Retro 'beach pods' unveiled in Bournemouth's Boscombe
Retro 'beach pods' unveiled in Bournemouth's Boscombe
Designer 'beach pods' have gone on sale in Boscombe, Dorset. The retro pods were unveiled last week and are part of a scheme to regenerate Boscombe's beachfront.
Prices for the pods start at £65,000 for a single, while double pods are on the market for £90,000. A twist on the traditional beach hut, the pods are located at
Boscombe, which The Guardian describes as having been the "less popular end of
Bournemouth" for years.
The pods were designed by
Wayne Hemingway, creator of the Red or Dead fashion label, and are decorated with murals celebrating "Britain's glorious seaside past". Canvas deckchairs and Formica work surfaces add to the retro feel, hoping to invoke the feeling of traditional
UK holidays by the beach.
Hemingway, who has bought one of the pods, believes that they can help
revive the British seaside: "It's brave of the local authority to invest in something like this to lift the seaside out of its torpor. I love the British seaside and projects like this can make it great again. It's about nostalgia but it's also about looking forward."
The pods do come with some drawbacks. As with many traditional beach huts, owners is not allowed to sleep in them overnight. The power supply is switched off at night and the pods do not actually open onto the beach.
Despite these limitations, there has already been "fantastic" interest, according to Savills, which is marketing the pods. A spokesperson for the estate agency said it had received enquiries from affluent businessmen from overseas, British families and sports enthusiasts keen to be near an
artificial surf reef at Boscombe that is due to open this year.
It is considered appropriate that the pods have been built in Bournemouth, which is where beach huts originated in 1908. Kathryn Ferry, author of a book on beach huts, feels that the pods do the seaside justice: "I think it is faithful to the spirit of the English beach hut. The future of beach huts looks rosy."
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