Cuckmere Haven hut at heart of tech innovation

Cable Hut 14, built around 1900, played a pivotal role in the early days of global communication

Those passing through Cuckmere Haven would be forgiven for having eyes fixed firmly on the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs nearby.

But tucked into the coastline is Cable Hut 14, a building modest in appearance but not in historical impact.

Built in about 1900, the hut carried Britain's messages beneath the sea long before satellites and fibre optics.

It is now under the care of Michael and Kitty Ann, who share a fascinating story of technological ingenuity and war-time necessity.

'Mission to the moon'

Mr Ann told Secret Sussex that the hut was used by two men whose job was to interpret the signal coming overhead by wire and turn it into "understandable, readable material".

The hut was part of a vast network that connected London to Paris, and ultimately to the wider world.

According to Mr Ann, this was a "brilliant" innovation which allowed messages to be passed much more easily, "instead of hiring a man on a horse, missing the ferry and then a train on the other side".

Though simple when explained in those terms, Mrs Ann said the transatlantic cable "took five years and six failed attempts" before it worked.

She said: "Everything was an experiment, there were endless times of failures...

"It's like the mission to the moon - something you've never done before and nobody has."

Fast forward four decades to World War Two and the hut became both a wartime asset and a target due to its strategic location.

The building was repurposed as a gun emplacement, tasked with guarding against potential German landings at Cuckmere Haven.

The surrounding coastguard cottages were manned by officers who carried out lifesaving duties, salvaging wrecks and watching for smugglers and invaders alike.

Left horribly damaged after World War Two in a world of advancing technology, Cable Hut 14 was facing an uncertain future before Mr Ann's father stepped in.

"He was given it actually, because it was in such a state no-one else wanted it.

"The cable company really wanted to get rid of it, they didn't need it," Mr Ann explained.

The "very keen" fisherman spent "the rest of his days down here fishing".

"He just loved it, Mr Ann said.

The hut came into the care of Michael Ann's father after World War Two

An enduring reminder of a colourful history, this hut now serves as a peaceful reprieve from modern life.

Mrs Ann said people often remarked that they "never knew" it was there, instead focusing on "those amazing Seven Sisters".

While understandable to be distracted by such beauty, the lesser-spotted Cable Hut 14 is no doubt a hugely "significant" building.

"This whole cable industry and what it means to all our lives - we couldn't function like we do now, ever again, without cables," she added.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.