‘Little more than glorified sheds': What drives people to spend £45,000 on a beach hut

Telegraph

24-07-2025

Looking to invest in property? How about an uninsulated one-room shack, vulnerable to the elements, with no running water, no electricity, no bed nor sleeping permissions, but space (just about) for a gas stove and kettle, and superlative sea views. A snip at £45,828!
That's the average cost of a beach hut in Britain, though some sell for less, some a lot more. The grander chalets lining Dorset's Mudeford Sandbank can cost upwards of £450,000. These sound outrageous amounts for what's basically a glorified shed. But you're not just buying a shed – you're buying into a vision of the British seaside.
'Beach huts have an iconic status – and I use that advisedly because everything is iconic these days,' says Kathryn Ferry, a historian specialising in seaside culture.
Kathryn spent two months travelling the country, researching beach huts – 'there are about 28,000, I counted' – and is the author of Beach Huts & Bathing Machines, Sheds on the Seashore and, her latest, Seaside 100: A History of the British Seaside in 100 Objects. She knows her huts.
Some of her favourites include the stilted, pine-backed beauties at Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk and an unusual row in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, which have roofs made of recycled Nissan huts that make them look a little like pagodas. But what's the general appeal?
'There's an element of nostalgia. But it's also a back-to-basics thing,' Kathryn reckons. 'With the pace of modern life, everything being digital, you can never switch off. But the beach hut is an antidote.
'You just sit and watch the world go by. And you're in that exclusive club: when the rain comes, you can retreat into your hut while everybody else flees the beach.'
The history of the beach hut
The beach hut dates back to the beginnings of the seaside itself, which was originally marketed to health tourists who'd come to take the waters as a cure. Horse-drawn mobile bathing machines started to appear in the mid-18th century, to ease access to the sea and to preserve the modesty of well-to-do dippers, keeping men and women apart.
But by the late 19th century, Kathryn says, 'the wheels began to come off – quite literally.' As more wealthy people started travelling abroad, they found that, on European beaches, the sexes weren't segregated. British resorts suddenly seemed outmoded. To compete, they began offering mixed bathing. As long as you were suitably attired, it was now deemed respectable to be seen on the beach. 'This meant you could park your bathing machine,' says Kathryn, 'so it became a beach hut.'
The first purpose-built public huts were erected alongside Bournemouth Pier in 1909. Their popularity peaked post-war, then declined as more Brits started to holiday overseas. The revival came in the late 1990s. 'They started to become more fashionable when really cheap flights meant there was nothing exclusive about flying any more,' says Kathryn.
'It meant that paying thousands for your own beach hut on your own little plot of seafront had a bit more cachet: the crowds had gone to Spain, so the cool thing was to go back to the British seaside.' That coolness was confirmed when Tracey Emin sold her Whitstable hut to Charles Saatchi in 2000 for £75,000.
Connections to in-vogue artists are certainly going to increase asking prices. However, location is the biggest factor. You can pick one up in Harwich for £17,000 while a hut in a prime Southwold position might cost £250,000. It also comes down to availability.
'It's a buyer's market at the moment, due to the number of beach huts for sale,' says Laura Simpson of Callaways Estate Agent, which sells huts in Hove. 'Last year was a very bad year for beach hut sales as the summer was quite wet. This year started off well with the warm weather coming early in April.
'When the weather is good, more people visit the beach, see the huts, see the people sitting outside their huts, decide they want one. We are helping to sell a lifestyle rather than the hut itself.'
Getting the lifestyle for a fraction of the price
However, you don't have to own a hut to partake of their simple charms. There are many available to rent by the day, week, month or season. For instance, Natural Enterprise, a charitable trust on the Isle of Wight, has built four huts as part of the Appley Tower renovation project.
They cost from £35 a day to £1,575 for July–September rental and the income is used to help preserve the Gothic-style folly. Or you could spend a day living inside a picture postcard at Wells-next-the-Sea: a bolthole with balcony and deckchairs costs from £65 per day.
Wales has some super spots. The National Trust rents out a row of 70 ice-cream-dreamy huts at Llanbedrog Beach on the Llŷn Peninsula for £450 for the May-September season – though applications must be made well in advance.
Barry Island's bright-hued huts are a bargain: £23 a day in summer, £8 in winter. Hunkering down in an unheated hut in January might sound unappealing, but winter hire is a growing trend as staycationers seek cheaper prices, crowd-free coasts and access to cold-water swimming. BeachHuts.com has seen a 20 per cent rise in out-of-season bookings this year.
Janet Gershlick lives in the Suffolk town of Southwold, home to some of the most famously photogenic beach huts in the country. She is fascinated by them. 'Each has a different name, each has a different story,' she says. Her book, Southwold: A Place to Love, records some of them.
For instance, there's the hut called 'Floyd's Place', named for a boxer dog that used to skateboard along the promenade. There's 'All Mine', renamed after its owner won the hut in her divorce settlement.
One of Janet's favourites is 'Woodlands', owned by the Chadds, whose ancestors have holidayed in Southwold since the 1890s and who built the hut in 1958.
'The family remembered the adventures they'd had – crabbing, playing cricket, eating shrimp teas, swimming, then hanging the woollen costumes up to dry,' Janet recalled.
'Now the children and the grandchildren come. And that's what I love – seeing families at the huts, enjoying themselves together.'
Everything you need to know about beach huts
What do people actually use them for?
They're basically a cupboard you can sit in – used for storing surfboards, deckchairs and beach paraphernalia, plus people-watching, weather-sheltering and making tea.
What's in them?
Precious little. No running water, no toilet – owners have to use public loos and standpipes. Also, no electricity, though owners may rig lights to a battery pack or install gas stoves. Beyond that, expect space-saving solutions such as fold-out tables, storage benches and lots of hooks.
Are there rules?
Yes. Insurance is required, annual fees are usually imposed, regular maintenance may be required. 'Considering the annual costs, beach huts probably won't make money in the long term,' says estate agent Laura Simpson.
Can you spend the night in them?
Not usually. Most huts are leasehold, and landowners don't allow it. Freehold owners may be able to overnight, but restrictions can still apply. If sleeping is permitted, it's probably a beach chalet, not a hut.
Can you use them year-round?
Some huts are moved in winter to protect them from the elements. Others remain usable, with caveats: Becca Tremain, secretary of the Sutton-on-Sea Beach Hut Owners Association, remembers trying to use hers one Christmas: 'The door was swollen shut – we couldn't get in.'
Can you decorate them?
Some councils have strict guidelines on appearance and colours. But personalisation is often a big part of the appeal. 'Owners put a lot of love into them,' says Becca. Her own hut was a wreck when she bought it.