What would our seaside towns be without their beautiful beach huts? In Felixstowe the owners of 44 historic huts near the Spa Pavilion - possibly the oldest in Britain - could be waving a final farewell to their treasured havens by the sea
From an oasis of creativity to a place of refuge, the huts along Felixstowe’s Spa Promenade are more than ‘posh sheds’, they enrich people’s lives. Many of the owners have had their huts for almost two decades - some have family connections that go back much further - and during that time they’ve collected a lifetime of memories, from teaching their children to swim to spreading the ashes of loved ones.
As well as the deep emotional connection to the huts, there is also a historical element. Research shows that the Spa beach huts, which date back to 1834, are likely to be the oldest in the country and the second oldest in the world. When East Suffolk Council announced earlier this year that all the licences of all 44 huts would be revoked, a campaign called Save Felixstowe Beach Huts was launched to fight the council's decision. This has received widespread support, including the backing of the Victorian Society and the Council for British Archaeology, and an online petition has secured more than 4,180 signatures. The owners have lodged a judicial review of the council’s decision and are awaiting the outcome.
The huts used to be on the promenade during the winter and on the beach during the summer. However, since 2018, they have remained on the prom throughout the year for safety reasons due to coastal erosion and storm damage. East Suffolk Council has said that 30 huts will be relocated and 14 will be removed altogether, claiming that a permanent placement on the promenade was not a “viable option”. For the owners of the huts, the decision has hit them hard.
"It's where I became a writer"
“These huts are part of our rituals. They are treasured and loved,” says award-winning crime novelist Ruth Dugdall, who has owned a hut for 17 years. Like many other owners, the hut is home to many memories for Ruth over the years, from fun times with family to various celebrations. But here also began Ruth’s writing career, at the start of her maternity leave with her second born. While her baby slept, she would write, away from distractions of the house, with just the view of the sea to inspire. In the same year that she bought the hut, Ruth won the Debut Dagger award for her novel The Woman Before Me.
“My beach hut is where I became a writer. It was winning that award that changed my life. I resigned from the probation service and became a full-time writer. Every novel I’ve done has been partly written in that hut.” Ruth moved to Felixstowe at the age of 16 when her parents bought a hotel to run and has loved living by the sea ever since. “My favourite time to go there is when it's stormy and rainy, and I can have a blanket on my knees and just be in the elements.”
"So much has happened here over the years"
Louise Lynch, from Felixstowe, has had many good times over the years at her hut, but it’s also been a place of comfort in the bad times. “The hut doesn't just benefit me and my husband, it's for the whole extended family and friends, and what they are going through. "So much happened has happened along here over the years; divorces, bankruptcy, cancer, teenage pregnancies, my son coming out as gay. My dad’s ashes are at sea in front of the beach hut. There was also this one time we saw our neighbour, in the sea, collapse. We pulled him out and saved his life.”
It was a chance conversation with a couple painting their beach hut over 20 years ago that led to her first purchase. She then later sold that hut to her best friend and bought the adjacent one so they could both enjoy it. Their children grew up together, learnt to cook, had fun in the water, picnics on the beach, and fish and chip suppers. Now, it is a place her two grown up sons use to socialise with their friends, and where she and her husband, Ian, can properly relax. Ian suffered a severe heart attack seven years ago, so their wooden shelter has become even more important for his recuperation.
Louise’s job as a 999 call handler for the police can take its toll, but the hut has become her refuge. “With everything that has gone on in recent years and the stress from my job, it’s the place I can relax," she says. “We sit there and do crossword puzzles. It really is our happy place.”
"I feel heartbroken about the whole thing"
Claire Layley owns one of the Victorian beach huts, and is devastated it might not be around for much longer. The mum of three, who grew up in Trimley St Mary but now lives in Maldon, says: “I have a very strong emotional connection to the hut. Any excuse for a celebration, we are always going down to the hut. My dad’s ashes are scattered there and we have had lots of good memories too.”
Claire’s hut, called Penelope, has been in her family for 25 years and now she is the custodian of it, along with her sister. It was even the subject of a poem by Richard Digance, star of current affairs programme Nationwide. He wrote it while performing at the Spa Pavilion in the late `90s and it was subsequently published in the East Anglian Daily Times. “I actually feel heartbroken about the whole thing. It's such a special place and we have been so lucky to have it. The hut feels part of our family and everyone is really upset by this. It’s the potential loss of future opportunities to use it.”
Since the campaign launched, all the hut owners have rallied together to fight the decision and have become quite close. “I would feel guilty now if my hut was saved and really sad for them,” says Claire.
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"Everything revolves around the hut"
Adrian Hine's hut also dates back to the Victorian era. His family has owned beach huts in Felixstowe since the 1930s - he bought his 20 years ago and has enjoyed many happy family occasions there. “Everything revolves around the hut. I have two daughters and we have been coming here since they were babies. My youngest daughter, Kate, wanted her 21st in the hut next year but we don’t know if it will still be here.
“Every year they get a bit battered by the wind and frost but they are so resilient to have lasted 130 years.” Adrian says the prospect of the huts moving has clouded his enjoyment of it in recent times. “Even if we get to be one of the lucky ones to be saved, one of our neighbours might not be,” he laments.
Actor and writer Griff Rhys Jones is president of the Victorian Society and has been an active campaigner over protecting Britain's Victorian and Edwardian heritage. He lives in Suffolk and recently met the beach hut campaigners. He was outraged to learn about the council’s decision.
“There have been beach huts in Felixstowe for almost 130 years," he says. "They are among the oldest in the world. It would be a great shame for everyone who knows that part of Felixstowe if they were no longer there. The seaside was a largely Victorian invention and seasides across Britain are great symbols of that part of history. The earliest beach hut was built in 1874 so Felixstowe was ahead of the game.”
An East Suffolk Council spokesperson said: “East Suffolk Council shares the disappointment of the 44 affected beach hut owners and remains willing to engage in mediation regarding new ideas for relocating the 14 huts left without a site. We remain committed to finding a solution but one that considers the interests of all sections of the community.”
Whatever the fate of these huts, there is no doubt that they will always have a special place in the hearts and souls of their owners - as well as those who enjoy them for the colour and character they bring to their day at the seaside.
