- Beach hut
A beach hut is a small, usually wooden and often brightly coloured, building above the high tide mark on popular bathing beaches. They are generally used for changing into and out of swimming costumes and to provide a base for informal family recreation. Some beach huts incorporate simple facilities for preparing food and hot drinks. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2005/07/02/coast05walks_stage4.shtml BBC] accessed 17/02/08]
Locations
At many
seaside resort s, beach huts are arranged in one or more ranks along the top of the beach. Depending upon the location, beach huts may be owned privately or may be owned by the local council or similar administrative body. On popular beaches, privately owned beach huts can command substantial prices due to their convenient location, out of all proportion to their size and amenity.Today there are believed to be around 20,000 beach huts in the U.K. Locations where beach huts can be seen include
Lowestoft ,Southwold ,Abersoch ,Langland Bay andRotherslade (Swansea ),Rustington , andSt Helens, Isle of Wight ,Mersea Island andWimereux ,France .History
Beach huts started to be used in the early years of the twentieth century. Many are former fishermans huts.
Possibly the earliest purpose built beach huts in the UK were erected at Bournemouth, either side of Bournemouth Pier in around 1908 or 1909. Designed by F. P. Dolamore, Bournemouth's Borough Engineer, they were offered for hire for £12 10s per year. 160 huts, or bungalows as they were styled, were initially built before the first world war. Their design remains unchanged to this day. The Council believes that some of the original 1909 huts are still standing, although the majority were renewed in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, Bournemouth features around 520 huts owned by the Council, of which over 250 are available to hire by the day or week. There are in addition a further 1200 privately owned huts.
ee also
*
Boatshed Image gallery
References
External links
* [http://www.beach-huts.com/history-of-beach-huts.php Dr Kathryn Ferry: History of Beach Huts]
* [http://www.seasidehistory.co.uk/beach_huts.html British Seaside History]
* [http://www.nabho.org.uk/ National Association of Beach Hut Owners]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2005/07/02/coast05walks_stage4.shtml BBC Discovering Southwold - Beach Huts]
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