One thing I love about the UK beaches, as compared to the ones on the Maryland and Delaware coasts, is the vast expanse of them. In Wales, where I lived, the tidal range was about 10 meters – the entire Cardiff Harbour used to completely drain twice a day. 
Many of the beaches are rocky and it’s often chilly in the summers… at least compared to what we’re used to along the Mid-Atlantic Coast. 
Because no place in the UK is more than 100 miles from the sea, they seem to have a different outlook on their coasts than we do. 
Scattered across the beaches in the UK are tiny little beach huts, many not measuring more than 100 to 200 square feet. They’re brightly coloured and reflect the owners’ tastes and interests. It looks like the house on the left may be Australians!
Families keep these little places for generations and spend weekends and holidays there. 
Along the Atlantic coast in Maryland and Delaware, almost every square inch of ocean-front property is filled with over-designed houses, each trying to out do the next one.
Oriel windows? Got’em. 
Turrets? Got those, too. 
I call this “point and click” architecture, where there are so many disparate elements in one house that it loses all identity as a whole. The purple house looks like exaggerated Victorian, but not in a good way. There’s just too much going on with the blue one, round columns, square columns, railings, etc. Your eye doesn’t know where to land. This looks like someone’s take on a classic shingle cottage, but it ends looking disjointed. Is it two houses? 
Me? I’d take one of the little beach huts and be happy!
Me, too. Though I have always wanted to see inside one.
ReplyDeleteOh I love all of these fun little spots. Waves and a bed and I am happy.
ReplyDeleteOh my, those American examples. I'm more used to Cape Cod beaches, and the largest houses generally hide a bit, at least the ones I've seen. I guess I'd best like something in between the two, but I love all the colors. But I go to the beach to walk as much as swim, so it can be cold, which limits the scale of the houses generally.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree about MD beaches...they're certainly not where good design goes to live!
ReplyDeleteComing from cape cod last week, where the old beach houses are very simple little salt boxes -it's sad to see that many of these simple dwellings are being altered or torn down to be replaced with huge mcmansions. Such a shame!
AD... the Delaware beaches are worse! Most of the MD part is huge condo towers which completely shade the beach in the afternoons.
ReplyDeleteOur coastline is practically nonexistent. The little huts are darling and have always been intrigued by them.G
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of those UK beach huts. Do people actually stay in them, or are they just for use during the day? I suppose it is something like camping.
ReplyDeleteMartha's Vineyard has the old Methodist camp where people built small "gingerbread" cottages. I have read that the owners would start with the basic wood structure, and then add windows and trim as they could afford it.
Anon@10:29... I think it depends on how big the houses are whether people can stay in them. Most are kitted out with a cot, some dressers, and cabinets.
ReplyDeleteI've seen the Methodist camp you're talking about in MV. It's really amazing, isn't it?
I have always loved the image of those colorful huts. Very cool. I'll take any!
ReplyDeletelove the photo of those colored cabanas!
ReplyDeletelove the little beach huts - especially the bright and happy colors -
ReplyDeleteYou and me both P-D! We just spent a week in a place that was the size of our bar room. Great porch, 110 yards from the beach a grill, cable for the kids and a/c for us. And that's about all I need at the beach.
ReplyDeleteFAB beach post... I would take a beach hut too... do you know where they are giving them away? Put moi on the list!
ReplyDeleteLove those beach huts! I'd pick them too.
ReplyDeleteMarvelous post! Thanks
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a fancy, show-off beach house in England. Not even in Salcombe, where the houses are much bigger than those colorful huts . . .
ReplyDeleteLove your rant about those toy town houses. Did you ever go to Whitstable when you were living over here? It's on the Thames estuary, famous for oysters,full of well restored fishermen's cottages and a great clapboard pub actually on the beach. And it's great swimming at high tide.
ReplyDeletei love going to the beach specially when summer and have a family bonding..
ReplyDeletei will visit this beach for sure..!