Beach Hut 449

Hut 449 is the most westerly of the huts involved in the Beach Hut Advent Calendar and it's over a mile and a half from yesterdays hut 44 beside Hove Lawns.

The plan had been to make this a prayer hut during the afternoon so that anyone who was walking past might take the opportunity to stop for a few moments of quiet to reflect, meditate and if desired to pray or write down a prayer.




Unfortunately the weather was howling a gale all afternoon and the conditions were not at all conducive to being quiet, meditative or prayerful.  The artist and her steadfast volunteers spent most of their time trying to get the hut set up with everything blowing all over the place unless it was nailed down!


Fortunately the wind subsided a little during the evening and Julie had been able to create a beautiful tableau of the virgin Mary being visited by the angel Gabriel who announced to her that she was to bear a son and call him Jesus.


Julie Carroll was the artist and she was inspired by the prayer of praise that Mary uttered on hearing this news.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

The next hut is also up by Hove Lagoon and is being put together by local Kidz Klub who run youth clubs across the city of Brighton & Hove.