Seaside holidays in Britain conjure up a whole range of images… beaches, sandcastles, piers, amusement arcades, rock and candy-floss, boarding houses and their landladies, rainy days, as well as all those lovely seaside gardens, but maybe the one building that sums it all up is the seaside shelter. What could be more summery in Britain than a few hours spent sitting in a doorless shed watching the waves in the howling wind or pouring rain? And to prove how central to the British life they are, some of those shelters are now listed buildings, even though the names of their architects or designers are often forgotten.
Largely overlooked by architectural historians – after all you wouldn’t think there’s much one could say about a seaside shelter – but look hard enough, and the variety is astounding. Things have begun to change recently and a couple of books coupled with some listings by Historic England show they are now being recognised as the icons of the British way of life that they really are! So what’s their history?
When I was writing last week’s post I discovered a film called “The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” and thought that would make a good starting point in keeping with August’s traditional media “silly season”. More about this spoof B movie and its sequels later but if you can’t wait 
The Garden History Blog 
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