Jennings Caravan Park
Jennings was founded in 1932 and is now a fourth-generation family run holiday park. Originally set up by Ted and Kathy Jennings the parks are now owned and operated by Mick, Theresa, and Kevin Jennings. 88 years later they keep the park true to its original values of being family owned.
Back in 1936 just before the second world war holidays in Heacham were very different to the now luxury retreats we have become accustomed to. Using wooden huts to stay in, Jennings started during a time of a very new way of holidaying in the UK.
Shortly after it being founded the UK found itself at war and the park was repurposed for growing potatoes to support the food industry during war time. Post war the park found itself using all types of structure for people to stay in including lorry backs, disused railway carriages and even a D Day Horsa glider!
Holidays in Norfolk started to boom with investment into the area the number of holiday visitors significantly increased over the years. As the demand for holidaying in Heacham was increasing Jennings had an increased number of its visitors using war time prefabs to stay in.
During this period Jennings not only had these prefab buildings, but also had 3 toilet/shower blocks and areas for camping. In 1973 the introduction of the Caravan Sites and Development Act moved holidaying in the UK and Jennings Caravan Park in a new Direction. Mick Jennings was leading the way and ensuring the family run business thrived throughout this period. Mick was also the secretary of the Caravan Site Operators association voicing the family run businesses concerns about the newly implanted Caravan Site and Control of Development act.
As time passed and caravans become larger, Mick developed the park into a more established set up where visitors were no longer bringing prefab or other structures to the site and camping quickly was taken over by purpose build static caravan, not to dissimilar to static caravans we love and use today. Mick developed the park further with Mains water, and Waste being connected to these new holiday homes and since this point a new era was born for Jennings.
Newlands was not always used as a caravan park like the history of Jennings but for many years was a nursery used to grow flower, fruit and vegetables by Mick and Anne Jennings. The flowers and vegetables grown in the nursey were sold off to wholesalers and supplied to the onsite shop on Jennings Park. Jenning’s shop has been a feature of Heacham since Jennings inception back in the 1930s originally know and the “Café’ and the building we see today is the 7th version of the shop. Newlands transitioned away from Mick and Annes Nursery in 1975 as the demand for holidaying in Heacham continued to grow. Like with Jennings Mick developed the site we see today and is another hugely popular holiday destination for many.
