26 C O N T E X T 1 3 0 : J U LY 2 0 1 3 de heritage seaside tage Our seaside heritag Our seaside heritage Ou easide heritage Our itage Our seaside heritage seaside heritage Our seaside herita not in use is gaining popularity in East Lincolnshire and East Sussex. In some cases, unsightly metal shopfrontstyle shutters have been installed. Infilling of verandas with solid panels is also common. While this does not impact on huts that have opening timber shutters, the impact is harmful to those designed to display more glass. In terms of maintaining the integrity of design, council-owned chalets and huts fare much better than privately owned examples: maintenance is carried out at the same time and under one specification. Repairs can prove difficult. Tackling rusting of any exposed original iron detail can be costly.The temptation to use cheaper alternatives is understandable.Achieving neat repairs to spalling reinforced concrete is not a simple operation. One of the most unusual problems noted is the replacement of the curved asbestos-cement, pagoda-style roofs in Sutton-on-Sea and Mablethorpe with a standard roof construction because curved panels in a matching modern equivalent are hard to source. Beach huts have been at the centre of coastal regeneration in several places. Wayne Hemingway’s beach pod makeovers in Bournemouth and well-designed state of the art eco-huts at Blyth in Northumberland are examples. The most notable and successful has been the Festival of Bathing Beauties on the east coast at Mablethorpe, Sutton-on-Sea and Sandilands. In an attempt to regenerate these declining coastal structures and extend the holiday season, this was the brainchild of Lincolnshire County Council in partnership with East Lindsey District Council. An international design competition was launched in 2006 to design a beach hut for the 21st century. This attracted 240 entries from all over the world.The 10 best were built along this stretch of the east coast, with such esoteric names as Camera Obscura, Come Up and See Me Sometime (a giant glass of gin and tonic) and Jabba the Hut (a cave for the modern day, illustrated on the cover of this issue of Context).These are available to hire. The unusual structures are a fitting celebration in the 21st century for a tradition that has its origins on the late 19th century.The first Festival of Bathing Beauties was in 2007, when the best beach hut competition was launched in Lincolnshire.This is now a national competition. In its fifth year, the festival brings thousands of visitors to the three small resorts. Many beach huts are passed down through the family, demonstrating that these little huts are cherished heritage assets. Speaking to hut owners on a gloriously sunny spring bank holiday in Sutton-on-Sea, I found that Helen had inherited her 1950s beach hut on South Promenade in the 1980s. It had been her mother’s and grandmother’s before her – a family treasure. Emma, who has owned a hut on the same promenade for about nine years, travels from Shropshire to visit.When asked about the journey, she pointed at the sea. ‘When you come here on a day like this nothing could be better,’ she said. Despite vandalism, both agreed they would not sell their huts. Many places have a waiting list, which will ensure that the majority have a bright future. There is no doubt that these miniature homes-fromhome are iconic seaside buildings, be they new, old, traditional or modern. Their group value is very much a part of their significance, whether it is derived from a shared characteristic of design or colour, such as the rows of pristine white beach huts at Bexhill-on-Sea, or the variety of styles and colours seen in Southwold, Wells-next-the-Sea or Sutton-on-Sea. Without beach huts, many of our seaside resorts would not be the same. References ¹ Ferry, Kathryn (2009) Beach Huts and Bathing Machines, Shire Publications 2 Andrew Emery (project manager, Boscombe Sea Change) Elizabeth Mayle is design and conservation officer for Balfour BeattyWorkplace in partnership with North East Lincolnshire Council. Beach huts at Cromer West (top and right) and Littlestone-on-Sea, Kent (far right)
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