening of Barry Dock, a development which attracted sightseers on paddle steamers from Bristol, Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare. A new railway station opened in 1896 giving the impetus for the development of visitor attractions on the island, including a small fairground with carousels, a set of swing-boats and a playground slide set up on the main beach for each summer season. Barry Island fairground was a growing attraction throughout the early 20th century. Butlins Barry Island opened as a holiday camp in 1966. It closed in 1996, by which time had become known as The Barry Island Resort. In 2010, the Studt family, who are thought to have originally run the small fairground in the 1880s, took over the running of the fairground and pleasure park.