Admittedly, it looks a little shabby. The wood slats and window panes next to the front door are gone, and a little paint wouldn't go amiss.

But in the seaside town of Bournemouth, there is unease that beach hut 2359 will be razed to the ground when structural work on the nearby pier begins.

As the blue plaque outside attests, this is not a weather-beaten, salt-stained ancient building, but Britain's first municipal beach hut, dating back to 1909.

Hattie Miles, who runs walking tours in Bournemouth, said it should be preserved. "That's really weird to me. My point is, gosh, it's not going to cost a lot of money just to protect a beach hut. All they have to do is pick it up and move it."

The cottage is a feature on Myers' Hidden Secrets in Bournemouth Walk. "When I tell people this was the first municipal beach hut they are very interested. I've always felt there's a lack of appreciation for Bournemouth's history. In the Victorian era everyone came here."

Cottage 2359 is located on Bournemouth’s East Beach and has two dozen in total. They are small and humble, often used by local families as a home away from home on the golden sands.

Although the cabins are currently empty and locked, one of their fans, Richard, was spotted this week clearing windblown sand from a spot not far from No. 2359, which once served as his and his mother's beachfront resort.

They got another one, but Richard chickened out. “I still like to keep the old cabin clean and tidy,” he said. "I don't think they should tear them down - there are so many memories here."

Andrew Emery, who has written a book about the history of Bournemouth seaside and conducted research on the plaque at Cottage 2359, said it would be a disaster if it was not preserved in some way. A shame.

"There have been some private beach huts before, but this is the first time a local authority has built beach huts, or beach bungalows. There are a lot of residents here who love huts. They are so iconic to the town."

A plaque on the hut reads: "Bournemouth Beach Bungalow was built in 1909. The first municipal beach hut in the UK. To Frederick Percy Doramore, Chief Assistant District Engineer and Surveyor Designed and built under the direction of Dolamore.”

Bizarrely, one of the arguments defended by the local authority, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, is that despite the plaque as evidence, it is not the original structure.

Emery admits that 2359 "kind of looks like Trigger's broom," referring to the brush on the road sweeper from the sitcom Only Fools and Horses, which has 17 new heads and 14 new handles but is still considered (at least Trigger thinks) Be original. one.

"The roof and sides have been replaced, but there are old bones underneath, and of course the design is true to the original," Emery said.

Kathryn Ferry, founder of the Seaside Heritage Network, which celebrates everything to do with Britain's beach resorts, sympathized with the committee.

She said: "I love the beach huts but you have to look at it in its totality. The beach huts may have been there since 1909 and they are important because they were the first municipal huts but the pier has been there since 1880 There. It’s really important that the pier is still viable for the Bournemouth seafront.”

The council is investing more than £9.5 million in upgrades to the pier, mainly to protect the substructure.

Councilor cabinet member Rich Herrett said: "As part of these important works, 29 beach huts may need to be demolished to create a compound for on-site storage and staff welfare. It is unlikely that they will be rebuilt."