About Kathryn

Kathryn Ferry is an independent architectural historian, writer and lecturer.  Her research interests include seaside history and Victorian architecture, specifically the work of designer Owen Jones.  Although she grew up near the sea in North Devon it was not until her early twenties, when she began taking day trips to the East Anglian coast, that Kathryn discovered a passion for beach huts.  She continued to pursue this new love while studying for her PhD at Cambridge University and in the summer of 2002, went on a two-month journey around the English coast to record the state of the nation’s huts. She has been researching their history every since and is now the national beach hut expert.

Kathryn at Westward Ho!

Kathryn’s Books

For a more in-depth look at the fascinating and often comic story of how the humble beach hut evolved from a mobile changing cubicle into a highly desirable piece of seaside property, Kathryn’s second book Sheds on the seashore: a tour through beach hut history is due out in the summer. Taking the beach hut as a starting point to explore the broader history of the seaside, this book also includes an account of Kathryn’s two-month beach hut odyssey around the English coast and the stories of the people she met along the way. A must-have for anyone who loves beach huts!

And if you’re a fan of old-fashioned bucket and spade holidays then look out for Kathryn’s book on British seaside holidays, to be published by Shire in August. Full of evocative pictures and packed with information this book documents the heyday of seaside holidays from the 1870s to the 1970s. Watch this space for publication details…

Beach huts in the media
Kathryn has contributed to numerous press articles as well as radio and TV programmes including the popular BBC series Coast filmed at Lowestoft, The One Show with John Sargeant at Mablethorpe and Flog It filmed at Hove. Most recently she has been chatting to Suggs, owner of a much-loved beach hut at Whitstable, for My Brilliant Britain a new series coming to digital channel ‘Blighty’ soon. Watch: VIDEO to see Kathryn...

Bathing Beauties Festival
Kathryn is looking forward to signing books in a beach hut as part of the third annual Bathing Beauties Festival in September. This event grew out of the Bathing Beauties® competition which was launched in 2006 to get architects from around the world to come up with designs for a twenty-first century beach hut. Several of the winning entries have now been built along the Lincolnshire coast and as one of the judges in the original competition Kathryn is thrilled to be going back to Mablethorpe for this year’s festival. For more information on the festival, which runs from Friday 18 – Sunday 20 September go to www.bathingbeautiesfestival.org

Could your beach hut be a prize-winner?
The competition to find the Shed of the Year is going from strength to strength but beach huts are sorely under-represented in the ‘hut’ category. If your hut has star quality why not enter the 2009 competition at www.readersheds.co.uk

Beach hut owners’ associations unite
There are lots of places around the British coast where associations have been set up to look out for the interests of beach hut owners.  Now there is an organisation that seeks to bring all these associations together to represent owners at a national level.  For more information on how to get involved see the National Association of Beach Hut Owners (NABHO) website at www.nabho.org.uk

To Contact Kathryn
If you have stories to share of trivia on beach huts then Kathryn would love to hear from you... Email:

Read Kathryn's Short History of Beach Huts>>