 Construction began in September 1935 with the local paper reporting the first sod being turned on the 4th of that month . Butlin designed the camp himself and said of the camp , " my plans were for 1 @,@ 000 people in 600 chalets with electricity , running water , 250 bathrooms , dining and recreational halls . A theatre , a gymnasium , a rhododendron bordered swimming pool with cascades at both ends and a boating lake . " However Butlin hired the architect Harold Ridley Hooper , to draw up the formal plans for the camp buildings . In the camp 's landscaped grounds , there were to be tennis courts , bowling and putting greens and cricket pitches . The total cost of the project was £ 100 @,@ 000 ( 2011 : £ 5 @.@ 7 million ) and despite having suffered a financial shortfall during construction , the camp opened on schedule in 1936 . One of the original 1936 chalet accommodation units is still present and is now a grade II listed building , recognising its historical significance . 
