Previous blogs have covered some of the negative social issues around seaside shelters, including vandalism, anti-social behaviour and homelessness, but the seaside shelters have a positive social impact too, even more so over the last few years, evolving from being just a place of shelter and rest and to observe the sea. In the first instance, the last few years has seen an increase in wild swimming including sea swimming. Shelters provide places to store clothing or bags whilst one is in the sea, places to get changed and dry off or have a post swim snack or drink. One of the most popular characters known for his wild swimming, Wim Hof, also has a television series out at the moment which has the potential to increase these numbers. Secondly, the recent Covid pandemic and restrictions on indoor meetings and increased outdoor exercise, has meant groups and families are seeking outdoor places to meet. Seaside shelters provide a free, ‘covered’ but outdoor area suitable for gathering groups of friends or families.
When observing seaside shelters locally, many are still used as meeting places, being easily recognised and identified. They are still used as resting places and as sitting places, people use them to eat their lunches and ice creams and to feed their babies. It’s interesting to see shelters still being included in regeneration programmes on seafronts, and this is also demonstrated in the number of architectural competitions using shelters as a focus.
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