The Cable Hut

The cable hut, which can still be seen today, is a small structure located between the Coastguard Cottages and the beach at Cuckmere. Today, it is privately owned but it has had an incredibly interesting history…

Images courtesy of Kevin Gordon

In 1900, the land on which the cable hut stands was purchased from the 4^th Earl of Chichester, Walter Pelham, by the ‘Anglo-American Cable Company’ with the intention of laying a cable between Le Havre in France and Cuckmere Haven as a part of their trans-Atlantic cable. Telegraph messages from the overhead wires would be transferred undersea. You can see the overhead wires in the old photo from 1900, and a surviving section of the cable itself in the second image.

With the rumblings of war approaching, Cuckmere Haven became militarised and the area was used for training exercises. More cables were added to aid communication between Britain, France and the United States of America during the war and following the Allied win, the cables were used for general commercial business until 1939. The picture below shows the intricate network of cables spreading across the channel.

As the German army occupied France, it was feared that any cables could be intercepted and used by the opposing side. As a result, the decision was made to cut all communication cables connected to France. At Cuckmere Haven, the cables were cut by the naval ship ‘Alert’.

A drastic measure was taken in 1942 and the whole area was turned into a decoy site to make it look like the nearby harbour of Newhaven. The cable hut was requisitioned by the military and turned into a pillbox.

Following the Second World War, the cable hut was in a terrible state - largely due to Canadian troops using it for target practice. It was purchased from the owner, Mr Quantrill, for the sum of £150 by the owner of the Drusilla’s Tea Rooms, Captain Douglas Ann. He restored the building and used it for storage of fishing equipment. The cable hut still remains under the ownership of the Ann family. What a view!